The Birth of Folk Horror In 1968, horror star Vincent Price starred in one of his best films with young director Michael Reeves.
Michael Reeves during his short career managed to work with all the veterans of the genre: with Christopher Lee ("Castle of the Living Dead"), with Barbara Steele ("Sister of Satan"), with Boris Karloff ("The Wizards") and, accordingly, with Vincent Price in the role of a real medieval inquisitor Matthew Hopkins in the film "The Grand Inquisitor".
On the set of The Grand Inquisitor, Reeves didn’t get along with Price because he didn’t want to work with him from the start. Initially, the main role was to play the famous English actor Donald Pleasance, with whom Reeves successfully got along. But the AIP studio, where the shooting took place, insisted on the presence of their main horror star.
Reeves asked Price not to play with his usual mannerism and constantly made comments. Price told Reeves, “Young man, I’ve done 87 movies.” How much did you film?” Reeves replied, “I only shot 3, but good ones.” In the end, Price and Reeves hated each other.
But when Price saw the final result, he realized exactly what the young director wanted from him, and soon they got along. Subsequently, Price considered his best role to be the role in this film.
As before, Price played at an amazing level. This time, his character’s image was even more sinister and inhumane than in his previous films.
The Grand Inquisitor was also Reeves’ best film. The film features many shocking scenes of medieval torture. It was the most shocking film of its time.
Unfortunately, shortly after filming, Reeves died of a pill overdose at the age of 25.
“The Grand Inquisitor” gave rise to a new trend in the horror film, which can be designated as “folklore” horrors, the main features of which were: English folklore, medieval landscapes and various attributes of medieval England with a touch of paganism.
8 out of 10