Masque of the Red Death

Masque of the Red Death is a 1989 American horror film produced by Roger Corman, and directed by Larry Brand, starring Adrian Paul and Patrick Macnee. The film is a remake of the 1964 picture of the same name which was directed by Roger Corman. The screenplay, written by Daryl Haney and Larry Brand, is based upon the classic 1842 short story of the same name by American author Edgar Allan Poe, concerning the exploits of Prince Prospero, who organizes a bal masqué in his castle while the peasants of his fiefdom die from the plague in great numbers. Plot Machiavel (Patrick Macnee) is a mysterious masked rider in a red cape who roams Prince Prospero's realm. The appearance of the rider is followed by a deadly plague that scars its victims and devastates the peasantry. The rural people are becoming desperate and seek to escape the devastation. Meanwhile, Prospero (Adrian Paul) barricades himself at his palace, to avoid any villagers entering his immediate domain and disturbing him. He also organizes a masquerade ball where he invites the nobility of his land to participate. Village maidens are also brought into the castle to provide entertainment for his guests. Amongst them is Juliette (Clare Hoak), an innocent peasant girl, who continuously resists the prince's lustful pursuit. When Claudio (Jeff Osterhage), the prince's friend, advises Prospero to stop pursuing Juliette, the angry prince jails them in the dungeons of his palace. Meanwhile, desperate peasants try to breach the defences of Prospero's castle to escape the Red Death. In response to their attempts to enter the safety of his castle, the prince orders boiling oil to be poured on them from high atop the battlements, scorching many of them to death. The party is in full swing when a mysterious masked man in a red cape joins the fun unannounced. Cast Adrian Paul as Prince Prospero Clare Hoak as Juliette Jeff Osterhage as Claudio Tracy Reiner as Lucrecia Patrick Macnee as Machiavel Maria Ford as Isabella Reception and analysis The film did not receive any substantial reviews when it was first released in 1989, but subsequently it became a more popular target of analysis in specialty publications.