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St. Louis – Celebrate Vincent Price’s Birthday at Vincentennial

Film >

“Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y’awls’s neighborhood
And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down
Must stand and face the hounds of hell
And rot inside a corpses shell.
The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller
(evil laughter) “

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuSo6WZ7IA0]

Recognize that? That’s the sinister “rap” performed by iconic actor Vincent Price from the best selling album of all time, Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” I know, I know, it’s not Halloween but I thought this might be a good reference point for a lot of folks out there not familiar with the work of Mr. Price.

That said, any true horror fan knows that he enjoyed a long and illustrious career that lasted over 55 years. His distinctive voice and serio-comic acting style made his name synonymous with the classic horror films of the 50s, 60s and 70s, such as “The Fly” (1958), “The Tingler” (1959), “The Raven” (1963), “The Abominable Dr. Phibes” (1971) and “Theatre of Blood” (1973).

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Tfao0uV_zM]

Mr. Price was born in St. Louis and this month The Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School is presenting Vincentennial, a ten-day film festival in celebration of his 100th birthday.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lGcT8gFzH14]

Not only will there be screenings of nearly 20 of Price’s major works but there will also be introductions, interviews and lectures by critics, academics, filmmakers and actors that were directly involved in his films. Guests include Victoria Price, Vince’s daughter and biographer and Roger Corman, famed B-movie producer, director and actor known for such camp classics as “The Little Shop of Horrors” (1960), “Death Race 2000” (1975) and “Piranha” (1978). Corman will be introducing “The Masque of the Red Death” on Sunday, May 22 and will also participate in a post-film interview with Tim Lucas, editor of Video Watchdog.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipHY7YO2N0Y]

Tickets for all shows can be found here. Head on out to one or all of these great events and pay homage to a true cinematic legend…..if you dare. Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-haaaaaa!