She Devil

Under-the-Radar Low-Budget Science Dabbler.

Familiar Story, from Noted Author Stanley G. Weinbaum ("The Adaptive Ultimate").

A "Miracle" Cure-All is Injected into Terminal Tubercular Mari Blanchard.

She Instantly Recovers but with Positive/Negative Side-Effects. Invulnerable with Chameleon Like Body Manipulative Powers (changing hair-color in a whim),

Complication Abound Including a Personality Change into a Socio-Pathic Narcissist.

The Movie Skirts Film-Noir in Tone and Style.

It is also one of those Misogynist Movies, Typical of the Era, with Pre-Determine Roles for Women. Rigid,Conservative Hive Mentality Machinations.

With Her New-Found Abilities She will have None of that. "Try and stop me."

Mari Blanchard's Angular Odd Beauty Enhances Her Role and She Dominates All Her Scenes.

She is Co-Starred a Pre-"Maverick" Jack Kelly and Albert Dekker who is Always a Presence On Screen.

The Sleek Black and White Cinematographer is by the Famous Karl Struss with a Career Dating Back to F. W. Murnau

The Film with All its Intriguing Ingredients Contributing to Make This...

Worth a Watch.

I too recall this picture when I saw it in a movie theater in Ashtabula, Ohio in the 50's. What I found fascinating about it was the Dr. who was in love with this patient and how difficult it was for him to finally make the decision to give her a shot of the anti-serum to stop the violence. I remember how she willed herself to change and become a blonde when she was in the changing room, how the Dr. stole some hair from her hair brush so he could have it analyzed and when she is given the final anti-serum and reverts back to the sweet brunette he loved. Even as a 8 year old,it touched me and made it quite memorable, even in these times. Would love to see it re-done as well. Also, does anyone know if there is any way to get a VHS of this picture?

Although 1956's "She Devil" came from the same team that made its superior cofeature "Kronos," director Kurt Neumann must share the blame for a script that remains faithful to its source, Stanley G. Weinbaum's "The Adaptive Ultimate," but fails to capitalize on its possibilities as science fiction. For a change we have not one but two scientists conducting research on the 'most adaptive' insect of all, the fruit fly (foreshadowing Neumann's final film "The Fly"), trying to perfect a miraculous cure-all serum, which works on animals but has yet to be done on a human being. A terminally ill patient without any hope to live seems the best choice for a guinea pig, and that turns out to be Kyra Zelas (Mari Blanchard), receiving one injection of the wonder drug before making an incredibly rapid recovery. Not only does she radiate perfect health but she also proves immune to all disease, impervious to injury, and able to change hair color from brunette to blonde and back again during moments of crisis. Kyra also develops an amoral streak that sees her bash in a man's skull for his money, strangling another man's wife so she can wed his millions, then casually drive his car off the road to become a wealthy widow. More soap opera than horror, as the younger doctor (Jack Kelly) inevitably falls for his test subject while the elder (Albert Dekker) occasionally wonders if their achievement is against the laws of nature. One watches in the vain hope that something more than minor film noir will result, and sultry Mari Blanchard does deliver, in a role that would have been a perfect fit for Allison Hayes.

When will the scientists in these 40s/50s sci-fi/horror films learn to stay away from the pineal gland? It only leads to misery and death. In She Devil, a brilliant scientist has developed a formula to help treat sick and injured patients. With the consent of a dying patient, Kyra Zelas (Mari Blanchard), Dr. Dan Scott (Jack Kelly) injects her with his formula. Once Kyra's pineal gland (here we go) is sufficiently stimulated, her disease immediately goes away. She's cured and everything's great. Well, not really. Not only did the serum cure Kyra, but it gave her other powers as well - the ability to heal instantly and the ability to change her hair color at will (which comes in handy when you're evading the police). It also took away many of her inhibitions and turned her evil. Killing to get what she wants doesn't seem to faze the new and improved Kyra.

I loved She Devil much more than I should have. The IMDb rating of 5.6 is probably more indicative of the film's quality, but I found it much more entertaining than that. I compare it to the way I felt about another film I found much more entertaining than IMDb's rating would suggest - The Devil's Hand. In some ways they're very similar. Both are B&W, neither has a particularly outstanding cast, both are from the same time period, both are low budget thrillers, and both feature similar themes - man's destruction at the hands of a woman.

What appealed to me most as I watched She Devil was Kyra's quick transformation from a sickly, docile woman to a beautiful, confident killer. Once she's cured, you can see the change on her face almost immediately. It came as little surprise when she popped the old guy on the head and took his money, changed her hair color (now that was a surprise), and coolly slipped past the police. What a fun scene! The main reason I sat down to watch She Devil was Mari Blanchard. I saw her in an episode of It Takes a Thief and was intrigued. She didn't disappoint. As Kyra, she commands the screen and dominates everything. Neither of her co-stars comes close to comparing to the screen presence she possessed. I'm looking forward to discovering more of her work.

FYI: I first saw this movie as a youngster and vividly remember it, even though I can't say it was one of my favorites. In late 2004, I watched episodes of Science-Fiction Theater, a TV series from the mid-1950's. An episode of the series titled "Beyond Return", aired in late 1955, presaged the movie with the same story and even specific points (the evolution of the meek terminally ill woman to a murderous villainess, the changing of the woman's hair color, etc.) by at least a year. The TV episode is credited to Doris Young but that may have been as screenwriter, not necessarily as the original author. I'm sure that both the TV program and "She Devil" are from the mind of Stanley Weinbaum's 1935 story titled "Adaptive Ultimate".