Week #5: Killer Bods
The Thing that Couldn’t Die
1958
Will Cowan
Will Cowan
Jessica (Carolyn Kearney) is using her dowsing powers on her
Aunt Flavia’s (Peggy Converse) ranch. Despite the skepticism of a vacationer,
Gordon (William Reynolds), Jessica locates a chest buried deep in the ground.
Flavia’s hired help offer to watch the box until an archeologist can come to
the ranch in the morning. Sleazy, Boyd (James Anderson) tricks dumb lunkhead,
Mike (Charles Horvath) into opening the box. Much to Boyd and Mike’s surprise
inside is ye olde hypnotic head of a Satanist named Gideon Drew (Robin Hughes).
Gideon is desperate to be reunited with his body, and anyone who looks into his
eyes is a slave to his will.
The Thing that Couldn’t
Die was mocked on MST3K many years ago and justifiably so. It’s saddled
with some terrible dialogue (“…I have strong hands…”), and performances that
are weak (Jessica’s turn from put-upon water witch to bad girl is particularly
bad). Presenting your evil severed head’s greatest
victory while he’s peering out of a hatbox diminishes his menace a little bit. The villain archives his goal and is a menace for about three minutes
before easily being put down. Despite
all that, I find a compelling sense of dread permeates the film. The shadowy
exteriors of the ranch at night are evocative. I also enjoy the idea of something old and obviously magical being contrasted
with the modernism of 1950’s life. I
wish that motif would have appeared more often in genre films from that era.
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