A Thrilling Legacy - Happy Birthday Vincent Price

May 27, 2021

When I was very young in the '80's, my dad bought me my first Walkman. And my first physical piece of music...a cassette tape of the blockbuster album "Thriller" by Michael Jackson.

As my sister and I laid in the back seat of our parents car listening to our tapes, I came across the title track. It set up a very spooky vibe (at least for a kid my age!) and it concluded with a very eerie voice.

Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y'all's neighborhood
And whomsoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down
Must stand and face the hounds of hell
And rot inside a corpse's shell

The lyrics were quite chilling. Then...it's epic closing!

The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grisly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller

Truly frightening! With that maniacal laugh at the end, how could a young kid not get 'the shivers?'

A few years later as I was visiting my grandparents house my Uncle Bobby had a viewing party of Elvira's hosting of "House Of Wax" starring Vincent Price. I would come to the realization that this man was also the voice in my Walkman.

After all these years, I still think of his entire career with such fond memories. I definitely have the most fun when watching his films on Halloween, or watching his holiday themed commercials, or his magnificent voice in radio dramas and audiobooks. I can site "House On Haunted Hill," "The Last Man On Earth," the Poe Trilogy...there's just too much to pin on. He is truly a legend of all things macabre. And on my favourite of holidays, for him to bring festive fun every time I see him is not just a testament to his talent, but a special place in all of our hearts says volumes of his enduring legacy.

He is no longer with us, but I can truly say his spirit lives on in the art. He's just as alive as ever when the month of October hits. And for us horror nuts, he's a presence all year round. We love you Mr. Price.