The She-Creature

Last updated
The She Creature
The She Creature FilmPoster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Edward L. Cahn
Written by Lou Rusoff
Produced by Alex Gordon
Starring Chester Morris
Marla English
Tom Conway
Cathy Downs
Paul Blaisdell
CinematographyFrederick E. West
Edited by Ronald Sinclair
Music by Ronald Stein
Production
company
Golden State Productions
Distributed by American International Pictures
Release date
  • July 25, 1956 (1956-07-25)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$104,000 [1]

The She-Creature, or The She Creature, is a 1956 American black-and-white science fiction horror film, released by American International Pictures from a script by Lou Rusoff (brother-in-law of AIP executive Samuel Z. Arkoff). It was produced by Alex Gordon, directed by Edward L. Cahn, and stars Chester Morris, Marla English and Tom Conway, and casting Frieda Inescort and El Brendel in smaller roles. The producers hired Marla English because they thought she bore a strong resemblance to Elizabeth Taylor.[ citation needed ]

Contents

The monster costume was created by master make-up artist Paul Blaisdell and is considered one of his best. Parts of the costume were re-used in three later AIP films. [2] Blaisdell nicknamed the monster "Cuddles". The costume was eventually destroyed in a flood that hit his Topanga Canyon home in 1979. [3]

The film was released by AIP as a double feature with It Conquered the World . [4]

Plot

Dr. Carlo Lombardi, an oleaginous carnival hypnotist, conducts experiments in hypnotic regression that take his unwitting female subject Andrea Talbott to a past life as a prehistoric humanoid form of sea life. He uses the physical manifestation of the prehistoric creature to commit murders.

Cast

Production

Drive-in advertisement from 1956 featuring The She-Creature with companion feature, It Conquered the World. Baseline Drive-in Ad - 28 August 1956, Highland, CA.jpg
Drive-in advertisement from 1956 featuring The She-Creature with companion feature, It Conquered the World .

The story was inspired by the success of the best-selling Morey Bernstein book The Search for Bridey Murphy , which concerned hypnotism and reincarnation. Exhibitor Jerry Zigmond suggested this subject might make a good film, and AIP commissioned Lou Rusoff to write a script. [1]

AIP did not have enough money to entirely finance the film, so the company asked producer Alex Gordon if he could contribute the remainder. Israel Berman, a colleague of Gordon's brother Richard, knew financier Jack Doppelt, who agreed to provide $40,000 of the film's $104,000 budget. [1]

Edward L. Cahn persuaded his old actor friend Edward Arnold to star [5] for $3,000 for one week's work, and also cast Peter Lorre as the hypnotist. Arnold died two days before production began, while Peter Lorre read the script after which he immediately pulled out of the film and fired his agent for committing him to the project without consulting him first. The producer had to find a substitute cast quickly, settling on Chester Morris and Tom Conway. [6] This was Ron Randell's first film in America in a number of years. [7]

As usual, Blaisdell played the monster in every scene. Blaisdell nearly got injured when the director instructed him to smash his way through a wooden door in one of the film's action sequences, without realizing the door had been reinforced with plywood. Also in the beach scenes where the creature had to be seen emerging from the surf, Blaisdell was told to wade in up to his waist instead of his knees. The costume got so waterlogged, Blaisdell could hardly propel himself out of the water, especially with the tide working against him. Amazingly, most of this scene was later excised from the finished film due to poor quality image.

Release

Gordon, who deferred his $2,500 producer's fee until the film returned its cost, said that the movie was profitable a year and half after its release. [1] Within a few days of finishing the film, AIP featured the She Creature costume in live appearances on several L.A. talk shows to promote the film's grand opening. Blaisdell had his best friend Bob Burns wear the suit on the TV programs, since he was too worn out himself.

