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I want to start off by saying that I thoroughly enjoy most of Freddie Francis' films, especially those he made with Hammer. But...I was expecting so much more from THE CREEPING FLESH. With the recent passing of Christopher Lee (RIP), I wanted to go back and re-watch his films that I loved and also to find some that I hadn't previously viewed. So I stumbled upon THE CREEPING FLESH and immediately sought it out. Maybe my expectations were too high going in, but I was a bit let down. As I said, I really like Freddie Francis. I also love Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. So it was a no-brainer that I would like this film. And I did like it...just not as much as I thought I would going in to it.

The Victorian age set pieces were fantastic. The subject matter of the story (though not scientifically accurate) was interesting. The acting was great. The atmosphere was pretty good. It was the lack of the horror element that I was expecting and it just didn't seem to show up until the final 15 minutes or so of the film. When it did show up it was great. I just wish the movie would have used it sooner.

I also disagree with the many people who feel THE CREEPING FLESH is Freddie Francis' best film. TORTURE GARDEN, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF and maybe even THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS and THE SKULL were all better in my opinion. I especially loved LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF...but I am partial to werewolves.

All in all, THE CREEPING FLESH is a good movie worth watching, especially if you are a Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing fan (or a fan of Hammer films even though this is not a Hammer production). It's a good, solid 6 out of 10.

How can this image possibly be bad? Peter Cushing (star and protagonist of an endless list of horror classics) as a dedicated scientist on the verge of unraveling an entirely new evolution theory in which the existence of evil plays a crucial role. And Christopher Lee (once again, star and protagonist of an endless list of horror classics) as the over-ambitious president of an asylum, trying to steel Cushing's ideas to add them to his book about ‘the origin of insanity'. These actors, along with their character's vicious professions pretty much guarantee a dazzling horror premise already. If you then add a tight gothic atmosphere, overall decent special effects and loads of emotional intrigues, you've got yourself an authentic British horror highlight! And The Creeping Flesh isn't even a Hammer production! Responsible for this film is Tigon Productions, who also brought us overlooked milestones such as `The Witchfinder General' and `Blood on Satan's Claw'. Cushing's character (Dr. Hildern) is the discoverer of an ancient skeleton that might carry the secret of evil! When exposed to water, flesh immediately grows on the creature. Hildern develops an anti-evil vaccine, but has to use this same antidote on his lovely daughter Penelope when she finds out her beloved mother spend years in an asylum when she thought she was actually deceased already. Asylum keeper Lee – who's also Dr. Hildern's half brother – takes notice of the bizarre events going on in the Dr.'s mansion and hires somebody to steal the skeleton to increase his own success as an authority in the field of mental illnesses.

The only negative comment you could give on this film is that it actually contains TOO much ideas and horrific aspects. Regretfully, this sometimes results in underdeveloped plot-twists and a lack of continuity. There are enough horror-elements in The Creeping Flesh to fill 3 movies, really! But, despite these little flaws, this is one of the purest and most entertaining Cushing/Lee collaborations, brilliantly directed by the talented Freddie Francis (`Torture Garden', `Tales from the Crypt…) The main actors, as well as the stunning Lorna Heilbron, are a joy to observe and the film is pretty darn suspenseful, too. All in one, a must see for the true horror fans.

British horror icons Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee co-star in this fascinating bit of Victorian pseudo-scientific nonsense which will have you entertained until the very last scene. The bad news is that they share very little on screen time, in fact there isn't all that much Lee content at all. But that is my only gripe about this terrific horror thriller. If you want to see the two REALLY co-star go to their many Hammer classics or the brilliant 'Horror Express' from around the same period as this. Cushing plays a familiar role, Hildern, a scientist with good intentions who meddles with something he shouldn't have. He shares a home with his adult daughter, the sweet and innocent Penelope. She believes that her mother died many years before not realizing the truth, that she was a fun loving floozie who flipped out and spent many years in an asylum, run by Cushing's ambitious half-brother James (Lee). Hildern returns from an expedition from New Guinea with a mysterious skeleton of a giant creature which he believes predates man. On his arrival home he is greeted with the news that his insane wife has finally died. He still hides this knowledge from his daughter, fearing for her own mental well being. Hildern and his assistant experiment on the skeleton and he believes that it can unlock the secret of evil, which he theorizes can be innoculated against. When a hysterical Penelope finally stumbles across the truth about her mother, Hildern, with the best of intentions, tries the experimental anti-evil vaccine on her. This proves to have disastrous results, and matters are further complicated when James, who both envies and resents his more respected brother, gets wind of what is going on and plans to steal the skeleton for his own research. If you take all the "science" in this movie with a pinch of salt you'll find it to be one of the most enjoyable horror movies Cushing and Lee were ever involved in. A most underrated movie, highly recommended to all fans of late 60s/early 70s British horror.

This film's idea of a reviving ancient flesh when in contact with water is truly original, its sordid atmosphere is very well achieved and Peter Cushing and Cristopher Lee's presence give it a sort of category in the genre. In fact, when Cushing arrives back in England with a strange scary huge skeleton from New Guinea and you learn that water could bring it back to life you have the feeling you'll watch a most interesting horror picture focused mainly in that strange fact.

But then other story appears about Cushing's insane wife's death and their daughter's obsession with her mother that turns into a parallel plot. And that's when "The Creeping Flesh" looses quality and sense -in its genre of course- and things start to mix up badly; there is also a mad killer at large (not frightening at all). What I mean is that so many different topics -unrelated between them- is too much for just one film, and the final outcome is not a good product. Besides, the special effects of the Papuan monster came to life are poor, even for 1973.

Perhaps a better product would have come out if the film had stayed with just the archaelogical evil creature, but it seems the writers couldn't find a way to develop the subject and make a full script out of it.

The picture has some good moments, but in my opinion it is just for Cushing and Lee's fans and no more than that.

"The Creeping Flesh" is a neat idea for a movie: a doctor brings home a skeleton that grows flesh when exposed to water. That probably could have been the plot of a 1950s B movie. Unfortunately, this movie meanders way too much. A large portion of it focuses on the daughter's descent into madness, and we have to wait a really long time before the skeleton does its stuff. Maybe one has to see it more than once to appreciate the movie as a whole sufficiently.

Other than that, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are great in their roles (as can be expected). Even so, I prefer Freddie Francis's movies that stick entirely to their plots. As it was, the end of this one reminded me of the end of Philip Kaufman's "Quills".