10 Best Horror Movies Set In Medieval Times

Legendary director Roger Corman and actor Vincent Price (whose name features several times on this list) worked together a number of times and The Masque Of The Red Death was one of the most memorable. Based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe and his story of the same name, Vincent Price plays the satanic Prince Prospero, an Italian nobleman whose callous cruelty leads to the demise of many that live on his lands.

When the Prince is visiting a village on his domain, he sees an old woman who is infected with the Red Death, a vile disease, and orders the village burned to the ground. He abducts the young Francesca, taking along her father Ludovico and his friend Gino as prisoners. He then returns to his own estate and begins to prepare for a large ball that is to be held in his honour. The feast then descends into satanic debauchery, bloodshed and torture, while Francesca does her best to escape from it all.

Utilising the veteran actor Vincent Price was a sure-fire success in his era. With rich costumes and sets, this film is still sumptuous to behold, despite showing its age a little these days. As always, Corman's work is the right mix of heavy-handed and inspired.

Combining several of Edgar Allen Poe's stories into this one, Roger Corman was initially worried that the film would be compared too heavily to Ingmar Bergman's The Seventh Seal. Fortunately, the two movies differ in tone and this one is a classic horror nightmare.