Bride of the Gorilla (1951)

The owner of a plantation in the jungle marries a beautiful woman. Shortly afterward, he is plagued by a strange voodoo curse which transforms him into a gorilla.

Director:

Curt Siodmak

Writer:

Curt Siodmak

Stars:

Barbara Payton, Lon Chaney Jr., Raymond Burr

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Barbara Payton	...	Mrs. Dina Van Gelder
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Police Commissioner Taro (as Lon Chaney)
Raymond Burr	...	Barney Chavez
Tom Conway	...	Dr. Viet
Paul Cavanagh	...	Klaas Van Gelder
Gisela Werbisek	...	Al-Long (as Giselle Werbisek)
Carol Varga	...	Larina
Paul Maxey	...	Van Heusen
Woody Strode	...	Nedo - Policeman
Martin Garralaga	...	Native
Felippa Rock	...	Stella Van Heusen
Moyna MacGill	...	Mme. Van Heusen

Storyline

Deep in the South American jungle plantation manager Barney Chavez (Raymond Burr) kills his elderly employer in order to get to his beautiful wife (Barbara Payton). However, an old native witch witnesses the crime and puts a curse on Barney, who soon after finds himself turning nightly into a rampaging gorilla. But is his transformation real or is it all in his head?

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | grindhouse film | b movie | poverty row film | double feature film | 

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Taglines:

A Blonde Beauty and a Savage Beast... alone in the Jungle!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

Raymond Burr and Lon Chaney Jr. would be reunited in Casanova's Big Night (1954) and Passion (1954).

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Goofs

When Dina goes searching for Barney in the jungle for the first time, we see a quick shot of a leopard climbing up into a tree. Although this scene is supposed to be outdoors (the jungle), both the leopard and the leaves around him are casting shadows on the "sky" behind them. The sky is obviously a wall or backdrop.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Police Commissioner Taro: [narration] This is Jungle - lush, green, alive with incredible growth - as young as day, as old as time. I, Taro, Police Commissioner of Itman County, which borders the Amazonas River, know it as well as any man will ever know it. Isn't it beautiful? But I have also learned that beauty can be venomous, deadly, something terrifying, something of prehistoric ages when monstrous superstitions ruled the minds of men, something that has haunted the world for millions of years rose out ...

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Connections

Spoofed in Thundercrack! (1975)

User Reviews

Better Than The Critics Say

Barney Chavez (Burr) is in-love with Mrs. Dina Van Gelder (Payton) but she is married to his employer. Chavez ends up killing the employer but is seen by a voodoo priestess who casts a spell, a curse, on him that turns him into a murderous Gorilla. Barney and Dina end up married but with lots of problems. Police Commissioner Taro (Chaney) is on the trail to find out the answers. The question is: Is Chavez' transformation into a Gorilla real or all in his mind.

Raymond Burr is good in this role - convincing, Barbra Payton does well as a woman tormented, Lon Chaney Jr makes a good police commissioner - so the film is overall fun to watch.

This film is not nearly as bad as the critics say it is - it's actually interesting. There are some intense moments and it's a good ending. If you like movies where one of the characters is transformed into a creature and film concerning voodoo then you might like 'Bride of the Gorilla'.

6.5/10

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Face in the Water

Filming Locations:

The Lot - 1041 N. Formosa Avenue, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jack Broder Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

70 min 66 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1