Directed by the legendary Roger Corman, The Tomb of Ligeia is another classic horror film where he displays his master craftsmanship with what he can do on a limited budget with lavish set pieces and a small cast. The Tomb of Ligeia is based on the short story “Ligeia” by American author Edgar Allan Poe. This film was the last of Roger Corman’s “Poe Features”.
Vincent Price stars as widow Verden Fell, who is tormented by the death of his first wife Ligeia which causes friction between him and his new bride Rowena. It is soon discovered that a black cat, which was present at Ligeia’s funeral possibly has taken the spirit Ligeia. The cat tries to kill Rowena several times and Fell decides he must do away with the cat.
I absolutely love this film and watch it every October. The Tomb of Ligeia to me is a wonderful film with superb acting by Vincent Price and Elizabeth Shepherd who played both Ligeia and Rowena. English actor John Westbrook, who plays Christopher Gough is also excellent and has a key role in this picture. In addition to the acting, the set pieces for the film are phenomenal adding much needed atmosphere to the picture. I find Corman’s Poe pictures to be among his greatest work.
The Tomb of Ligeia has been given a Blu-ray re-release from Kino Lorber as the initial release has gone out of print.
The image looks to be the same as the one used by both Arrow and Shout Factory (under the Scream Factory line) with marginal differences. The colors are just as strong for this release from Kino, with deep, rich black levels. Skin tones look accurate, as they were in the previous releases.
Kino Lorber has used English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 for their release and it’s solid with dialog and other action sounds coming in perfectly clear without hissing or drop-offs. The haunting music by Kenneth V. Jones comes in the most aggressive and has the most depth.
Kino Lorber has included two of the commentaries from the Shout Factory release and added a new one by film historian Tim Lucas. Not only do you get the insights from Tim Lucas who once again gives a tour-de-force in the commentary department, but you also get the commentaries by Roger Corman and Elizabeth Shepherd for those wanting to revisit their thoughts of the film. Trailers from Hell with Joe Dante and a theatrical trailer are the remaining extras. The release also comes with a limited-edition O-Card slipcase, so if you want the slipcover you should grab this Blu-ray sooner than later.
For those who already own The Tomb of Ligeia, why wouldn’t you want this release? This one has a Tim Lucas commentary for one thing which the other releases do not have. Plus, the film is excellent, so why not have more than one copy of it to watch! While this release does not have all the supplemental materials from either the Arrow or Shout, the new commentary and trailers from hell features make this a recommended package!
The Tomb of Ligeia
Director- Roger Corman
Cast- Vincent Price, Elizabeth Shepherd, John Westbrook
Country of Origin- US
Distributor – Kino Lorber
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date-10/2/21