On that August day back in 79 A.D. when Mount Vesuvius exploded and destroyed the town of Pompeii, other strange things happened as well, so we are told by the narrator of this film. In the present day, a team of archeologists at Pompeii discover the petrified body of a man who died during the explosion, along with a jewel box containing a bronze medallion. The body, which seems to have turned to stone, has no facial features and is frozen in what looks like a death agony. But as it's being transported to a museum for study, the thing comes alive and kills the truck driver. The driver's body is found by the side of the road and it's assumed that he simply had an accident until an autopsy finds choking marks around his neck. Our main characters are archeologist Paul (Richard Anderson) and his artist girlfriend Tina (Elaine Edwards). While Paul works on figuring out what this stone man is, Tina is inspired by weird dreams to paint the Faceless Man even before she's seen him. Writing on the medallion is translated to mean the man's name was Quintillus Aurelius, a slave who got in trouble for loving a woman above his station. There is also a warning that whatever stands between he and what belongs to him shall perish. If you've seen a Mummy movie, you know what's coming: people seeing the creature move, people being killed by the slow-moving man, Tina being put under hypnotic regression where it is discovered that she is indeed the reincarnation of Quintillus' former lover. This low-budget horror film is oft-maligned, with some critics making it seem like an Ed Wood movie, but it's far more competent than that. At barely an hour, it goes by quickly, and though it lacks in atmosphere and characterization, the creature itself is impressive, and the mummy movie clichés are fun to tick through. There's a bit too much exposition delivered by a nameless narrator, but I like the name of the location where the climax takes place: the Cove of the Blind Fishermen. No classic, but good enough for October Chiller Theater viewing. [Amazon streaming]
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
CURSE OF THE FACELESS MAN (1958)
On that August day back in 79 A.D. when Mount Vesuvius exploded and destroyed the town of Pompeii, other strange things happened as well, so we are told by the narrator of this film. In the present day, a team of archeologists at Pompeii discover the petrified body of a man who died during the explosion, along with a jewel box containing a bronze medallion. The body, which seems to have turned to stone, has no facial features and is frozen in what looks like a death agony. But as it's being transported to a museum for study, the thing comes alive and kills the truck driver. The driver's body is found by the side of the road and it's assumed that he simply had an accident until an autopsy finds choking marks around his neck. Our main characters are archeologist Paul (Richard Anderson) and his artist girlfriend Tina (Elaine Edwards). While Paul works on figuring out what this stone man is, Tina is inspired by weird dreams to paint the Faceless Man even before she's seen him. Writing on the medallion is translated to mean the man's name was Quintillus Aurelius, a slave who got in trouble for loving a woman above his station. There is also a warning that whatever stands between he and what belongs to him shall perish. If you've seen a Mummy movie, you know what's coming: people seeing the creature move, people being killed by the slow-moving man, Tina being put under hypnotic regression where it is discovered that she is indeed the reincarnation of Quintillus' former lover. This low-budget horror film is oft-maligned, with some critics making it seem like an Ed Wood movie, but it's far more competent than that. At barely an hour, it goes by quickly, and though it lacks in atmosphere and characterization, the creature itself is impressive, and the mummy movie clichés are fun to tick through. There's a bit too much exposition delivered by a nameless narrator, but I like the name of the location where the climax takes place: the Cove of the Blind Fishermen. No classic, but good enough for October Chiller Theater viewing. [Amazon streaming]
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment