The Tell-Tale Heart (1960 film)
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- Brian Clemens
- Eldon Howard
| The Tell-Tale Heart | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Ernest Morris |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allan Poe |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | James Wilson |
| Edited by | Derek Parsons |
| Music by | |
| Distributed by | Warner-Pathé Distributors |
Release date |
|
Running time | 78 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Tell-Tale Heart (also known as The Hidden Room of 1,000 Horrors) is a 1960 British second feature ('B')[1] horror film directed by Ernest Morris and starring Laurence Payne, Adrienne Corri and Dermot Walsh. It was produced by the Danzigers.[2] The screenplay by Brian Clemens and Eldon Howard is a loose adaptation of the 1843 short story of the same name by Edgar Allan Poe.[3][4] The film was released in England in December 1960, and in the U.S. in February 1962 as The Hidden Room of 1,000 Horrors.[5][6][7]
Edgar Marsh, a shy librarian obsessed with erotica, becomes infatuated with his neighbour Betty Clare when he sees her undressing in her bedroom. He invites her to dinner, and although she clearly is uncomfortable with the attention he pays her, he showers her with jewellery and fantasises about their future. Complications arise when he introduces her to his friend Carl Loomis, whom Betty finds far more attractive and appealing. After witnessing Carl and Betty together in her bedroom through his window, Edgar bludgeons Carl to death with a poker and buries him beneath the floorboards in his piano room. His overwhelming guilt leads him to believe a ticking metronome and the incessant dripping of a tap actually are the sound of his victim's heart still beating. Later, when Betty sneaks into Edgar's house and discovers the poker in his bedroom closet, she reports it to the police. When the police question Edgar at his home, the believed sounds of the beating heart drive him insane and he confesses to the police. He then tries to flee up the stairs and is shot and falls onto a spike, dying. Edgar suddenly wakes up, and it is revealed that the whole events of the film were a dream. However, Edgar sees Betty arriving in town, and fears the whole thing possibly starting again.
Cast
- Laurence Payne as Edgar Marsh
- Adrienne Corri as Betty Clare
- Dermot Walsh as Carl Loomis
- Selma Vaz Dias as Mrs Vine, Edgar's housekeeper
- John Scott as inspector
- John Martin as police sergeant
- Pamela Plant as manageress
- Annette Carell as Carl's landlady
- Graham Ashley as Neston
- David Lander as jeweller
- Rosemary Rotheray as Jackie
- Suzanne Fuller as Dorothy
- Yvonne Buckingham as Mina
- Richard Bennett as Mike
- Elizabeth Paget as Elsie, a tart
- Frank Thornton as barman
- Joan Peart as street girl
- Nada Beall as old crone
- Patsy Smart as Mrs Harlow
- Brian Cobby as young man
- Madeleine Leon as young woman
- David Courtney in a bit part
Production
Around the time the film was produced typical budget of the Danzigers' feature film was £15,000. This cost a little more due to its period setting and necessitated shooting in black and white.[5]