A Criatura da Mão Azul

Yes, that is right, I was trying to stay up late to watch this on the old Sammy Terry Terror Theater on Indianapolis/Bloomington channel 4, and fell asleep after about 15 mins. Therefore my recollection of it was as a boring movie, when in reality I was just tired. So I found a tape of it for $2 at the local swap meet and thought I'd give it a try since I liked all sorts of European giallo-styled films. What a great treat! Plenty of nice scary moments interspersed with humor and action. Not boring at all. Good performances all around, Kinski is superb. Now I know where Wes Craven got the knife-hand idea for Freddy K. One of the best things about these European horror films is that they actually have lengthy moments of suspense and dialog that aren't obscured by stupid, loud, obnoxious rock and pop music influenced noise like modern US horror films. They actually have soundtracks that enhance the mood rather than try to shock you with loud sudden blasts.

Good acting and an exciting story with a good tempo. However, it shows the cliché, scary mental sanctuary.

(Blood splattered everywhere in the first scene, mopped up by the janitors?) Kinski escapes from an asylum and hides out at his family's nearby estate, and assumes the identity of his twin brother, just as a series of murders begin, committed by a man in a black cloak with an iron glove and razor fingers.

How is that, for contrived and convoluted? And quick: this was filmed in February and March 1967, and released already in West Germany in April 1967!

Almost the entire film is bound to the family estate, a setting which allows for plenty of surreal images and vivid colours and soft photography and cracks of lightning in the night, and a few well done stalking scenes, but also limits the film, and makes it feel like a photographed stage-play. A slow moving and somewhat dull stage-play, with an abrupt and dodgy ending.

Klaus Kinski stars as Dave Emerson, convicted of a murder but found to be legally insane; soon he has escaped from his asylum, and sets about to prove his innocence. The inspector on the case (Harald Leipnitz) has his work cut out for him trying to wade through all of the suspects and figure out what's going on.

Another entry in that genre known as the "Krimi", this Edgar Wallace adaptation doesn't tell a particularly *great* mystery, per se, but it's made with such energy, pace, and wit that it's a blast to watch. It just races along, and is well acted by a solid, mostly German cast. Fans of Kinskis' work, however, should be aware, that he's not showcased as much as one would think given his prominent billing. Still, he's entertaining to watch, and "Creature with the Blue Hand" (the title stems from the use of the title weapon, a spiked glove from a suit of armor) sizes up as an amiable, atmospheric diversion.

Carl Lange, with his distinctive face, has the look of a classic villain as the nefarious Dr. Mangrove; the incredibly sexy Diana Korner is a treat to watch as Daves' sister Myrna.

Propelled along by a jaunty, jazzy score courtesy of Martin Bottcher, this was later re-worked, with newly shot footage, in the 80s as "The Bloody Dead".

Seven out of 10.

CREATURE WITH THE BLUE HAND is a suspenseful thriller full of mystery. Klaus Kinski plays a dual role as twins, one of whom might be a homicidal maniac. The titular killer actually has a blue hand to dispatch his victims. It comes complete with finger-knives!

This movie also contains an insane asylum, a castle with secret passages, and inhuman torture by both rats and snakes! Kinski is his usual, amazing self. He devours these sort of roles like so much candy!

WARNING: This film was rereleased under the title THE BLOODY DEAD, which includes a few added, non sequitur sequences of gory violence having nothing to do with the actual story. This unnecessary footage is tacky, silly, and insulting to anyone with a functioning brain...