The Vault of Horror (1973)

Director:

Roy Ward Baker

Writers:

Al Feldstein (stories)
William M. Gaines (stories)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

Below the Crypt lies Death's waiting-room - The . . . Vault of Horror

Plot:

Five men trapped in the basement vault of an office building share visions with each other of their demise...

Plot Keywords:

Death | Vampire | Artist | Painting | Vault

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Daniel Massey	...	Rogers (segment "1: Midnight Mass")
Anna Massey	...	Donna (segment "1: Midnight Mass")
Mike Pratt	...	Clive (segment "1: Midnight Mass") (as Michael Pratt)
Erik Chitty	...	Old Waiter (segment "1: Midnight Mass")
Jerold Wells	...	Waiter (segment "1: Midnight Mass")
Terry-Thomas	...	Critchit (segment "2: The Neat Job")
Glynis Johns	...	Eleanor (segment "2: The Neat Job")
Marianne Stone	...	Jane (segment "2: The Neat Job")
John Forbes-Robertson	...	Wilson (segment "2: The Neat Job")
Curd Jürgens	...	Sebastian (segment "3: This Trick'll Kill You") (as Curt Jurgens)
Dawn Addams	...	Inez (segment "3: This Trick'll Kill You")
Jasmina Hilton	...	Indian Girl (segment "3: This Trick'll Kill You")
Ishaq Bux	...	Fakir (segment "3: This Trick'll Kill You")
Michael Craig	...	Maitland (segment "4: Bargain in Death")
Edward Judd	...	Alex (segment "4: Bargain in Death")

Also Known As:

Further Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt, Part II

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Norway:18 | UK:15 | USA:PG (edited for re-rating) | USA:R (original rating) | Canada:PA (Manitoba)

Filming Locations:

Millbank Tower, Millbank, Westminster, London, England, UK

Company:

Amicus Productions

Trivia:

As he prepares to take his fake overdose the paperback book Michael Craig is reading is the film tie-in to Tales from the Crypt (1972).

Movie Connections:

Featured in Dusk to Dawn Drive-In Trash-o-Rama Show Vol. 5 (1998) (V)

Great 'little' movie

What more could you ask for? This movie shines with a brilliant line-up of actors playing up the script for all it's worth. Directed by Roy Ward Baker, VoH oozes with direction and style (see his filmography). Fans of classic not-too-low-budget horror will appreciate this film, as will anyone with a lust for british films. And Hammer films.

To date, this is the ONLY multiple-story film I can watch more than once. Maybe it's the era bleeding through the screen into my brain, bringing me back to a time when cgi didn't exist and movies held their own magic without having super budgets spewed into them. Maybe it's because Tom Baker, my all-time favourite Doctor, plays a rather scruffy-looking artist with a serious dark side. Maybe it's the memorable soundtrack, oddly orchestral amid the tumult of intrusive moog soundtracks of the period.

As mentioned in another review, get the UNCUT version if you can. If there are kiddies about and you want to frighten them without the (very mild) gore found in most films of today, the edited version will do. It is near-impossible to find a commercial copy of this film in the states, but maybe Cinemax will run it again late at night? Please?

If you see it on a shelf, get it.