Video Rewind is a review of an avant-garde, cultish, or otherwise odd film that has a small or large following. That means, by its fans, it can be watched over and over with greater enjoyment. We will feature films that can be accessed either via Netflix, OnDemand, or other sites such as YouTube or Hulu.

’The Tower of London’,” 1962, 79 minutes, black and white, USA. Edward Small Productions. Directed by Roger Corman. Starring Vincent Price as Richard of Gloucester, Michael Pate as Sir Ratcliffe, Joan Freeman as Lady Margaret, Robert Brown as Sir Justin, Bruce Gordon as Earl of Buckingham, and Sandra Knight as Mistress Shore. Rating on a scale of 10: 8.

Wow, I absolutely love this low-budget 1962 gothic adaptation of Shakespeare (well, sort of) that stars Vincent Price as the mad wannabe king Richard who goes around slaughtering anyone who gets in his way, all the while dealing with those voices in his head and derisive laughter only he can hear.

It’s directed by Roger Corman, who can stretch a budget as far as it can go without snapping. The black and white adds to the grim mood. There are some chilling scenes. A young maiden is tortured to death on a stretching rack. A man is murdered when a cage with a hungry rat is placed over his head. The scenes of a climatic battle that leads to Richard’s death are from the 1939 “Tower of London,” a fine adaptation starring Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone with Price in a small role.

I want to spend a little time on star Vincent Price’s performance. A characteristic of Price’s is he can be truly evil while keeping his tongue in his cheek. In Tower, he is clearly mad, and carries a confused, pained expression on his face. It’s excellent acting. The audience almost wants to feel sorry for a suffering madman doomed to defeat, but he’s simply too evil to care about.

A great film, easy to find on TV or buy. The budget was only about $200,000. It’s fast-paced at 79 minutes. You can also watch it free online here