Tuesday, November 15, 2005

Die, Monster, Die! (1965)

According to the opening credits, Die, Monster, Die! is based on H.P. Lovecraft's "The Colour out of Space." If you say so, movie. Aside from an asteroid crash that sparks mutation in neighboring plant life, this more closely resembles a cheap Hammer knockoff than anything inspired by HPL. Nick Adams, apparently on loan from Hemingway, shows up at his feckless fiance's family estate only to find Boris Karloff hamming it up uncontrollably. For those keeping a Horror Scorecard, we have: hints of black magic, family history of satanic appreciation, faint whiff of zombies, carpetbagging space plants, and a butler -- who in this case didn't do it -- who disintegrates like a leper in the tropics. Spoiler Alert: all prolonged, achingly silent scenes of characters investigating spooky corners of the house will end with the cat jumping out. Finally, Boris chokes on his own hambone, and it's all over. Die, Movie, Die.

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