The Comedy of Terrors (1963)
During the 1890s, a New England funeral home is plagued by financial and personal troubles. The owner, Waldo Trumbull, is an alcoholic and has let the business deteriorate. He only practices his profession when a financial crisis arises, which he does by creating fake customers with the help of his ex-criminal assistant, Felix Gillie. Trumbull's neglected wife, Amaryllis, is frustrated with her drunken husband who threatens to poison her father, Amos Hinchley, with a deadly "medicine." Unknowingly, Felix and Amaryllis fall in love.
Desperate to pay off their back rent, they decide to eliminate their debt by making their landlord, John F. Black, their next "customer." After several failed attempts on his life, Black appears to die. However, he rises from his family vault, seeking revenge. Trumbull eventually kills Black, but during a struggle with Felix, he is knocked unconscious. Believing Trumbull is ill, Amos Hinchley gives him the deadly "medicine" and he dies. With Trumbull dead, Amaryllis and Felix can now start their new life together.
Books with substantial mentioning of The Comedy of Terrors
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Gary J. Svehla and Susan Svehla (editors) Vincent Price 1998 |
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Gary J. Svehla and Susan Svehla (editors) Boris Karloff Baltimore, 1996 |
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Scott Allen Nollen Boris Karloff, A Critical Account of His Screen, Stage, Radio, television and Recording Work Jefferson, NC, 1991 |
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Richard Bojarski and Kenneth Beals The Films of Boris Karloff Secaucus, NJ, 1974 |
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