vinnyprice  Adjective, e.g., “The Changeling” (1980) had a vinnyprice ending. Verb, e.g., The twist of the “The Changeling” was that only the ghost was at home when it vinnypriced.

Definition: A movie that ends with a house, mansion or castle burning with a main character inside.

History: Named for Vincent Price, whose many 1960s horror movies often ended with Vinny reduced to charcoal at home.  It’s argued that the greatest vinnyprice flick was sans Vinny—Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rebecca” (1940), which ends with Mrs. Danvers burning to death in Manderley. However, purists argue that the burning of Danvers and Manderlay was the culmination of a classic plot. By contrast, Vincent Price movies have little or no plot, making the toasting of Vinny and his house an ending by default.

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