SON OF THIRTY-ONE DAYS OF HALLOWEEN! DAY 29: VINCENT PRICE PERFORMS "THE RAVEN!"

In yesterday's entry of SON OF THIRTY-ONE DAYS OF HALLOWEEN!, I wrote about my affection for the works of Edgar Allan Poe and how they had inspired me in high school as a reader and performer. I performed Poe's The Raven numerous times in prose/poetry competitions, but always felt that I wasn't doing the work justice. Indeed, I'm not sure anyone ever could...except for one person, a man of singular ability and presence with regard to the performance of the macabre and horrific: Vincent Price.

You may or may not know Price as I do, from his many wonderful horror films of days gone by, movies like The House of Wax, The Bat, House On Haunted Hill, The Tingler, The Fly and of course, the various loose adaptations of Poe's works in which Price starred. But you've heard his name and you know his voice, especially from Michael Jackson's Thriller. You may also remember his final performance in Tim Burton's Edward Scissorhands.

Price lent a weight, credence, and nobility to the roles he played and the films he starred in that elevated the material and made it classic. There are no bad films featuring Vincent Price, and he shines even in short works like his performance of Poe's The Raven from the late 70s. He truly brings the poem to life and leaves you feeling as haunted as the narrator of the poem.