The Creeping Flesh (1973)

 

Happy Tuesday! Hope you're all staying safe and had a great start to your week. I had a hard time deciding which film to review until I came across The Creeping Flesh. However, the next film has been decided for next week's review but I have a feeling everyone will hate me for choosing it. I have my reasons but I digress...

The Creeping Flesh was an attractive choice simply because of who stars in it and the time period it was released in. Otherwise, this was my first time watching and I had no clue whatsoever what I was in for. This was the first time I didn't take any notes of any kind until the end but it was simply because I was enjoying the film. I'd say the review may be "sloppy" as a result but I'll say it's more "organic" and "genuine". 

The Creeping Flesh was released in December 1972 in the UK and officially released in early 1973 in the US (some accounts say January 1st and February 12 as the official release date) by Tigon British Film and Columbia Pictures. Don Sharp was to direct the film but Freddie Francis was his replacement at the last minute for reasons unknown. The film stars Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and Lorna Heilbron. It was one of the later pictures of British Horror films that ran from the 1950s - late 70's. The film runs for 88 minutes.

Victorian scientist Professor Emmanuel Hildern recalls his recent discovery of pure evil to a young doctor, who is in need of his help, to conceal his findings from the world. Hildern tells him of a skeleton he found during an expedition in New Guinea that could test the theory of the origin of man but instead uncovers an evil entity to be hidden from mankind.

When you pair Cushing and Lee with gothic Victorian-era films, you can bet it will be a great time. By the time The Creeping Flesh was released they were well into their careers and established horror icons. Naturally, they were impeccable and nothing short of amazing. Heilbron's performance seemed quite forced to me although I've read she's done best in other films. Visuals and special effects were fantastic but it was obvious they were cutting corners. It wasn't necessarily a deal breaker and it certainly added to the allure of vintage British horror. There were some laboratory scenes that the embalmer in me cringed at. You'll know which. While I enjoyed the score, it was also neglectful as there were too many scenes with absolute silence that could've been supported by filling them in often making it awkward to watch. True markers of horror, in my opinion, were not present until the end making this film story-based. The story was original, fluid, and intriguing but I did find a few moments where the plot was misaligned. Even so, the story picks up quite smoothly. If you are interested in Victorian sexual expression, this film certainly touches on that. 

The film was bizarre yet entertaining and haunting in every sense. It's seriously a fun film!

My general rating is 6.5/10. Based on:

-Story

-Themes

-Dialogue

-Laughable yet amazing special effects

-Lee and Cushing

A hard recommendation for anyone curious especially if you're into Victorian-gothic anything. It's a movie to watch on a rainy, Friday night by yourself. There is an attempted rape and animal testing scene involved for everyone's knowledge.

Thank you for reading! I thoroughly enjoyed watching The Creeping Flesh and I'm curious to hear everyone's thoughts. Next review will spice things up a bit. Can you take a guess? 

Hint: 2007

Stay safe and make wise decisions!

-CL