As an extra bit of spooky fun this evening, I thought I’d share this Tom Weaver interview/transcript of Vincent Price’s appearance at the May 1990 Weekend of Horrors convention (where he was interviewed on stage by Joe Dante.). This was first published in issue 100 of Fangoria at the beginning of 1991.
If there’s one thing that stands out in the many interviews I’ve been able to track down with Price, it’s his unending well of graciousness for his fans. Though horror films were his bread and butter for a number of years, his interests were away from the genre (and filmmaking for that matter), yet he never comes across as feeling like he “had” to appease his fans, or that he was ever bothered by being asked repeatedly about anecdotes from his film career. He also very rarely had anything negative to say about co-stars, directors, or the genre as a whole, and coming from this jaded age of wall to wall internet complaining, it’s refreshing to hear his positive outlook.
At the end of the day this interview reads sort of like the greatest hits of Price’s quips and opinions, and rightly so as it was culled from a sort of life-time achievement sort of affair. One of this favorite jokes makes an appearance here (what he would have called the sequel/remake to the Fly), as well as some hilarious commentary on Peter Lorre.
For the most part the interview doesn’t dwell on any topic for more than a thought or two, but Price does take a moment to pause and reflect on his feelings on the more modern horror of the 80s. Specifically with David Cronenberg’s remake of the Fly and how he felt that it stepped over a boundary in taste and gore. Price acquaints this trend with films becoming less logical or believable. Granted, it’s a matter of perspective, but I think films like the remake of The Fly are actually much more believable than their predecessors, specifically for the reasons that Price dislikes them. Either way it’s an interesting divergence in the interview…
