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The Comedy of Terrors is a 1963 horror comedy about an undertaker who tries to create customers by killing people—and whose schemes unravel when one supposed victim keeps coming back. Directed by Jacques Tourneur and written by Richard Matheson, the 88-minute film brings Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karloff, and Basil Rathbone together for a macabre farce set in 1890s New England.
What is The Comedy of Terrors about?
Waldo Trumbull (Vincent Price) runs a failing funeral home with Felix Gillie (Peter Lorre), whom he bullies into helping him. Desperate for business, Trumbull turns to murder as a way to produce clients. His plans become a comic nightmare when landlord John F. Black (Basil Rathbone) repeatedly seems to recover from death. Trumbull’s wife, Amaryllis (Joyce Jameson), and her father, Amos Hinchley (Boris Karloff), add to the chaos.
The premise makes the funeral business itself the engine of the comedy: each attempt to solve a financial problem creates another complication. The film mixes horror imagery with slapstick and dark, deliberately absurd humor.
Spoiler warning: The plot description above gives the central setup, not the ending.
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Who stars in the film, and who made it?
| Role | Cast or crew |
|---|---|
| Waldo Trumbull | Vincent Price |
| Felix Gillie | Peter Lorre |
| Amos Hinchley | Boris Karloff |
| John F. Black | Basil Rathbone |
| Amaryllis Trumbull | Joyce Jameson |
| Cemetery keeper | Joe E. Brown |
| Director | Jacques Tourneur |
| Screenplay | Richard Matheson |
Tourneur was known for suspense films including Cat People, Out of the Past, and Night of the Demon. Here, the combination of celebrated horror performers and an intentionally comic premise shifts the emphasis from terror to satire and physical comedy.
Is The Comedy of Terrors a Poe adaptation?
No. It is not an adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe story, although its marketing and release context linked it with American International Pictures’ Poe-era films. The screenplay was written by Matheson as a comic vehicle for the horror-star ensemble.
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Turner Classic Movies quotes Tourneur describing the film as a “cynical, cynical comedy, a little bit in the old René Clair tradition.” TCM also attributes to him the view that it was “deliberately aimed at the mature thinking people who appreciate satire.” Those remarks frame the film as a knowing black comedy rather than a straight horror picture.
How did the production come together?
The project followed the success and cast chemistry associated with AIP’s earlier horror comedies. According to Turner Classic Movies, Boris Karloff asked to swap roles with Rathbone because the more physical part of the repeatedly recovering victim was hard on his knees. TCM also reports that stunt performer Harvey Patty performed some of Lorre’s physical action while wearing a mask resembling Lorre.
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The film was produced by Alta Vista Productions and distributed by American International Pictures. AFI records principal photography beginning September 4, 1963, at Producers Studio in Hollywood. Its production history includes a special coffin fitted with a hydraulic lift, reported by AFI as costing $9,300.
Matheson drafted a proposed follow-up, Sweethearts and Horrors, intended to reunite the horror-star cast with Tallulah Bankhead, but the project was never produced, according to TCM.
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When was it released, and how long is it?
The American Film Institute lists the film’s Los Angeles opening and general release as January 22, 1964, following a Detroit premiere on December 25, 1963. AFI lists its running time as 88 minutes and its format as color, sound, and English-language. The film was later rereleased in March 1965 under the alternate title The Graveside Story. AFI also records The Comedy of Terror as an alternate title.
AFI’s catalog separately gives a copyright length of 83 minutes, so archival listings may differ from its listed 88-minute running time. For a viewer choosing an edition, the runtime on that specific release is the most useful check.
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Where to watch The Comedy of Terrors
Availability on streaming or digital rental services varies by country and changes over time. An Amazon Prime Video listing for the title identifies Blu-ray among its available formats, but a localized listing does not establish that the film is currently streaming or available in every territory. Check your local services for the exact title and confirm whether a listing is for digital viewing or a physical disc.
Is The Comedy of Terrors available on Blu-ray?
Yes. Documented physical editions include a Scream Factory Blu-ray from 2014, an Arrow Video dual-format release from 2015, and a Kino Blu-ray from 2021; an MGM DVD was issued in 2003. These edition records establish that releases exist, not that any particular one is currently in stock.
Before buying, check the release label and year, region coding, playback compatibility, listed runtime, audio and subtitle options, and the actual extras. Edition-history information lists the Kino Blu-ray with English DTS-HD MA mono audio, 1080p/24 video, and commentary and interview extras; verify those specifications against the package or current seller listing. Use the same checks for any Arrow or Scream Factory edition rather than assuming their contents are identical.
How was the film received?
AFI characterizes the initial critical response as mixed and reports an opening-week gross of $133,000 at 24 Los Angeles locations. That figure describes a specific opening-week run, not the film’s total earnings or its performance in every market. The film’s legacy is also shaped by its unusual pairing of four familiar horror performers in a comic story rather than by a uniformly positive contemporary critical response.
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