Price's fright flicks in box set

Vincent Price often made a point of telling interviewers that, contrary to popular belief, horror movies only made up a small portion of his lengthy film career.

Price appeared in more than 100 films from 1938 to 1990 (including the film-noir classic "Laura," among others), but because so many of his fright flicks came late in his career — giving him the kind of stardom that eluded him in his younger years — he will always be best-remembered for horror.

And many of those pictures were made for filmmaker Roger Corman, who directed Price in no less than eight — "House of Usher," "The Pit and the Pendulum," "Tales of Terror," "Tower of London," "The Haunted Palace," "Tomb of Ligeia" and "The Masque of the Red Death."

Interestingly, with two new box sets of Price films and Corman films, only one of their collaborations is included — "Tales of Terror." (Although all the others are available on DVD.)

But there are pleasures in both sets, although most of the titles are DVD reissues.

• "VINCENT PRICE: SCREAM LEGENDS COLLECTION" (MGM, 1962-74, five discs (three double-sided), $39.98). To my mind, "House of Usher" and "The Pit and the Pendulum" (which you can buy on a double-feature disc) are the pinnacle of this period of Price's work. These are all good films ... with the possible exception of "Phibes," depending on your taste.

—"Tales of Terror"/"Twice-Told Tales" (1962/1963). Two expert anthology films, each with three stories, the first retelling short yarns by Edgar Allan Poe, the second by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Price stars in all six stories, with such co-stars as Peter Lorre, Basil Rathbone and Sebastian Cabot.

—"Theater of Blood"/"Madhouse" (1973/1974). "Theater of Blood" is the only R-rated film here, for violence, with Price hamming it up as a stage actor thought to be dead, who, with the aid of his daughter (Diana Rigg), kills off theater critics in Shakespearean ways. "Madhouse" features Peter Cushing (in a small role), with Price as a horror star recovering from a mental breakdown who goes to England to do a TV series, and the bodies start piling up. (This one uses clips of earlier Price films.)

—"The Abominable Dr. Phibes"/"Dr. Phibes Rises Again!" (1971-72). I've never been a fan of the "Phibes" films, which are way over-the-top campy and silly. But if you disagree, having them on one disc may be nirvana.