Masque of the Red Death is a 1989 American[1] horror film produced by Roger Corman,[2][3] and directed by Larry Brand,[2] starring Adrian Paul and Patrick Macnee.

[2][6] The screenplay, written by Daryl Haney and Larry Brand, is based upon the classic 1842 short story of the same name by American author Edgar Allan Poe, concerning the exploits of Prince Prospero, who organizes a bal masqué in his castle while the peasants of his fiefdom die from the plague in great numbers.

In response to their attempts to enter the safety of his castle, the prince orders boiling oil to be poured on them from high atop the battlements, scorching many of them to death.

It received two stars from film critic Leonard Maltin, who commented that Paul's Prospero was "more thoughtful and troubled" but also that "despite an interesting approach to the figure of the Red Death and a literate (if talky) script, overall cheapness and very slow pace cripple this medieval melodrama.

[6] The Orlando Sentinel critic comments that to enhance the portrayal of Death in this film version, the rest of the actors play listlessly as if they were already dead for added effect.