The script writers here took the long way around in trying to tell a coherent story and weren't altogether successful. There are a whole bunch of interesting elements offered that would have been more compelling if things were thought through a bit better. For one, the fellow Hackett (Maxwell Shaw), who was made immobile by voodoo practitioner N'Galo (Harry Baird) to impersonate the presumed dead Edward Markham (Alistair Williamson), didn't really have to be thrown to his death in a river for the scheme to work. If the folks of the local village where the story took place weren't aware of what Sir Edward looked like after all these years, they probably would have overlooked Hackett popping up again in due course.Just for the heck of it, re-read the last couple of sentences. Does it sound like it makes any kind of sense at all? That's what the movie seemed like to me.Having some of the earmarks of a Hammer Film production, this one was actually put out by American International Pictures (AIP) during the same era. It's kind of interesting to read some of the other comments on this board that believe it to be a Hammer flick. That probably has to do with the portrayals of Vincent Price and Christopher Lee, neither of which is particularly scary this time around, and the occasional splatter of bright red blood, courtesy of Sir Edward's murder victims.The best thing this story did for me was as a reminder of a host of expressions that arose from the idea of people mistakenly buried alive. You may have heard it, originating from centuries past England at a time when it was thought that they were running out of room to bury people. The idea was to drill a hole in the lid of a coffin so a string could be tied to a dead person's hand, up and into a tube that emitted from the enclosure above ground. If a buried person 'woke up', their movement would conveniently signal a watchman posted in a cemetery for just that reason. Thus arose the phrases 'working the graveyard shift', saved by the bell' and a 'real dead ringer'. All those expressions have different origins, but they sound good enough to fool just about anyone. Try it on your friends.

Another Price/Poe movie that is worth watching. I found the movie a highly interesting Gothic horror mystery-thriller. It is as creepy as it is suspenseful.Julian Markham (Price) and his brother Edward Markham (Williamson) spent some time in Africa doing some dirty deeds. Edward's face becomes disfigured by a witchdoctor and he is held like a prisoner by his own brother Julian. When Edward escapes he ends up in the home of Dr. Newhartt (Lee) and begins to wear a red mask to hide is disfigured face. Edward wants answers as to why he was the victim of witchcraft and becomes vengeful in doing so.I do recommend this film for those that enjoy Poe, Price, Lee and classic horror, mysteries and thrillers.8/10

Disfigured in an African ritual, Edward is kept, "protected", by his brother Julian by being kept chained up in attic. He fakes his death to escape from Julian and another man is killed to take Edward's place in the "oblong box". Film looks like a low-key, photographed stageplay, a well-dressed period piece having little to do with Poe's short story, besides the title box. This is one of those films to watch primarily to enjoy the cast, lush settings and photography, hooded killers, throat-slicings, and a couple of good scares along the way, even if it has little if anything to do with Poe, just don't get one's hopes too high up. It does have a good unmasking scene, and genuinely creepy twist-ending, which still stood out in my mind years after I had last seen this film. Favourite line: "I'll only do my prowling at night."

"The Oblong Box" is about what you'd expect. Like "Witchfinder General" (aka "The Conqueror Worm") the previous year, a lot of it seems to be going for shock value. Vincent Price plays a 19th-century nobleman keeping his disfigured brother locked in a room...only then the brother manages to escape. There's some violence (although I wouldn't call it gore) and no shortage of women with bug-eyed, frightened looks on their faces.As with the other 1960s horror flicks based on Edgar Allan Poe stories -- although this one is not part of Roger Corman's series -- the movie only uses the title and is otherwise unrelated to the original story. There's certainly nothing special about the movie, except that it was the first pairing of Vincent Price and Christopher Lee. Otherwise, Corman's movies are the ones that I recommend.Also starring Rupert Davies, Peter Arne, Sally Geeson and Hilary Dwyer.