The Unearthly (1957)

User Rating:

2.0/10   

Director:

Boris Petroff

Writers:

Jane Mann (story)
John D.F. Black (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

28 June 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Horror

Tagline:

An army of mutants on a mission from hell!

Plot:

Mad doctor uses patients at his isolated psychiatric institute as subjects in his attempts to create longevity by surgically installing an artificial gland in their skulls, with disastrous results.

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Patient | Mad Scientist | Mad Doctor | Surgery

Cast

John Carradine	...	Dr. Charles Conway
Myron Healey	...	Mark Houston (as Myron Healy)
Allison Hayes	...	Grace Thomas
Marilyn Buferd	...	Dr. Sharon Gilchrist (as Marylyn Buferd)
Arthur Batanides	...	Danny Green
Sally Todd	...	Natalie Anders
Tor Johnson	...	Lobo
Roy Gordon	...	Dr. Loren Wright
Guy Prescott	...	Captain Reagan
Raymond Guta
Harry Fleer	...	Harry Jedrow
Gloria Petroff	...	Screaming Woman
Paul McWilliams	...	Police Officer

Also Known As:

House of the Monsters (USA) (working title)
Night of the Monsters (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Unrated

Company:

AB-PT Pictures Corp.

Trivia:

Despite the title, the plot of "The Unearthly" contains no extraterrestrial element.

Quotes:

Lobo: Time-fo'-go-ta-bed.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Bride of the Monster (#5.23)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

Toccata and Fugue in D minor

John Carradine as a mad scientist??

Imagine if you will: John Carradine in the role of a mad scientist. Amazing, isn't it? Not really, if you're familiar with plenty of z-grade science fiction and horror from the 50's and 60's. Anyway, there's this dark old house and a young woman goes there for "treatment", the treatment being that everyone who comes there gets diddled with by Carradine and his assistant in some kind of experiments designed to provide eternal life or some such thing. And all who come there must have no family or ties to anyone else, for obvious reasons, because they're probably not leaving again. A big plus is Tor Johnson as "Lobo", an overgrown lug of a servant who plays his role with the relish which he played all his other roles...like a sedated slug. There's also a guy that seems to be an wanted criminal who stumbles across the place but gets dragged in by Lobo and decides to stay, like he has a choice. Stay or go to prison. Anyway strange things happen there & eventually, by snooping around, some of the people there get an idea that all isn't well & escape is planned, but doesn't work out. Then it turns out that all isn't what it seems & that the police descend upon the place & save the day, except for the basement full of things they find there, whose day has pretty much been ruined forever. Cheesy z-grade science fiction and way too talky, with an over-acting inmate called Danny to keep things, uh, active. Not terrible, but really not that good either. 5 out of 10.