La Femme sangsue

This movie has gotten a bad rap, I think mainly because of the inane title. It conjures up a ridiculous image of a giant leech with a purse and high heels on. This movie is actually pretty good, given it's low budget.

Coleen Gray, a very pretty and capable actress in her day, gives a great performance as June Talbot, the alcoholic, middle aged woman married to Dr. Paul Talbott (portrayed as a total heel by Phillip Terry, better known as Joan Crawford's 4th husband). Dr. Talbott is a scientist who is trying to find a serum to counter aging and is willing to sacrifice his wife in order to find the answer.

The performances by Gray and Terry are solid, as is Gloria Talbott who plays Dr. Talbott's assistant and Grant Williams, Dr. Talbott's lawyer and Gloria's boyfriend who falls under the spell of "The Leech Woman". Estelle Hemsley is also good as an old African woman who looks like a human prune and offers to show the good doctor the secret to turn back the effects of aging, for a very steep price, of course.

I thought the make up of the Leech Woman was very affective, pretty scary stuff for it's day. Don't let the title of this movie keep you from watching...it's very entertaining, from start to finish.

I sat down to watch this movie expecting to see a woman with a big rubber leech head chasing people around but it turns out Leech Woman offers something slightly more sophisticated. The story is that a scientist and his estranged wife head off to Africa to search for the fabled elixir of hokum which turns women young again. Obviously these days it would be a waste of time because every second advert I see for toothpaste or shampoo offers time renewal, time protection and suchlike whatever that means.

One thing I liked about this movie was the way that every single character is awful in some way. There's a good story though it is a bit slow to start with. Some viewers have moaned about the rather obvious stock footage but anyone who is a fan of movies of this era will recognise it as just par for the course on a quick cheapie like this.

Give it a try, despite the tacky name it's quite a good story and worth a watch.

I remember watching "The Leech Woman" when I was twelve years old. There is something absolutely terrifying about this movie, but yes I agree it isn't Oscar caliber. For a movie made back in 1960 I don't think it's that awful. (Ever mindful that another movie one year later came out called "Psycho") There is something sensual in the way men and women are punctured in the back of the neck and then their blood is consumed by a woman. Or perhaps at twelve my testosterone was starting to make itself known. I vividly remember the very end of the movie with Colleen Gray laying flat on her back looking like some old tattered witch. It terrified me. Know why? Because the old woman that lived next door to us looked very similar! For a long time after seeing this movie I went outside wearing a turtle neck sweater!

Not a great movie but certainly not as bad as others .

Unlike a lot of movies given a good workover by the fine folks on Mystery Science Theater 3000, "The Leech Woman" is fairly watchable. The idea is that an aging woman who wants to restore her beauty finds a magic that will allow her to become young again- but only for a day at a time. The spell, unfortunately, also requires her to kill men.

Of course, she doesn't particularly care about the lives of men, which is where the main plot starts. I won't spoil it for you, because this is a film I think you might actually enjoy.

The movie suffers, unfortunately, from some drab performances by members of the cast. The main stars, however, play their roles pretty well, and the elderly priestess featured in the beginning of the film is particularly creepy.

Also, the plot, though good in theory, seems to get bogged down at times. The movie crawls along and can get very boring. But there are some excellent sequences in there that really bring the movie back from the gutter.

In any case, I recommend at least trying to find the MST3k version of the film...during the more boring sequences you'll appreciate the boys' humor, and even the good parts certainly aren't hurt by a little good-natured jesting.

"The Leech Woman" is a film that's a lot better than its title. Coleen Gray plays the older wife of Phillip Terry, a doctor who's been experimenting with various mixtures in order to find the fountain of youth. The acting is quite good by a group of old pros, and the film throws in about everything: the older woman/younger man plot twist, alcoholism, tribal rituals, emotional abuse, love triangles, several murders, smart-mouthed cops, journeys into darkest Africa, revenge and betrayal, explosions, quicksand...well, you get the idea. Gray does quite well with a difficult role, with fine support from Terry, Grant Williams, Kim Hamilton, and Gloria Talbott. I thought the ending was a little weak, but otherwise it's an entertaining take on an unusual story regarding rejuvenation. Worth catching.