"Although it was released as part of the Poe cycle, the only Poeish element here is the title; the picture itself is based on one of H.P. Lovecraft's best stories, 'The Case of Charles Dexter Ward,' a creepy-crawler about a town full of mutants, a man (Vincent Price) with witchcraft in his family past, and a mysterious portrait that compels him to perform strange rites he does not understand. There's a fine supporting cast, including Lon Chaney Jr., Elisha Cook Jr. and Debra Paget, and an outstanding screenplay by science fiction writer Charles Beaumont. On balance the film is generally more serious than most of the other Poe pictures. The main problem is the makeup - too many mutants with putty in their eyes; on the plus side there are excellent sets, an effective musical score, and a number of audacious tracking shots - during one of which, as the camera goes past Elisha Cook and around a corner, it almost falls over. One of Corman's better, and lesser known, horror pictures."