VIncent Price in ‘Confessions of an Opium Eater’

English decadent Thomas de Quincy chronicled his laudanum addiction in his 1822 book, Confessions of an Opium Eater. His work was the inspiration for many artists including Dario Argento and his Three Mothers trilogy. In 1962, horror gentleman Vincent Price starred in Albert Zugsmith’s (The Incredible Shrinking Man) film adaptation of the same name, though it was alternately called Souls for Sale.

“I dream. And I create dreams,” is Price’s opening line, introducing us to the hazy and exotic world of of mid-nineteenth century Chinatown in San Francisco. Price narrates the film and stars as Gilbert de Quincy, a man who is quite familiar with this depraved world. His journey takes him down dark and narrow streets, all leading to ‘the human auction.’ This is a place where women are bought and sold–pretty girls chained in hanging bamboo cages. There’s a tong war going on and our seaman adventurer washes up on shore long enough to rescue the victims of human flesh peddlers, alongside his trusty dwarf sidekick.

There’s a lot of death by cheap effects which totally works and the melodrama is high but Price plays it well. The low-budget actually aids the opium fevered dream feel and the camera’s tricks suspend you in a few nightmare moments. Zugsmith’s exploitation background lends a nice tone to the flick. Check out the first three videos below and follow the links within YouTube for all nine videos.