A skeletal hand turns the pages of a book, revealing three tales of the macabre loosely based on the works of 19th century author Nathaniel Hawthorne, all starring horror legend Vincent Price, who plays a different character in each.
In the first story, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment", Price plays Alex, who meets with his old friend Carl Heidegger (Sebastian Cabot), who is celebrating his 79th birthday. When a lightning bolt strikes the crypt outside, the pair investigate, and to their surprise find the perfectly preserved body of Heidegger's fiancée Sylvia, who died 38 years before. After studying the water that has been dripping onto Sylvia's coffin, Heidegger believes that the liquid not only has the power to preserve, but also to reverse the ageing process, and even bring his beloved back to life.
The second tale, "Rappaccini's Daughter", sees Price as reclusive Dr. Giacomo Rappaccini, whose wife ran off with another man, leaving him to raise his daughter Beatrice (Joyce Taylor). To ensure that Beatrice can never sin like her mother, Giacomo has used a rare plant to turn his daughter's blood into poison, making her deadly to the touch. When Giovanni (Brett Halsey), the young man living next door, falls for Beatrice from afar, the young woman is distraught, knowing that she can never be near him. However, after she threatens to take her own life, Giacomo conducts a procedure that means the couple can finally be together, but his actions have tragic consequences.
The closing chapter is "The House of the Seven Gables", in which Price stars as Gerald Pyncheon, who, accompanied by his young wife Alice (Beverly Garland), moves into his ancestral home, which is also occupied by his sister Hannah (Jacqueline deWit). Gerald is convinced that the house holds a hidden vault containing his ancestor's fortune, but a centuries old curse and a malevolent ghost ensure that his search for the treasure results in madness, death and the destruction of the Pyncheon home.
They might be called Twice-Told Tales, but I'll wager that most horror fans will be satisfied to see these stories unfold just the once, Hawthorne's 'dark romanticism' resulting in a trilogy that is heavy on Gothic atmosphere, melodrama and Shakespearean tragedy (Hawthorne borrowed the title 'Twice-told Tales' from a play by the bard), but extremely light on terror. The film's leaden pacing doesn't help matters much either, especially with the film clocking in at two hours. Price puts in three commendable performances, but even with the star on fine form, Twice Told Tales is a rather dismal and depressing addition to the horror anthology sub-genre.
In the first story, "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment", Price plays Alex, who meets with his old friend Carl Heidegger (Sebastian Cabot), who is celebrating his 79th birthday. When a lightning bolt strikes the crypt outside, the pair investigate, and to their surprise find the perfectly preserved body of Heidegger's fiancée Sylvia, who died 38 years before. After studying the water that has been dripping onto Sylvia's coffin, Heidegger believes that the liquid not only has the power to preserve, but also to reverse the ageing process, and even bring his beloved back to life.
The second tale, "Rappaccini's Daughter", sees Price as reclusive Dr. Giacomo Rappaccini, whose wife ran off with another man, leaving him to raise his daughter Beatrice (Joyce Taylor). To ensure that Beatrice can never sin like her mother, Giacomo has used a rare plant to turn his daughter's blood into poison, making her deadly to the touch. When Giovanni (Brett Halsey), the young man living next door, falls for Beatrice from afar, the young woman is distraught, knowing that she can never be near him. However, after she threatens to take her own life, Giacomo conducts a procedure that means the couple can finally be together, but his actions have tragic consequences.
The closing chapter is "The House of the Seven Gables", in which Price stars as Gerald Pyncheon, who, accompanied by his young wife Alice (Beverly Garland), moves into his ancestral home, which is also occupied by his sister Hannah (Jacqueline deWit). Gerald is convinced that the house holds a hidden vault containing his ancestor's fortune, but a centuries old curse and a malevolent ghost ensure that his search for the treasure results in madness, death and the destruction of the Pyncheon home.
They might be called Twice-Told Tales, but I'll wager that most horror fans will be satisfied to see these stories unfold just the once, Hawthorne's 'dark romanticism' resulting in a trilogy that is heavy on Gothic atmosphere, melodrama and Shakespearean tragedy (Hawthorne borrowed the title 'Twice-told Tales' from a play by the bard), but extremely light on terror. The film's leaden pacing doesn't help matters much either, especially with the film clocking in at two hours. Price puts in three commendable performances, but even with the star on fine form, Twice Told Tales is a rather dismal and depressing addition to the horror anthology sub-genre.