The Tomb of Ligeia

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Roger Corman directs. Arthur Grant behind the camera. Kenneth V. Jones scores. Alfred Cox cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

• 181 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
• 262 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
• 3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
• 4Directed by Roger Corman, shot by Arthur Grant. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
• 5Original score by Kenneth V. Jones. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
• 6Editor Alfred Cox shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
• 7Vincent Price and Elizabeth Shepherd and John Westbrook carry the top of the cast.
• 8Marketing tagline: "Even on her wedding night she must share the man she loved with the "female thing" that lived in the Tomb of the Cat!".
• 9IMDB entry: tt0059821 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
• 10Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography

Arthur Grant

Original score

Kenneth V. Jones

Editing

Alfred Cox

Makeup / hair

Pearl Orton

Runtime

81 min · 1h 21m

Status

Released

Original language

EN

Certification (US)

NR

IMDB

The Tomb of Ligeia (1964) ↗

Also by

Roger Corman

• 
  The Intruder

  1962 · ★ 7.2
• 
  The Pit and the Pendulum

  1961 · ★ 6.8
• 
  The Haunted Palace

  1963 · ★ 6.7
• 
  House of Usher

  1960 · ★ 6.7
• 
  Tales of Terror

  1962 · ★ 6.7
• 
  A Bucket of Blood

  1959 · ★ 6.6

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

• 

  ▶
  The Tomb of Ligeia - Vincent Price (1964) - Official Trailer HD

  Trailer · Official
• 

  ▶
  Joe Dante on Tomb Of Ligeia

  Featurette

Community reviews

What people are saying

• Wiccaburr2020-10-08
  ★ 7/10

  This movie got love, death, and marriage. This movie also plays heavy into hypnosis. The cat is the true star of the movie, getting more screen time than Vincent almost. The pace is great and so is the unfolding of this story. Nothing gore and bloody, but it does keep suspense and the macabre in tact throughout. Although not the strongest in the Poe series that Corman did, it is still a movie that can entertain. Also if Disney wasn't using the title, I feel they could've used "That darn cat!" as a movie title. But it wouldn't pack a punch like Tomb of the Cat or the one it has now.

  Read full review ↓
• Wuchak2021-09-26
  ★ 6/10

  The black cat from hell at a manor in Victorian Britain Amidst a crumbling castle in 19th century England, a widowed aristocrat (Vincent Price) mourns his wife, but quickly develops a new romantic relationship after meeting the forceful Rowena (Elizabeth Shepherd). Yet the soul of Ligeia seems to be haunting the estate and the apparently mesmerized Baron is hiding something. Released in late 1964, "The Tomb of Ligeia” is Gothic horror based on the Edgar Allan Poe story from 1838 (which was revised in 1845 with the addition of his 1843 poem “The Conqueror Worm,” written by the character Ligeia). This was the last of Roger Corman’s eight Poe films from 1960-1964, which all made money but this one made the least, possibly because the quasi-series had run its course and the story was overly complicated. Nevertheless, Corman considered it one of the best of the lot. Since the original tale was so short, scriptwriter Robert Towne incorporated elements from other Poe stories, such as the black cat, mesmerism and a hint of necrophilia. The talky story isn’t as compelling as Corman’s “The Terror” (1963) or even “The Masque of the Red Death” (1964). It’s rather boring for the first hour, but there’s an effectively creepy payoff in the last act, which ties everything together. Like those previous two films, the sumptuous Gothic ambiance is worth the price of admission and the inclusion of Stonehenge is a highlight. You just have to acclimate to the dated drama-focused goings-on. The movie runs 1 hour, 22 minutes and was shot at Shepperton Studios, just west of London, and Castle Acre Priory north of Swaffham, as well as other spots in England, such as Stonehenge, Polesden Lacey and Polzeath, Cornwall, at the southwest tip of Britain (the beach scene). GRADE: B-/C+

  Read full review ↓

Production companies

Who made it

• AL

  Alta Vista Film Production

Key crew

• ProducerPat Green
• Short StoryEdgar Allan Poe
• Sound EditorLes Wiggins
• Camera OperatorMoray Grant
• EditorAlfred Cox
• HairstylistPearl Orton
• Sound EditorDon Ranasinghe
• Makeup ArtistGeorge Blackler
• Art DirectionColin Southcott
• Boom OperatorKen Ritchie
• Wardrobe MasterMary Gibson
• Sound RecordistBert Ross
• Sound RecordistJohn Aldred
• Executive ProducerRoger Corman
• Special EffectsTed Samuels
• ProducerSamuel Z. Arkoff
• Matte PainterDoug Ferris
• Set DecorationColin Southcott
• Art DirectionDaniel Haller
• ProducerDavid Deutsch
• Executive ProducerJames H. Nicholson

Themes & keywords

What it's about, really

• based on novel or book
• cat
• black cat
• tomb

Release history · US

When it landed

• Theatrical1965-01-20NR

Also known as

International titles

• Das Grab des GrauensDE
• Túmulo SinistroBR
• A Tumba de LigeiaBR
• Гробница ЛигейиRU
• Tomb of the CatUS
• Last Tomb of LigeiaUS
• Edgar Allan Poe's The Tomb of LigeiaGB
• La Tomba di LigeiaIT
• Tombe de LigeiaES
• Ο Τάφος με τα 7 ΜυστικάGR
• 黒猫の棲む館JP