Reception

Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film 2 out of 4 stars, calling it "slow and preposterous but effectively moody, with one of Paul Blaisdell's more memorable monsters". [8] On his website Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings, Dave Sindelar wrote, "There is a clever concept behind this attempt to combine the Bridey Murphy concept with a monster movie; unfortunately, a poor script and some ineffectual acting hamstring the attempt". [9] TV Guide awarded the film 1 out of 4 stars, writing, "Some interesting concepts were touched on, but quickly pushed to the background in the name of plot development, which in this case is one cliche after another". [10] Dennis Schwartz from Ozus' World Movie Reviews awarded the film a grade of C, calling it "Amusing hokum". [11]

Legacy

In 1967, American International commissioned Larry Buchanan to remake the film in color for television, retitled as Creature of Destruction .

The original film was later featured in an episode of Cinema Insomnia , [12] as well as in the eighth season of movie-mocking television show Mystery Science Theater 3000 .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American International Pictures</span> Film production company

American International Pictures is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing films from 1955 until 1980, a year after its acquisition by Filmways in 1979.

<i>It! The Terror from Beyond Space</i> 1958 film by Edward L. Cahn

It! The Terror from Beyond Space is an independently made 1958 American science fiction horror film, produced by Robert Kent, directed by Edward L. Cahn, that stars Marshall Thompson, Shawn Smith, and Kim Spalding. The film was distributed by United Artists as a double feature with Curse of the Faceless Man.

<i>It Conquered the World</i> 1956 film by Roger Corman

It Conquered the World is an independently made 1956 American black-and-white science fiction film, produced and directed by Roger Corman, starring Peter Graves, Lee Van Cleef, Beverly Garland, and Sally Fraser. It Conquered the World was released theatrically by American International Pictures as a double feature with The She-Creature.

<i>Voodoo Woman</i> 1957 film by Edward L. Cahn

Voodoo Woman is a 1957 American horror film directed by Edward L. Cahn and starring Marla English in her final film role, Tom Conway, and Mike Connors. It was released in March 1957 by American International Pictures as a double feature with The Undead.

<i>The Maze</i> (1953 film) 1953 film by William Cameron Menzies

The Maze is a 1953 3-D horror film starring Richard Carlson, Veronica Hurst and Hillary Brooke. It was directed by William Cameron Menzies and distributed by Allied Artists Pictures. It was to be the second 3-D film designed and directed by William Cameron Menzies, known for his very "dimensional" style. It was his final film as production designer and director.

<i>The Eye Creatures</i> 1967 television film by Larry Buchanan

The Eye Creatures is a 1967 American made-for-television comedy horror science fiction film about an invasion by a flying saucer and its silent, shambling alien occupants.

<i>Equinox</i> (1970 film) 1970 American supernatural horror film

Equinox is a 1970 American supernatural horror film directed by Jack Woods, and starring Edward Connell, Barbara Hewitt, Frank Bonner and Robin Christopher. Though uncredited, producer Dennis Muren also served as a second director. The film focuses on four young people picnicking in a California canyon, where they stumble upon an ancient book used to conjure demons; soon they unleash a plethora of evil creatures.

<i>The Slime People</i> 1963 film by Robert Hutton

The Slime People is a 1963 horror film directed by Robert Hutton, who also starred in the film. The film was featured on the first season of the television show Mystery Science Theater 3000, as well as the 1986 syndicated series The Canned Film Festival.

<i>First Man into Space</i> 1959 British-American film by Robert Day

First Man into Space is a 1959 independently made British-American black-and-white science fiction-horror film directed by Robert Day and starring Marshall Thompson, Marla Landi, Bill Edwards, and Robert Ayres. It was produced by John Croydon, Charles F. Vetter, and Richard Gordon for Amalgamated Films and was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>Invasion of the Saucer Men</i> 1957 American film by Edward L. Cahn

Invasion of the Saucer Men, is a 1957 black-and-white comic science fiction/comedy horror film produced by James H. Nicholson for release by American International Pictures. The film was directed by Edward L. Cahn and stars Stephen Terrell, Gloria Castillo, Raymond Hatton and Frank Gorshin.

<i>Day the World Ended</i> 1955 film by Roger Corman

Day the World Ended is a 1955 independently made black-and-white post-apocalyptic science fiction film, produced and directed by Roger Corman, that stars Richard Denning, Lori Nelson, Adele Jergens, Paul Birch (actor) and Mike Connors. Chet Huntley of NBC, later of The Huntley-Brinkley Report, served as the film's narrator. It was released by American Releasing Corporation as a double feature with The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues.

