Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- sinister
- theatrical
- oppressive
- classic horror night
- gothic film marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an unusually ambitious and visually sumptuous Roger Corman Poe adaptation, praising Vincent Price and its atmosphere while finding it more intellectually gothic than conventionally frightening.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Nicolas Roeg's lush Technicolor photography, elaborate castle interiors, and color-coded rooms turn the masked ball and plague setting into a vivid visual nightmare.
Prospero shelters nobles in his castle while peasants outside die from the Red Death, framing privilege as grotesque social cruelty.
Prospero worships Satan and approaches torture, corruption, and death with sadistic curiosity about unknown moral and supernatural territories.
The masked ball brings Prospero face to face with a mysterious red-hooded stranger whose identity destabilizes his presumed control.
Films like The Masque of the Red Death, and why
The Fall of the House of Usher
shared gothic horror atmosphere, decadent aristocracy, supernatural menace, and theatrical visual design
The Pit and the Pendulum
shared vincent price performance style, gothic settings, psychological cruelty, and literary horror tradition
Black Sunday
shared period gothic horror, plague-like dread, macabre ritual, and stylized color cinematography
The Devil Rides Out
shared satanic imagery, elaborate masquerade spectacle, and intellectually unsettling supernatural horror
Movie Details
- Director
- Roger Corman
- Release Date
- 1964-09-16
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (379)
Cast
- Vincent Price
- Hazel Court
- Jane Asher
- David Weston
- Nigel Green
- Patrick Magee
- Paul Whitsun-Jones
- Robert Brown
- Julian Burton
- David Davies
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ScreenPix Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Masque of the Red Death about?
- A satanic prince turns his plague-secured castle into a decadent theater of cruelty, only to confront a red-hooded visitor who embodies death itself.
- What is The Masque of the Red Death like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Masque of the Red Death as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Masque of the Red Death violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in The Masque of the Red Death as graphic.
- What did critics think of The Masque of the Red Death?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an unusually ambitious and visually sumptuous Roger Corman Poe adaptation, praising Vincent Price and its atmosphere while finding it more intellectually gothic than conventionally frightening.
- Which films are like The Masque of the Red Death?
- Films with a similar feel include The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, Black Sunday, and The Devil Rides Out.
- How long is The Masque of the Red Death?
- The Masque of the Red Death runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Masque of the Red Death?
- In United States, The Masque of the Red Death streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, ScreenPix Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, ScreenPix Amazon Channel .
