Masque of the red death

On a mist-shrouded hill, an old woman crosses paths with a masked stranger in red, who gives her a rose and promises that the villages’ day of deliverance from the sadistic Prince Prospero is at hand. The Satan-worshipping Prospero (Vincent Price) blackmails the virtuous Francesca (Jane Asher) into coming to his castle in order to to save the lives of her fiancee and his father. Francesca recoils from the debauched decadence of the devil-worshipping nobles seeking sanctuary from the red death, and encounters Lady Juliana, who aspires to be the bride of Satan. In classical horror film fashion, Francesca spends much of her time prowling the baroque corridors of Prospero’s abode at midnight, stumbling upon Satanic rituals and being frightened by eerie noises. Eager to remove her rival from the castle, Juliana assists Francesca to escape, but unfortunately, Prospero is one step ahead of them, and detains Francesca again. Ashamed of leaving her in Prospero’s tainted hands, Gino attempts a rescue effort, but is stopped by the mysterious stranger in red, who offers to help as long as Gino does not attempt to enter the castle. The stranger confronts Prospero - who mistakes him for Satan - and all hell breaks loose as his identity is exposed. An atmospheric piece of gothic horror from the king of low-budget cult cinema, Roger Corman, loosely adapted from a story by Edgar Allen Poe.