The Premature Burial (1962)

A man (Ray Milland) is obsessed with the thought of being buried alive and is convinced his father, a cataleptic, was buried alive and that will also be his fate. The concerted efforts of his wife (Hazel Court), sister (Heather Angel) and physician (Richard Ney) to persuade him otherwise fall on deaf ears. Based on the 1884 Edgar Allan Poe short story and directed by Roger Corman. This was the third entry in Corman's eight films based loosely on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. So how does it measure up to the others? I'd say it was one of the weaker ones. Ray Milland, who was around 55 at the time of filming, is way too mature to pass himself off as a medical student and it's all too obvious the character is that of a much younger man. While the Gothic atmosphere is as effective as ever (thanks to cinematographer Floyd Crosby and art director Daniel Haller), the film itself is rather sluggish and overextended with only the film's last 20 minutes or so creating any genuine suspense. With Alan Napier and Dick Miller.