Edgar Allan Poe's terrifying title story (with a subplot based on his tale Hop Frog), gets a magnificently macabre treatment via the taut direction of Roger Corman, a superb script by Charles Beaumont (The Twilight Zone), and a dynamic performance by a villainous Vincent Price. While the red plague destroys the townspeople, a Satan-worshipping Prince (Price) throws a lavish feast for his hedonistic friends. However, the evening's debauchery is about to come to an abrupt end thanks to a mysterious visitor.