The Oblong Box (1969)

With Lee and Price, it could have been better, 4 February 2005

The Oblong Box is an average horror film - not great, but certainly not the worst. The story is fairly interesting and the cast (while not necessarily the acting) is top notch. Horror icons Vincent Price and Christopher Lee star.

The story involves a man who is kept locked in his room. He has been horribly disfigured during an African voodoo ceremony and, as a result, has gone completely mad. After faking his death, he seeks revenge on those he feels are responsible for his condition.

For the most part, the story kept me interested. There are enough twists and turns that keep it from becoming overly slow or boring. The main weakness with the story is that it is unnecessarily complicated. A more straight forward approach may have been more effective.

The period costumes and sets are good. There is more blood than in the normal Vincent Price / AIP movie (even though it is what I refer to as the bright red "Hammer blood"). The supporting cast is quite good. I especially enjoyed watching the young Hilary Dwyer as Price's wife. As I said earlier, Price and Lee star. Neither is, however, particularly good in this movie. In fact, I think anyone could have played the role Lee plays. It's not a particularly difficult or meaty role. Both appear to be going through the motions. The real star is Alister Williamson, playing Price's disfigured brother. Not only does he have the most screen time, he is more effective in his role than either Lee or Price.

6/10