The Creeping Flesh (1973)

A Victorian-age scientist returns to London with his paleontological bag-of-bones discovery from Papua New Guinea. Unfortunately, when exposed to water, flesh returns to the bones ... See full summary »

Director:

Freddie Francis

Writers:

Peter Spenceley (original screenplay), Jonathan Rumbold (original screenplay)

Stars:

Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Lorna Heilbron

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Lee	...	James Hildern
Peter Cushing	...	Emmanuel Hildern
Lorna Heilbron	...	Penelope
George Benson	...	Waterlow
Kenneth J. Warren	...	Lenny
Duncan Lamont	...	Inspector
Harry Locke	...	Barman
Hedger Wallace	...	Doctor Perry
Michael Ripper	...	Carter
Catherine Finn	...	Emily
Robert Swann	...	Young Aristocrat
David Bailie	...	Young Doctor
Maurice Bush	...	Karl
Tony Wright	...	Sailor
Marianne Stone	...	Female Assistant

Storyline

A Victorian-age scientist returns to London with his paleontological bag-of-bones discovery from Papua New Guinea. Unfortunately, when exposed to water, flesh returns to the bones unleashing a malevolent being on the scientist's family and friends.

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Plot Keywords:

19th century | brother brother relationship | flashback | experiment | escape | 

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Taglines:

A terrifying journey through the nightmare worlds of evil, insanity and terrible revenge.

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1973 (UK)

Also Known As:

Auferstehung des Grauens

Filming Locations:

Thorpe House, Coldharbour Lane, Thorpe, Egham, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tigon Pictures, World Film Services

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Freddie Francis took over directing from Don Sharp at short notice.

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Goofs

When professor Hildern (Peter Cushing) reads the letter from the asylum about his wife's death the letter is ask white. Later when Penelope (Lorna Heilbron) reads it in her mother's room the letter now has a black border around the edge.

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Quotes

James Hildern: Unfortunately, in the state of society as it exists today, we are not permitted to experiment on human beings. Normal human beings.

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Alternate Versions

Early UK cinema versions were cut by the BBFC to remove a shot of a sailor's slashed throat. All later releases were uncut.

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Connections

Featured in Cinemacabre TV Trailers (1993)

User Reviews

Lush Gothic Hammeresque Mystery/Horror with Lee & Cushing

Although "The Creeping Flesh" (1973) is not technically a Hammer film, it was made by a rival British company with Hammer alumni Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and director Freddie Francis.

Lee and Cushing play two rival half-brothers; Lee runs a mental asylum and Cushing is a scientist trying to cure humanity of evil and insanity. Lee, it turns out, is also trying to find the same cure by experimenting on the lunatics in his asylum.

Cushing is driven by the insanity and recent death of his wife. He is so paranoid about the "infection" of evil and madness that he overprotects his daughter.

He discovers an 8-foot tall diabolical skeleton on one of his expeditions in New Guinea and becomes convinced that evil itself is somehow linked to this figure. He discovers that the skeleton strangely acquires flesh/blood when it gets wet. He subsequently develops a "vaccination" from the blood to supposedly give people immunization from evil and insanity, which he then administers to his daughter (!).

As you can see, the plot is highly creative, if nothing else. Numerous issues are touched on in the storyline, including:

The origin of evil and insanity. Sibling rivalry. The consequences of overprotection. Is evil and madness a disease for which a person can be vaccinated? The (lack of) ethics of "scientists." An escaped lunatic running amok. Having a carnal celebration after years of repression. The 19th century English pub scene (alcohol, whores and brawls). An 8-foot creeping horror.

Some would contend that "The Creeping Flesh" bites off more than it can chew (especially at only 95 minutes). Yet, I would say that it addresses all of these items very well. I should also point out that it's not hard to follow, as another reviewer argues.

Two parts of the film are very well done: First, when Cushing's daughter, Lorna Hailbron, finally escapes her father's overprotective clutches and attempts to "paint the town red" (naturally). Lorna does an exquisite job portraying the daughter in both her initial naive, modest state and, later, in her wild first-time-party-girl condition.

Second, when the skeleton finally comes to life after acquiring all its flesh. You can see it lurking in the moonlight with a hood and cowl. This creepy image brought to memory artist depictions of the Flatwoods monster that supposedly appeared near that West Virginia village in September 1952.

Interestingly, "The Creeping Flesh" has many similarities to "Horror Express," another Hammeresque film made the very same year. Each film stars Lee and Cushing; each features an ancient recently-discovered artifact that emanates evil (a skeleton and a frozen neanderthal respectively); each features numerous shots of people analyzing "evil" blood samples through a microscope. I like both films about equally, but give the slight edge to "The Creeping Flesh."

Don't hesitate to check out "The Creeping Flesh" if this sounds like your cup of java.

GRADE: B+