Der Massenmörder von London

Not anywhere nearly as well done as the 1939 version, this Corman/Price vehicle has to be the weakest of their collaborations.

Price is generally too hammy here, not well-directed as in other Corman films, and definitely nowhere near his excellent performance in Witchfinder General. Sets are pretty much bare-bones, effects and battle scenes look like stock footage superimposed over characters acting out in front of a black curtain.

The murder of the two young heirs to the throne of England is the best scene and very effective, however. The end of this film of a mere 79 mins. is very welcome to the viewer as about 70 mins. of it are practically a complete bore. Pretty much one to forget unless you have to collect every Corman/Price film ever made.

Roger Corman's "Tower of London" of 1962 is a great piece of Historical Horror and a fantastic depiction of madness, that has enriched the world of cinema with yet another magnificent performance by the incomparable Vincent Price. Vincent Price was in two films named "Tower of London" that dealt with the reign and villainy of Richard III, the other being Rowland V. Lee's great Historical Drama of 1939 in which, as a young actor, he played the supporting role of the Duke of Clarence alongside fellow icons Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff. Personally, I first saw this 1962 film by Corman several years before first watching the 1939 film. Though both films are great, I must say that I still prefer this one. Unlike the 1939 film, this film is an actual Horror film, which focuses strongly on the King's madness and Horror elements. The reasons why I prefer this film (which is officially a remake, but very different to the 1939 version), are the Horror elements and the unspeakably intense and creepy atmosphere, but mainly the incredible on-screen persona of Vincent Price, whom I would call my favorite actor of all-time. Basil Rathbone was great in the role of the villainous king, but Price is sublime. The character is way more insane in this film. The cold-blooded, calculating villain King Richard of the 1939 film has become an equally villainous and murderous, but incalculable madman, haunted by the victims of his bloody path to kingship.

Director Corman and star Price are always a great combination, as proved by their other collaborations, the brilliant Edgar Allan Poe adaptations which mark the peak of both men's careers. Films such as "Pit and the Pendulum" (1961, also starring the wonderful Barbara Steele, my favorite actress of all-time), "The Haunted Palace" (1963, which is actually the adaptation of an H.P. Lovecraft Story) of "The Masque of the Red Death" (1964) range among the greatest Horror films ever made. This is yet another magnificent collaboration of Price and Corman. Price gives a magnificent portrayal of madness and villainy in what is one of his most diabolical roles. The only film in which he plays an even more despicable character is Michael Reeves' 1968 masterpiece "Witchfinder General", and I would rate the role of Prince Prospero in Corman's own "Masque of the Red Death" on quite the same level of evilness as his role here. "Tower of London" has many macabre moments including several downright nasty torture scenes. As in all his Vincent Price films, Corman creates a genuinely creepy atmosphere, this being the only black-and-white film the two did together. Michael Pate plays the role of Richard's loyal and unscrupulous helper on his way to power, basically the role that the great Boris Karloff (another favorite actor of mine) played in the 1939 film. While Karloff played a cruel, but relatively simple-minded executioner loyal to his master Richard, the character 'Sir Ratcliffe' played by Pate is a devilishly cunning snake who isn't far behind Richard in devilish ingenuity. The settings are magnificent, and very similar to those in the 1939 film (though the photography is gloomier) it sometimes looks as if the same settings were used. Parts of the battle sequences from the 1939 film were edited into this one. Overall, this is an amazing film with another brilliant leading performance from the immortal Vincent Price. A must-see for all Horror fans!

I came across this movie by chance one night late on the tv. I checked the review in the tv guide and thought it would be an adaptation of one of my favourite plays by Shakespeare: Richard III. However, when I noticed that Roger Corman directed and the guide labelled this movie a horror movie I had mixed feelings. Corman turned the story of Richard Gloucester who "gets rid" of those who stand between him and the throne of England. Corman does that in accordance with the way the people are put away with in the Shakespearean play, but (of course) with greater detail. Plus, Corman focuses more on theoccult aspects - Richard haunted by the spirits of those he killed. However, during the whole movie it does not quite become clear whether those ghosts are real or just hallucinations of Richard's poor soul. Vincent Price - once again - gives a superb villain, very reminiscent of Boris Karloff (who I think played Richard, as well). A perfect movie for dark, chilly nights, with fog and storm outside, and a blanket to crouch underneath.

I was looking forward to Tower of London as I am a big fan of Vincent Price and a lot of his and Corman's collaborations. After seeing it, I don't think it is one of their best, and the 1939 film while not perfect is a better film, but it is a decent film and should be better known than it is. Granted it is nowhere near perfect, the ending is abrupt, some of the supernatural scenes are more silly than they are haunting and most of the supporting cast are very hammy. The history is also questionable, though I wasn't expecting a history lesson when watching Tower of London and I don't count it as as big a flaw as the ones above. However, the sets, costumes and photography are quite good, the score has a haunting quality to it and the dialogue is intelligent. The story has some uneven moments, but the murders are very disturbing and there is a good atmosphere about it. The killings of the princes and Richard's decision to kill Buckingham are the best scenes of the film. Corman's direction is generally solid and Robert Brown and Joan Freeman are good in their roles and handle them with professionalism. But Vincent Price is the best actor in the film, his Richard of Gloucester is superb, the only one of the cast to make me feel that way. While slightly on the camp side, and I do think he has given better performances before and since, he is also menacing and troubled. All in all, not one of Corman's best but worth the viewing for Price's performances and the murder scenes. 7/10 Bethany Cox

In between basing no less than seven movies on the wondrously macabre writings of author Edgar Allan Poe, the mega-versatile cinema wizard Roger Corman also found the the time to adapt a famous William Shakespeare play and turn it into an effectively creepy and atmospheric 60's chiller. The greatest actor who ever walked the earth – Vincent Price, who else? – plays another malicious but emotionally tormented protagonist in the English kingdom of the late 15th century. He is Richard Plantagenet, unlikely to ever inherit the throne in a righteous way, but willing to kill blood relatives in order to become King of all England. But immediately after murdering his own brother and other innocent people that stand in his way, the restless spirits of his victims come back to haunt him in visions. "Tower of London" is a fascinating history lesson, perhaps not very accurate, but at least vastly entertaining and providing more than enough genuine frights and atmosphere. Continuously descending further into madness, sir Richard submits his victims to uncanny medieval torture devices, like a stretching-rack and a rat cage that gets placed on a poor guy's head. The photography is in stylish black & white, the costumes are downright enchanting and the use of medieval vocabulary sounded like pure music to my ears. Vincent Price is amazing, as always, portraying the historical madman that also suffered from a hereditary handicap. The performances of the supportive cast are sadly a bit hammy. For some reason and unlike most other masterpieces starring Price, this baby is rather difficult to find but definitely worth searching for. A must for fans of classic horror.