RIGHT HAND OF THE DEVIL (1963)

Pepe Lusara (played by the film's director Aram Katcher) arrives in Los Angeles by helicopter and rents a big house for six months. The previous resident, we are told, was a research scientist who died in an explosion and not all of his body parts were found—this odd detail never comes into play again. He applies for a temp job at the downtown sports arena and cozies up to Elizabeth, the head cashier (who looks like she could be his mom). We soon realize that, thinking of himself as a criminal mastermind, he is planning a big heist at the arena. He hires four guys, none seeming very smart: Spooky, a pool hall denizen; Carter, a crook supposedly gone straight; Sammy, a jumpy junkie; and Williams, a driver. Elizabeth, carried away by his romancing, such as it is, joins in. We also see him stealing some kind of caustic acid from a nearby factory and pouring it in his tub. (Unlike the research scientist detail, this plot point will eventually come into play.) She gives him her keys and he ties her up in her office to make it look like he overpowered her to get the cash. The heist goes off fairly well, with two of the guys dressing in drag to make their escape, but Pepe betrays everyone. He escapes to Rio and lives the high life for a while, but some rough justice is delivered in the end.

Aram Katcher was a small-time character actor whose main gig was as the owner of (and chief beautician at) a beauty salon in L.A. In fact, he is credited here not just as director but as story writer, art director, and supervisor of makeup and hair styles. This very low budget film was obviously a passion project for him. There are promising elements here and there—the main idea of the story, though derivative, in particular of THE KILLING isn’t bad—but the script is sloppy, as is most of the cinematography, editing and direction. (The hair styles seem fine.) Pepe does not come off as interesting, compelling, or smart, and the heist seems to come off almost in spite of his leadership. Some viewers have noted a Peter Lorre quality to Katcher which is true when it comes to his looks, not true when it comes to his acting talent. Lisa McDonald is probably the standout (which isn’t really saying much here) as Elizabeth; she seems like an amateur who took advantage of her opportunity and gave it her best. Brad Trumbull, whom I suspect is the only real professional among the supporting players (80 credits, mostly TV), is pretty good as the driver. There is some decent gory makeup in a climactic scene. In feel, this reminded me of a couple of other super-cheap 1960s melodramas I’ve seen in recent years and liked (SATAN IN HIGH HEELS, BLAST OF SILENCE) but this one has little to recommend it. Pictured are Trumbull and Katcher. [YouTube]