The Oblong Box

(1969) Though not a part of Roger Corman's Poe cycle, and scarcely a part of Edgar's oeuvre, that title notwithstanding, this AIP Poe-pic benefits from its well-crafted script, adroit direction and the happy circumstance of co-starring Vincent Price and Christopher Lee. 'Tis a tale of native vengeance, of secrets locked away in the melancholy family manse, of betrayals, murder, and a bit of, might one say, Poe-etic justice?

Despite invoking Poe's name, this tale has more to do with Kipling's "Mark of the Beast", plus a touch of Burke and Hare, perhaps a smidgen of Jack the Ripper, and even a Phantomesque sartorial touch. But it all works!