A24 Working On Adaptation Of Poe's "THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH" With Sydney Sweeney In Talks To Star

Edgar Allan Poe has been dead for over 175 years but his horror works in the macabre are forever favorites of ours and many others today. One of Poe’s most famous works, “The Masque Of The Red Death” is getting a new adaptation from A24 and Sydney Sweeney (“Immaculate”) is in talks to star, plus more below!

In a report from Deadline today, the outlet details that A24 and Picturestart are working on a “darkly comedic take on the short story”, with Sydney Sweeney in talks to lead the cast. The report also mentions that Charlie Polinger (“Fuck Me, Richard”) is writing and directing “The Masque of the Red Death” for A24. We have no news regarding the plot details for this new take but are eager to see where the film will venture off into comedy and how. The original synopsis for the story doesn’t lend itself to a laugh-riot time at the theaters:

“In Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death," Prince Prospero attempts to escape a deadly plague, known as the Red Death, by isolating himself in his abbey with a group of wealthy nobles; however, during a lavish masquerade ball, a mysterious figure dressed as a Red Death victim appears, causing panic and ultimately leading to the death of Prospero and all his guests, signifying that no one can outrun death, no matter how wealthy or privileged they may be.”

That doesn’t sound too much like a comedy, but we are interested to see where it all leads so this new take will be on our radar.

Famously, Roger Corman directed an adaptation of this exact Poe story in 1964 with Vincent Price playing Prospero. Price is phenomenal in this adaptation and his performance brings so much weight to his role that you could feel the dread looming as the film progressed to a fever pitch ending. With its lavish sets and haunting score, Corman’s Red Death remains a benchmark for getting gothic horror right, and this truly solidifies Price’s reputation as a master of the genre. As noted by Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian, Roger Corman’s 1964 adaptation of “The Masque of the Red Death” is 'an expressionist horror-ballet, extravagantly shot.”

Watch The Trailer For “THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH” Below

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