MovieChat Forums > The Haunted Palace (1964) Discussion > Could have used a bit more development

Could have used a bit more development

posted 10 years ago by TheSolarSailor
2 replies | jump to latest

Having immersed myself in some of the other Vincent Price Poe tales, I can see now why this one isn't quite as good. Now don't get me wrong, as I still love it, but I think it is a bit underdeveloped overall. I wish they would have included just a bit more of the Lovecraft story into the mix.

I understand the desire to simplify things, such as making the return of Curwen a possession rather than his actual body being brought back to life, but I do wish the story would have delved a bit more deeply into the alchemy involved and how his two friends had lived the entire time that Curwen had been dead. It would be nice to get a bit more towards the end of the film, some sort of reveal about his two partners and what happens to them. I know they wanted to save it for the big surprise shock at the very end that reveals that Ward is still under possession by Curwen, but this was done at the expense of following up on what happens with his two allies. In a way, Lon Chaney Jr. was wasted on a role that went nowhere. Also, it is a bit hard to believe that the townsfolks were so easy to forgive Ward when they seemed to have it in for him five minutes earlier.

I just wish more had been put into resolving the story and finishing up some of the plot threads that seemed to be left dangling. I'd like to know a bit more about the monstrosities in town and what the goal of the creature in the pit really was. It's all implied, but not enough is done to make it satisfactory. It just seems like there was more left to tell. One more rewrite could have fixed this, while tapping a bit more of the material that Lovecraft wrote about in his novel.

Again, I still very much enjoy the film, but I can see some weaknesses in the plot as well.

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Whose idea was it for the word "Lisp" to have an "S" in it?

[–] profh-1 8 years ago

You suffer through so much in this film before you get to the end... then, you find out, it's NOT really over yet! Seems like it's screaming for a sequel that was never made.

Of course, it could be worse... "NIGHT OF DARK SHADOWS" borrows heavily from the plot of this film, except, that one ENDS abruptly, just as this one is really getting interesting. (It's the point where the main character has decided he is definitely leaving... but then he goes back in for a moment, only to become COMPLETELY possessed.)

I do think this was one of Lon Chaney's best roles in his later career. It's odd it was intended for Boris Karloff, though Karloff was too ill to do it. It seems to me Karloff could have been given the smaller role of the 3rd warlock, "Jabez". Then again, he has almost no lines at all in the film, completely under-developed character.

A strange thing I only just now noticed, after seeing the film at least a dozen times... according to the cast list here at the IMDB, Jabez' full name is listed as "Jabez Hutchinson", which I do NOT believe was ever once mentioned in the film.

However, there is a "Mr. Hutchinson" mentioned in the script... it's Ward's LAWYER, who told him about the estate, and sent him to Arkham in the first place. Apparently, Jabez was Ward's lawyer-- but this connection is NEVER mentioned in the film!

[–] profh-1 8 years ago

My mistake! When "Joseph Curwen" introduces his friends to Ann & Dr. Willet, he DOES refer to the skinny old guy as "Jabez Hutchinson". I simply had NEVER noted the name was mentioned earlier in the film as Ward's LAWYER back in Boston. Sneaky writing....