Vincent Price's 8 Most Entertaining Horror Films

"As they say in horror movies, you will come to a bad end."

Madhouse in not a particularly good film, to put it bluntly: the dialogue is hilariously awful in many places, much of the acting is beyond poor, and the final reveal is blindingly obvious after the opening five minutes. But in a round-up of Prices most entertaining horror films, it definitely deserves a mention. As with Theatre of Blood, Price parodies his own career in this film. Here he plays Paul Tombs, a legendary horror actor who made his name portraying ghoulish murderer Dr. Death, and is preparing to make his grand comeback. Tombs' Dr. Death persona feels rather like Jose Mojica Marins' Coffin Joe.

This film is an absolute treat for horror fans; it is brimming with nods and references to Price's filmography, and to the genre in general. Throughout, snippets from Tombs most iconic films are screened, which are in fact scenes taken from Price's own classics (The Raven; House of Usher; Tales of Terror; The Haunted Palace). Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone even receive special credits in the film as a result.

Another horror legend takes a leading role in Madhouse: Peter Cushing. Frustratingly, Cushing's talent is wasted in this film, and he features as more of a plot device than anything else. The writers definitely did Cushing and the audience a huge disservice by not giving him more meat to work with. There was a real missed opportunity for some entertaining back-and-forth between the two actors, which is a tremendous shame.

On another note, just ignore the title completely. The film doesn't prominently feature a mental institution as the name might suggest. It's not even a particularly memorable or noteworthy title, either. Surely to goodness they could've concocted something a bit better.