I like this movie a little more each time I watch it; it reminds me somewhat of Fox's Gothic horrors of the 40s (e.g. THE UNDYING MONSTER, DR. RENAULT'S SECRET) given a science fiction treatment. Of course, Beverley Garland is great (I'm still impressed by her ability to stay in character while running through the swamp and dodging live alligators and snakes!) but the rest of the cast impresses as well; George MacReady and Frieda Inescort both bring humanity to their roles and dignity to the film, and Richard Crane is very good as someone trying to struggle with the changes he is undergoing (I'll admit I found these scenes personally unsettling, due to their resemblance to the suffering of actual graft-host disease patients). Even Lon Chaney is tremendous fun as he overplays his part; did Julius Harris watch this before making LIVE AND LET DIE? One thing I was more impressed with while watching this time was the direction of Roy Del Ruth; he does a very fine job at creating an oppressive, threatening atmosphere in exterior scenes and a foreboding sense of mystery in interior scenes of the mansion and lab, and then contrasting those with Chaney's rundown shed, all suggesting that there is a thin line existing between the savage and the civilized. Speaking of which, the fight between Crane and Chaney is extremely well done and one of the highlights for me, the other being Garland hears the piano music and then runs down to find the muddy footprints.

Last Edited By: Andrew Kidd Jun 22 14 9:56 PM. Edited 1 times.