Tower Of London (1962)

When the ambitious Richard Of Gloucester (Vincent Price) is passed over by his dying brother King Edward IV (Justice Watson) as Protector to his young heirs in favor of the third brother (Charles Macaulay), he goes on a murderous rampage to ensure that he will be the next King of England. Directed by Roger Corman, this is a loose adaptation of Shakespeare's RICHARD III re-imagined as a Gothic horror film along the lines of Corman's Edgar Allan Poe adaptations. Shot in 15 days, the film's low budget forced Corman to shoot the film in B&W when his preference was color. Still, cinematographer Archie R. Dalzell does a solid job in making Daniel Haller's art direction look detailed. As a horror film, if it doesn't compare to Corman's AIP (this one was done for United Artists) Poe movies, it's still a more than decent film. Corman does a nice job of creating genuine suspense during the Queen's (Sarah Selby) escape with her children. The film's biggest liability is that the budget didn't let Corman film extensive exterior battle scenes so what we get is a quick montage of the Battle at Bosworth Field shot on a studio sound stage. With Joan Freeman, Michael Pate, Bruce Gordon, Robert Brown and Sandra Knight.