Hand of Death

Hand of Death (1962)

*** (out of 4)

A scientist (John Agar) experimenting with nerve gas accidentally infects himself and soon he's able to kill with the very touch of his hand. As days go on he also starts to form into a burned up monster. This film has gotten a lot of attention over the past several months since AMC started showing it in regular rotation. Most critics bash the movie but in my opinion this is one of the best "B" movies from the era. This certainly didn't deserve any Oscars but for a "B" movie it's damn entertaining from start to finish. There are plenty of campy moments but there's also some very nice cinematography and the look of the monster is brilliant.

Reading through some of the IMDb reviews, I was truly bewildered by the responses. It was like bullies beating up on the weakling in school...not because he necessarily needed to be beat up, but just because the bullies could. Well, I'm the principal here to tell those folks to lighten up and leave the poor kid alone! My goodness, this movie had a budget of $1.95, yet everyone is expecting "Lawrence of Arabia"? Come on.

John Agar is a government scientist out in the California desert who thinks he is a few steps away from creating a revolutionary nerve gas agent that will eliminate all wars. His mentor, the mentor's secretary, his scientist buddy, and even his own college intern think it's too dangerous and want him to stop, but John has noble and lofty goals and pushes on. Well, John has an accident, spills one of the liquefied variations on his hands, and slowly turns into a hideous, mutated creature whose touch can kill...and kill he does.

Maybe I was just in the mood for a fun little film like this, but I must say the acting didn't bother me, nor did the production values, the music, the directing, or the monster make-up. Yes, the screenplay is dopey, has holes in the logic, and a rather abrupt and unsatisfying ending, but this is a Z-grade film aimed at kids at a drive-in theater looking for a fun time, not stuffy film critics or pretentious film snobs.

Set your expectations at a reasonable level, have fun, and enjoy a great little throw-back to a bygone age of sci-fi/horror.

What an anomaly this film is. Ultra low budget, even for this class of thrillers, distributed by 20th Century Fox (which is why it was not seen and lost, as many of these type of horror films were part of movie packages shown on local independent tv stations were comprised of AIP, Allied Artist, Astor Picture titles. The big distributers sold to ABC, CBS, NBC, and the networks were certainly not going to show this! Shot in expensive neighborhoods Malibu and Brentwood, and last but not least, shot in Cinemascope! Can you imagine "Plan 9 From Outer Space" in Cinemascope? You get the idea. Wow! How can you resist not watching this. The script is terrible. Working with nerve gas in a lab the size of a department store bathroom, with the obligatory business style file cabinets in the background, any zero safety precautions. You would do more prep painting your kitchen. That being said, the monster is pretty cool and scary. Reminds me of the creature from the far superior "First Man Into Space." Ashamed though with a better script and bigger budget it could have been a B classic.

Clocking in at a paltry 58 minutes, Hand of Death will leave you reaching for the sunscreen. And in a hurry. For if John Agar gets a grip on you--you're a roasted duck. I could not believe this was filmed in Cinemascope! And on-location in Malibu and Santa Monica, California, too. Mister Agar becomes exposed to some type of experimental nerve gas he's concocting out in the desert for the military. He quickly dispatches his lab mate to the fire pit in the sky. Only then does he realize something is amiss. So he gives his mentor a ring and hightails it over to the gentleman's (he's confined to a wheelchair, never a good sign) suburban abode. He resides there with his daughter, the picture's love interest. The rest of the film breaks down as some kind of shopping stroll toward insanity. He becomes increasingly agitated, disfigured and insane. He slaughters his mentor and goes looking for the girl. On the way to the beach, and his certain downfall, he sends some more people to the above mentioned fire pit in the sky. The poor victims--taxi driver and gas jockey--are working stiffs. He also encounters a small boy romping along some jagged rocks and a seawall. He survives. The ending recalls an earlier film about a fellow with a flat head and protruding iron bolts. I enjoyed this loopy movie. I must be losing my bolts, too. I saw this on AMC when the sun was rising and my mind was clear. Honest.

i caught this kooky little horror film on cable the other night. it held up pretty well. the notion of scientist turned monster is obviously familiar, but it actually managed to be creepy and suspenseful..wished the guy had found a pair of gloves before touching all those poor people. i also loved the 'nightmare' sequence when he's exposed to the deadly gas, and dreams of beakers and flying white mice. kewl! how odd that it was directed by a musical comedy song and dance man. this is a fun 50's -ish horror tale, with delightful over the top acting. and it's really short. which is something.