The Comedy of Terrors (1963) on Netflix
Approved19631h 24mComedyHorror
In New Gilead, undertaker Waldo Trumbull and his assistant Felix Gillie reuse one coffin and kill wealthy residents to bring in business. His landlord demands a year of back rent.
- Netflix3.9/5
- IMDb6.5/107,988 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes89%
Trailer
Plot summary
Waldo Trumbull is a drunkard who runs a funeral parlor in New Gilead, a New England town in the late 19th century, a business he took over from his former partner Amos Hinchley. He is unhappily married to Hinchley's daughter Amaryllis. His only assistant is Felix Gillie, a fugitive picklock, and the pair save money by reusing the parlor's single coffin while killing wealthy residents so that there are funerals to arrange. Trumbull is abusive to Amaryllis and tries to poison her senile father, hoping to inherit, calling the poison his medicine. Gillie loves Amaryllis and makes clumsy attempts to seduce her, though she stays faithful to Trumbull. Drink drains Trumbull's money, and his landlord, John F. Black, threatens eviction over a year of overdue rent.
Cast
- Buddy Masonas Mr. Phipps
- Douglas Williamsas Doctor
- Linda Rogersas Phipps' Maid
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Comedy of Terrors (1963)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Screenplay writer Richard Matheson said he was proud he got AIP to hire Tourneur, whom he had earlier asked for on one of his Twilight Zones only to be told a movie director could not handle the schedule; as he recalled, Tourneur then did the shortest shooting schedule of anyone, twenty-eight hours.
- The producers originally intended Karloff to play Mr. Black, but by the time production was set to begin they realized he could not meet the physical requirements of the role, as he suffered from persistent back and leg problems, so he traded roles with Basil Rathbone and played Mr. Hinchley.
- Matheson wanted to write a sequel for AIP called Sweethearts and Horrors, with the same four stars in various roles - Price as a ventriloquist, Karloff as a children's TV host, Rathbone as a musical comedy star and Lorre as a magician - plus Tallulah Bankhead, but the plan was abandoned after the film failed at the box office.
SPOILER
In the original draft all the main characters died, but AIP asked Matheson to rewrite it so that Lorre and Jameson ended up together.
