Horror entry from PRC which feels like its cobbled from elements of other, earlier successful films, including The Raven, The Phantom of the Opera and Mad Love. J Carroll Naish adds some class in the lead, a mad doctor (the type usually played by Bela Lugosi) who falls for the daughter (Wanda Mackay) or a pianist (Ralph Morgan).
The fresh (ish) gimmick here is the doctor experiments in acromegaly, a form of excessive growth - people like Richard Kiel, Rondo Hatton and Anthony Robbins have/had it. (Rondo Hatton appeared in The Pearl of Death in 1944, so the disease must have been "in the air" in Hollywood, so to speak.)
Naish wants to get Mackay into the sack so injects dad with the disease, which is pretty full on. There's also a gorilla on the rampage and a girl who loves Naish.
This wasn't bad - the story is nasty, but production values (for a low budget flick) aren't bad and the acting surprisingly good. With a bit more care it could've been a lot better, but then I say that a lot about PRC films.
No comments:
Post a Comment