The Fiend Who Walked the West

I must confess that I saw this movie an awful long time ago, when I was just a kid. However, it made a big impression on me and it blended genres in a way that I hadn't ever seen a film before. The story sort of reminds me of "Psycho," but set in the old west, and to a lesser degree, set in some deserted shipyards and other industrial locations. Anyhow, ever since I've been dying to see it again. Filmed in beautifully harsh and stark black and white.

Much of this film will seem familiar to anyone who's seen 1947's "Kiss of Death", which plotwise it closely resembles, and some of the theme music heard over the opening credits was borrowed from 1951's "The Day The Earth Stood Still". That having been said, however, this film has much to recommend it on its own. Most critics disapproved of Robert Evans in the title role, but I found him very impressive: funny and likeable one minute, menacing and really frightening the next; the stuff of any true psycho. The film isn't without flaws; the direction is frankly uninspired, and several opportunities missed. But Evans (in one of his last roles before giving up acting to become a producer) remains fascinating to watch; he's very unlike any other western villain you've ever seen. Emile Meyer (as a brutal prison guard) and Stephen McNally (as a good guy for a change) offer strong supporting performances; Hugh O'Brien is his reliable self as the hero.

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Gordon Douglas; Produced by Herbert B. Swope Jr., for 20th Century-Fox. Screenplay by Philip Yordan and Harry Brown; Photography by Joe McDonald; Edited by Hugh Fowler; Special Photographic Effects by L. B. Abbott. Starring: Hugh O'Brian, Robert Evans, Dolores Michaels, Linda Crystal, Edward Andrews, Emile Meyer and Ken Scott.

Unique mishmashing of innumerable genres: a lightweight psycho thriller set in the Old West, with the plot stolen wholesale from "Kiss of Death" and the title music from Bernard Herrmann's work for "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Marginal at best in all genres.

I can never forget this film. Unlike some critics, me and my mates found Robert Evans' performance mesmerising. In '58, it was our first experience of a horror-western and for us it worked very well. I'm not saying it's a truly great film, just that it was so radically different at the time that it remains one of my most memorable films of the 50s.

In the East-End of London, in the mid to late 50s, we teens were hooked on Americana. We knew and liked Hugh O'Brian as Wyatt Earp in the TV series. Robert Evans was new to us and a revelation. We liked his look and his style; his performance fitted well with Rock 'n Roll, James Dean and the whole 'cool' American thing.

Fortunately, although in the UK, I have a recorder which plays NTSC tapes. I will be buying this film soon.

I would have never imagined a remake of the Henry Hathaway's KISS OF DEATH like this one, in waiting for Barbet Schroeder's version starring Nick Cage and David Caruso. An awful remake, probably the worst remake ever. Back to this western version, the line between it and the Hathaway's movie are not that obvious. Once more, after the Robert D webb's films, it's strange to see the Twentieth Century Fox company producing 105 minutes length movies in LBX- 2.35 - with nearly unknown actors, I mean no big stars at all, no Richard Widmark, Victor Mature, Robert Wagner, John Wayne or Henry Fonda...Fox also used that kind of method for released films only, from Regal Films company. Because this Gordon Douglas' western looks like a B western but blown up at 105 mn in LBX. Robert Evans is OK as the villain but not Richard Widmark either.