<i>From Hell It Came</i> 1957 American horror film

From Hell It Came is a 1957 American science-fiction horror film directed by Dan Milner and written by Richard Bernstein, from a story by Bernstein and Jack Milner. It was released by Allied Artists on a double bill with The Disembodied.

The Monster of Piedras Blancas is a 1959 independently made American black-and-white science fiction-monster film. It was produced by Jack Kevan, directed by Irvin Berwick, and stars Jeanne Carmen, Les Tremayne, John Harmon, Don Sullivan, Forrest Lewis, and Pete Dunn. The film was released by Filmservice Distributors Corporation as a double feature with Okefenokee.

Alex Gordon was a British film producer and screenwriter.

<i>The Beast with a Million Eyes</i> 1955 American film

The Beast with a Million Eyes is a 1955 independently made American black-and-white science fiction film, produced and directed by David Kramarsky, that stars Paul Birch, Lorna Thayer, and Dona Cole. Some film sources have said that the film was co-directed by Lou Place. The film was co-produced by Roger Corman and Samuel Z. Arkoff. and was released by American Releasing Corporation, which later became American International Pictures.

Creature of Destruction is a 1967 American made-for-television film produced and directed by Larry Buchanan. It is an uncredited color remake of the 1956 movie The She Creature directed by Edward L. Cahn.

Lou Rusoff was a Canadian-born screenwriter and producer best known for his work with American International Pictures.

<i>Cat Girl</i> 1957 British film by Alfred Shaughnessy

Cat Girl is a 1957 British horror film directed by Alfred Shaughnessy and starring Barbara Shelley, Robert Ayres, and Kay Callard. It was produced by Herbert Smith and Lou Rusoff. The film was an unofficial remake of Val Lewton's Cat People (1942). In the United States American International Pictures released Cat Girl on a double bill with The Amazing Colossal Man (1957).

<i>Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow</i> 1959 American film

Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow is a 1959 AIP horror comedy film. It was a sequel to their film Hot Rod Gang. American International Pictures released the film in July 1959 as a double feature with Diary of a High School Bride.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Blaisdell</span>

Paul Blaisdell was an American painter, sculptor and visual effects creator, best remembered for his work in science fiction and horror B movies of the 1950s.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Weaver, Tom (January 1, 2002). Science Fiction Confidential: Interviews with 23 Monster Stars and Filmmakers. McFarland. pp. 123–126. ISBN   9780786411757.
  2. ↑ Brennan, Sandra. "The She-Creature (1956)". AllMovie . Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  3. ↑ Palmer, Randy (2009). Paul Blaisdell, Monster Maker: A Biography of the B Movie Makeup and Special Effects Artist. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786440993.
  4. ↑ McGee, Mark Thomas; Robertson, R.J. (2013). "You Won't Believe Your Eyes". Bear Manor Media. ISBN   978-1-59393-273-2. p. 254.
  5. ↑ "Drama: Actor Arnold Signs for 'She Creature'". Los Angeles Times. Apr 25, 1956. p. 34.
  6. ↑ Mark McGee, Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures, McFarland, 1996 p54-56.
  7. ↑ Vagg, Stephen (August 10, 2019). "Unsung Aussie Actors – Ron Randell: A Top Twenty". Filmink.
  8. ↑ Leonard Maltin; Spencer Green; Rob Edelman (January 2010). Leonard Maltin's Classic Movie Guide. Plume. pp. 589–590. ISBN   978-0-452-29577-3.
  9. ↑ Sindelar, Dave (May 10, 2015). "The She-Creature (1956)". FantasticMovieMusings.com. Dave Sindelar. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  10. ↑ "The She-Creature – Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  11. ↑ Schwartz, Dennis. "She Creature". Sover.net. Dennis Schwartz. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  12. ↑ "Cinema Insomnia, with your Horror Host, Mister Lobo! – Show Information". Archived from the original on March 28, 2010. Retrieved November 21, 2010.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.