The Vulture

In the 1960's their was a low priced movie theater in downtown Oakland that showed a triple bill of releases that came out mostly in the 1950's.Pre-noon admission was .35 cents.It was at that place that I saw this movie on a triple bill.Today I was surprised to learn that the release date was 1967.My overall feeling was that this movie was from the 1950's because it was black and white,the theaters history and on the same bill was "curse of the demon"(night of the demon ?)which came out in 1957.That being the situation it seems that on release this film went directly to the cheap seat theaters.That should give an indication of how good the movie is.In a 1950's comic book a half human/half vulture character had scared me so this plot was not of real interest to me.The little that can be recollected is that the mad scientist's every word is dripping with an accent.Even if the viewer knows no German they probably will doubt that his accent is a German one.Seeing the big clawed feet lift up people resemble the special effects of the Three Stooges films but the Stooges effects might be a notch better.Seeing this film again is one of my goals.

I haven't seen this since I was a kid, but I remember:

The leading man played a scientist who pronounced "nuclear" and "nuke-you-lar" through the whole film.

It was about some giant mutant vulture but they were too cheap to get a whole bird (fake or real), there was just this pair of big rubber bird feet that landed on the shoulders of bit actors and supposedly carried them off.

The whole thing was so dreadfully low-budget that I think the people at Mystery Science Theater 3000 should have a good look.

As another user mentioned, I also caught this film by accident on my VCR -- and in b&w. I've since picked up a color DVD-R. In B&W it has more of the feel of a Mexican monster picture from the 50s-60s. By his presence, Akim Tamiroff elevates the picture to a slot above similar mid-sleaze trash. Even hobbling around on 2 canes (I imagine he thought a walker would look silly), he sparks up the interest every time he appears on screen (not often). Broderick Crawford doesn't, and Robert Hutton performs with the same level of "excellence" he always demonstrates. Watch it for Akim, and for being the only picture to equal the hilarious sfx of "The Giant Claw."

The first thing I would say about this film is that it contains much THE AVENGERS series DNA. Mystery in the English countryside with many creepy and totally crazy scenes. OK, this is not a masterpiece, but don't watch it as if it was, don't expect anything great, then you won't be deceived. Typically british and far enough for my taste.

After an ancient legend / curse seems to have come true, a nuclear scientist (Robert Hutton) does his best to solve the mystery. Scotland Yard are also on the case, but consider the facts to be too fantastic to be believed.

In THE VULTURE, superstition merges with mad science to produce the flying monster of the title. Is it absurd? Yes, but that takes nothing away from its entertainment value. In fact, it only adds to it. This is especially true since everyone plays their roles straight, solemn, and serious. Especially Mr. Hutton, whose character is on a crusade to track down the marauding mutant, right from the start. Broderick Crawford is on hand as the skeptical American zillionaire.

Special Note: Watching Mr. Crawford being lifted off his balcony is one of the rib-tickling reasons to watch this opus!

Extra Points: For the amazing woo woo music!

A mostly-forgotten film from an era when such fare was more commonplace. Worth a watch on a lazy Saturday afternoon...