You know that feeling when you're flipping through channels or scrolling through a streaming app and you see Vincent Price in a powdered wig? It's a vibe. Honestly, most people associate that vibe strictly with the Roger Corman "Poe Cycle"—those saturated, Gothic fever dreams like The Masque of the Red Death or The Pit and the Pendulum.
But there’s this one weird outlier.
In 1963, Price took a break from Poe to flirt with another giant of American literature: Nathaniel Hawthorne. The result was Twice Told Tales, an anthology film that basically tried to beat Roger Corman at his own game.
It's weird. It's colorful. It's kinda mean-spirited in a way that’s actually pretty refreshing for a 60s horror flick.
The Weird History of Twice Told Tales
Here’s the thing. Most people think this is a Corman movie. It isn't. It was directed by Sidney Salkow, who later worked with Price on The Last Man on Earth. The production company, Admiral Pictures, was basically looking at the piles of money American International Pictures was making with Poe and said, "Hey, we can do that too."
They grabbed Price (the undisputed king of the genre), swiped the anthology format from 1962’s Tales of Terror, and swapped Poe’s ravens for Hawthorne’s puritanical guilt.
The title is a bit of a lie, though.
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While it's named after Hawthorne's 1837 collection, only one of the three segments—Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment—actually comes from that book. The other two are pulled from Mosses from an Old Manse and the famous novel The House of the Seven Gables.
Segment 1: Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment
This one is basically a "careful what you wish for" story. Price plays Alex Medbourne, an old playboy visiting his buddy Carl (played by Sebastian Cabot, who you might know as the voice of Bagheera in The Jungle Book).
They find a magical water leak in a crypt.
The water preserves the body of Carl's long-dead fiancée, Sylvia.
Naturally, they drink the water.
They turn young—and if you want to see a 52-year-old Vincent Price wearing "young person" makeup that makes him look like a wax figure, this is your movie. It’s glorious. But the segment turns dark fast. It reveals that Sylvia and Alex were actually having an affair behind Carl’s back decades ago. The "youth" is temporary, and as the water runs out, everyone starts melting back into their old selves (or skeletons) in a very messy, very satisfying climax.
Segment 2: Rappaccini’s Daughter
If you like your horror with a side of "extreme overparenting," this is the peak. Price plays Giacomo Rappaccini, a scientist who is so protective of his daughter Beatrice (Joyce Taylor) that he has literally fed her poison her entire life.
She’s immune to it.
But her touch is lethal.
Think X-Men, but with more velvet capes.
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She falls for a student named Giovanni. Giacomo’s "solution" is to poison the student too so they can be together forever in his garden of death. It’s a tragic, claustrophobic segment that leans heavily into the "poisonous woman" trope. Price is at his most sinister here—not because he’s a monster, but because he thinks he’s being a good dad.
Segment 3: The House of the Seven Gables
This is the "main event" for many. Fun fact: Price actually starred in a more faithful, non-horror version of this story back in 1940. By 1963, he was playing a completely different character, Gerald Pyncheon.
This version tosses Hawthorne's nuance out the window in favor of:
- A skeletal hand reaching out of a vault.
- Walls that literally bleed.
- A house that collapses like it’s made of crackers.
It’s the most "Corman-esque" of the bunch. It’s got the family curse, the hidden treasure, and the vengeful ghost of Matthew Maulle. It’s pure 60s cheese, but Price sells the hell out of it.
Why This Movie Still Slaps in 2026
Honestly? It's the cruelty.
A lot of the Poe movies have a romantic, tragic undertone. Twice Told Tales feels more cynical. In every single segment, Price’s characters are basically garbage humans. He’s a backstabbing friend, a controlling father, and a greedy husband.
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Watching Price lean into these distinct flavors of villainy is a masterclass in genre acting.
The Visuals are Peak Technicolor
The film was shot by Ellis W. Carter, and it looks like a box of Crayola crayons exploded in a Victorian funeral parlor. The purples in Rappaccini’s garden are so bright they almost hurt. This wasn't a big-budget film, but they used every cent to make the sets look lush and suffocating.
It’s a Different Kind of Horror
Unlike modern jump-scare fests, this is all about atmosphere and "the rot within." It deals with the fear of aging, the fear of losing control, and the weight of family history.
What Most People Get Wrong About Twice Told Tales
There's a common misconception that this was a "knock-off" of the Poe films. While the business reason for its existence was definitely a cash-grab, the execution is surprisingly literate. Producer/writer Robert E. Kent actually kept a lot of Hawthorne’s specific dialogue and moral weight, even when he was adding skeletons and bleeding walls.
Another mistake? Thinking Price is the "hero" in any of these.
He’s not.
He’s the engine of destruction in all three.
Actionable Insights for Horror Fans
If you're planning to dive into this Gothic gem, here is how to get the most out of it:
- Watch the 1940 version first: If you can find the 1940 House of the Seven Gables, watch it before the 1963 anthology. Seeing a young, "pre-horror" Vincent Price play a heroic role makes his 1963 turn as the villainous Gerald Pyncheon way more impactful.
- Check out the Kino Lorber Blu-ray: The 2022 reissue is the definitive way to see this. The colors are restored to their original eye-bleeding glory, and the commentary tracks give a lot of insight into how they pulled off the effects on a shoestring budget.
- Read the source material: Hawthorne’s Rappaccini’s Daughter is a genuinely beautiful piece of literature. Comparing the original ending to the movie's more "Hollywood" ending is a great exercise in seeing how 60s studios thought audiences couldn't handle ambiguity.
Twice Told Tales remains a essential piece of the Vincent Price legacy. It captures a moment when the "Master of Menace" was at the absolute height of his powers, turning even a low-budget anthology into something that feels like high art.