Friday, May 27th was Vincent Price’s 100th birthday, and while it seems somewhat odd to celebrate a birthday for someone who has already passed, in this case it may truly be fitting. Price was, of course, forever entwined with the horror genre, its own Master of Ceremonies. But it was his macabre wit and light comedic touch that he lent to many of his roles, that gave him unusual longevity as an actor; every few years reinventing himself, conjuring another trick, another sleight of hand. House of Wax (1953), House on Haunted Hill (1958), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), The Last Man on Earth (1964). The list of notable films is endless, and endlessly watchable.
It’s truly hard to pick a favorite among his dozens of films. So I won’t. I’ll just say they are all my favorites: funny, eccentric, unsettling, addictive films that will always will remain, above all, classics.
So long live that voice.
Long live that laugh.