Curse of the Fly (1965)

Director:

Don Sharp

Writer:

Harry Spalding (written by)

Release Date:

May 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Drama

Plot:

Remember that scientist that was trying to perfect a matter transportation machine but got fused with...

Plot Keywords:

Scientist | Experiment | Newlyweds | Mad Scientist | Accidental Death

Cast

Brian Donlevy	...	Henri Delambre
George Baker	...	Martin Delambre
Carole Gray	...	Patricia 'Pat' Stanley
Yvette Rees	...	Wan
Burt Kwouk	...	Tai
Mary Manson	...	Judith Delambre
Michael Graham	...	Albert Delambre
Rachel Kempson	...	Madame Fournier
Jeremy Wilkins	...	Inspector Ronet
Warren Stanhope	...	Hotel Manager
Charles Carson	...	Inspector Charas
Mia Anderson	...	Nurse
Arnold Bell	...	Hotel Porter

Also Known As:

The Curse of the Fly (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:M | UK:PG (re-rating) (2006) | UK:X (original rating) | Netherlands:12 | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

Lippert Films

Trivia:

This film was rarely seen for many years, as it was the only entry in the entire Fly film franchise never to receive a videotape or laserdisc release. It did not receive its home video premiere until 2007, when it was released on DVD in a box set with the original series of films.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Fly Papers: The Buzz on Hollywood's Scariest Insect (2000) (TV)

An unsung masterpiece of horror

I saw this as a kid and had read that it was the worst of the series. I don't think so! This one is the scariest, weirdest, most atmospheric and most unsettling of the FLY series. I think that if this film wasn't having to be compared to the first two, it would be more highly spoken of. The scene where the heroine discovers just who (or what) is playing the piano in the middle of the night sent chills up my spine. This film has enough ghoulish imagery that really stays with you long after you've seen it (and for me it's been over 20 years). The opening escape scene is ahead of it's time with the mental patient running in slow motion with the title credits over it. Some of the mutants are very quite disturbing to look at and there are plot twists and turns applenty. Basically, no one is safe or sacred in this dark final film in the series. I could talk more but I would spoil it for those who have never seen it. It used to be on television frequently but has now disappeared. However, it's well worth the trouble of finding it. This has the mark of a truly great horror film - it will continue to live in your memory long after your initial viewing. I am wishing for a DVD of it someday. The sad part is that it is the unfavorable comparisons to the original on the part of most critics that probably keep Fox from releasing a video of it. Let's hope they wise up and preserve it on disc before the negative is destroyed. That would be an un-fitting end for CURSE OF THE FLY which is an unsung masterpiece of a horror film.