I picked up the new DVD of this recently. Not as much fun as most of these Amacus anthologies, but enjoyable to see again after many years. Burgess Merrideth is very good as the mysterious carnival showman/in the framing sequences. Of course, the highlight of the movie is THE MAN WHO COLLECTED POE starring Jack Palance and Peter Cushing. I was a little confused by the ending of the movie, though.
(spolier ahead)
When Jack Palance comes back at the end, what exactly happens? He has apparently surmised that Merrideth is the Devil and wants to make a deal. The cigarette lighter Palance uses seems to have some significance. Only by searching back through the movie did I see that it was the lighter Cushing had given him during his Merrideth-induced "vision". People who saw this in the theater must have been really confused unless they had photgraphic memories. Palance seems pleased as though he had the upper hand and Merrideth says something like , "well, you lose one once in a while". So how did Palance knowing that what he experienced was somehow real help him beat the Devil and escape the fate of the others? Did I miss something?
(spolier ahead)
When Jack Palance comes back at the end, what exactly happens? He has apparently surmised that Merrideth is the Devil and wants to make a deal. The cigarette lighter Palance uses seems to have some significance. Only by searching back through the movie did I see that it was the lighter Cushing had given him during his Merrideth-induced "vision". People who saw this in the theater must have been really confused unless they had photgraphic memories. Palance seems pleased as though he had the upper hand and Merrideth says something like , "well, you lose one once in a while". So how did Palance knowing that what he experienced was somehow real help him beat the Devil and escape the fate of the others? Did I miss something?
Kerry Gammill
