A scientific, Peter Cushing, decides he can cure evil by injecting with a serum derived from the blood of an ancient corpse that he got from a discovery in Papua New Guinea . As Cushing has at his lab the remains of a giant prehistoric to administer an anti-evil serum with perhaps incredible results . As when the body is exposed to water, flesh returns to the bones with horrible consequences. Meanwhile, Cushing has a skeleton in the cupboard, as his insane wife is interned at a mental institute run by the stiff mad doctor Christopher Lee.
Some truly eerie and chilling moments will get you flesh creeping. As a palentologist bag of bones from a Papua New Guinea giant, which
develops new flesh when water drops on him , unleashing a string of distresses and terror when he is brought to life, adding an inevitable and surprising final denouement. Well paced film including a complicated storyline , never flashy , its true secret lies in the peculiar style, knitting together with considerable skill . It has enough flair play to keep us pondering its latent inconveniences and absurdities. Stars two great myths of terror cinema, Peter Cushing who gives his customary cultured acting looks even better in an interesting screenplay and, of course, Christopher
Lee , though the latter has a secondary performance as an Asylum director. And Lona Heilbron is nice as the repressive daughter to whom Cushing administers an anti-evil serum with amazing consequences . Support cast is acceptable such as the regular Duncan Lamont as a Police Inspector, George Benson, Kenneth J Warren and brief cameo by Michael Ripper, as usual .
Well financed by Michael Redbourn and Tigon production that very much attempts to return in style and class to the early Hammer movies .The motion picture was professionally directed by Freddie Francis. He was a Horror expert making a lot of titles, such as The doctor and the devils, The ghoul, Legend of the werewolf, Dark Tower, Craze, Tales that witness madness, Tales from the crypt, The vampire happening, Dracula has rising from the grave, They came from beyond space, Torture garden, Dr Terror's house of horrors, The skull, The evil of Frankenstein , Hysteria, Day of the Triffids, The brain, and Paranoic. Besides, he was a prestigious cameraman , such as The straight story , Princess Caraboo, Cape fear, Glory, Her alibi, Dune, The elephant man, The innocents , The French lieutenant's woman , Brenda Starr , Saturday night and Sunday morning, Room at the top, The battle of the sexes, Time without pity, among others. Rating : acceptable and passable 6/10.
