North East writer, Mark Iveson, is the author of Vincent Price: The British Connection (Telos Publishing). Lee Allcock caught up to find out more about the book and Mark’s fascination with Vincent Price.
When/why/how did you become fascinated by Vincent Price?
I’ve always been a movie fan since childhood, and horror for some reason has held a great fascination for me; my favourite actor was Peter Cushing. Nothing gave me greater pleasure than staying up late on a Saturday night to watch the Horror Double Bill on BBC2.
My first introduction to Vincent Price was when he played supervillain Egghead in Batman on TV. The horror movies soon followed.
To me, Vincent Price remains an incredibly fascinating figure. He had a handsome but sinister and imposing presence, coupled with a wonderful mid-Atlantic voice. There was more to him than just being a horror legend. In addition to his great work in the theatre, he was a renowned art expert, writer, lecturer and gourmet chef.
As a person, he was also an amazing raconteur and Renaissance man. What’s not to like?
Price was described as the king of modern horror films before his untimely death. For you, what is your favourite film by Vincent and why?
Vinnie was a great actor who never gave a bad performance. No matter how bad the movie, you could always rely on him to ham it up with good humour. My own personal favourite has to be Theatre of Blood (1973). He plays Edward Lionheart, a demented Shakespearean actor who takes revenge on the critics who slated his performances by using the classic murders taken from his last repertory season of the Bard. It is a superb piece of comic macabre, and Vinnie has the role of a lifetime, playing it to the hilt and beyond.
What career-defining performances by Price stand out for you and why?
There’s been plenty of brilliant performances over the years so it’s a difficult choice. Naturally Theatre of Blood is one of them. I’ll limit it to three.
Laura (1944) is an atmospheric piece of film noir made during his period as a Hollywood star. In fact, it is a classic cinema. Vinnie plays Shelby Carpenter, a handsome, well dressed, but sleazy gigolo more interested in looking good than being good. It’s a first-rate performance that lives in the memory.
I regard The House on Haunted Hill (1958) as ‘Vintage Vinnie’ as it was the first time in a horror film that he really projected his flamboyant persona to full effect, and with total aplomb. His sense of fun always ran alongside his sense of menace.
My final choice is Witchfinder General (1968), a violent and controversial effort, long regarded as one of the greatest British films ever made. As the notorious witch hunter Matthew Hopkins, Vinnie plays it straight and gives his most frightening performance.
What can readers expect from the book?
It was Vincent Price’s death in October 1993 that indirectly inspired me to write my first book Cursed Horror Stars (Telos Publishing). I was visiting a friend in America when a news channel announced his death. Naturally, I was devastated, but it also prompted my decision to become a published author.
I was always fascinated by the British phase of his horror career and wrote an article about it for the movie webmag Shadowlocked, which I decided to expand into book form. In writing about that period of his professional life, I was able to take a different approach as there have been so many books written about him over the years.
I think readers will expect a warm, funny and respectful tribute to a fine actor and remarkable man, who has made a wonderful contribution to the English Gothic Cinema.
You can purchase the book now at telos.co.uk.
