User reviews

The American Stephen Reinhart (Nick Adams) arrives by train in Arkham, a small town in the countryside of England. He tries to travel to the real estate of a man called Witley by taxi or bicycle, but the locals are frightened by the name and refuse to help him. Stephen has to walk to the property and he is badly received by Nahum Witley (Boris Karloff), who is on the wheelchair.

Stephen informs that he had been invited by his fiancée, Susan Witley (Suzan Farmer), who welcomes him when she sees Stephen. The young man is summoned by Susan's mother, Letitia Witley (Freda Jackson), who is very ill, to have a private conversation with her, and she asks Stephen to leave the real estate as soon as possible with Susan. Further he learns that the maid Helga has disappeared and the butler Merwyn (Terence de Marney) is also very ill.

Stephen notes that there are weird things happening in the house, with a woman in black wandering in the garden and screams during the night. He snoops around and finds the Nahum is using the radiation of a meteorite in the greenhouse to turn the wasteland into a place of beauty with giant plants. However the side effect of the radiation has killed Merwyn and affected the health and turned Helga and Letitia into monsters. Now Nahum wants to destroy the stone with tragic consequences.

"Die, Monster, Die!" is a good sci-fi horror movie with Boris Karloff. The creepy story has a promising beginning but when the mystery is disclosed, it is a little disappointing. I was expecting that Corbin Witley was behind the dark events but the plots changes to science fiction and becomes silly. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Morte Para Um Monstro" ("Death for a Monster")

Daniel Haller's "Die, Monster, Die!" is a solid gothic horror film, about ten times better than what you would expect from American International Pictures. It has a confusing story, but two exceptional performances save this from being grade z schlock.

The two lead performances are by Boris Karloff, as the scientist who has bad things happen to him and Nick Adams, as an American visiting his girlfriends' home. Despite his arthritis confining him to a wheelchair, Karloff manages to give a strong performance as the scientist who stumbles onto something big and lives to regret it. Adams' role could have been thankless, but he adds an aura of mystery and intrigue a lesser actor wouldn't have.

This is a great-looking film. Haller was art director for Roger Corman and he has inherited Corman's gift for making the most of the small budget. This looks as if it could have cost a million dollars or more instead of a few hundred thousand. The widescreen Colorscope photography is among the best I've seen and deserved an Oscar nod.

As for the story, it is confusing, but it all becomes clear if you pay attention and watch it more than once. I'm not sure people would want to do that, but this is the kind of film that deserves it. Its' odd and poetic feel make it spellbinding. Worth more than one look.

***1/2 out of 4 stars

H.P. Lovecraft's stories are almost impossible to film. The way he describes places and things just can't be done. This movie and "The Dunwich Horror" have come closest to getting him on the screen.

American Stephen Reinhart (Nick Adams) goes to England to visit his fiancée Susan Wiley (Suzan Farmer). He finds her living in a huge mansion with her angry wheelchair bound father (Boris Karloff) and a mother (Freda Jackson) who is mysteriously ill. And then there are strange cries in the night...

It's well-made, has a suitably creepy setting and a pretty good script but it just doesn't completely work. A low budget really hurts especially when we see the supposedly horrific creatures in the greenhouse (they look like what they are--plastic puppets). The makeup on the "infected" people is sub par too. And Adams (a good actor) always appears drugged or annoyed. But the other actors are all great--especially Karloff who is just fantastic. It's worth watching just for him. I was honestly never bored and there were a few times that I actually jumped. It doesn't succeed but it's not a bad attempt. I give it a 7--mostly for Karloff.

American scientist Stephen Reinhart (Nick Adams) travels to England for a visit with his fiancée (Suzan Farmer). Arriving in the small village of Arkham he is met with jeers from the local villagers who refuse to direct him to her home at the Witley Estate. Unable even to rent a bicycle from a superstitious shop keeper, Reinhart has no choice but to tackle the long journey on foot. Once at the Witley mansion, he takes note of dead trees which turn to ashes at the slightest touch, and the dreary wasteland which surrounds the area. When nobody answers the door, Stephen takes the liberty of entering on his own and runs into the wheelchair-bound Nahum Witley (Boris Karloff). The old man orders his unwanted visitor to leave, but Reinhart explains that he is there at the request of Mrs. Witley (Freda Jackson).

When Reinhart greets Mrs. Witley he is concerned to find her hidden in bed behind a gauze veil, avoiding the light. She has contracted some type of strange illness, yet her husband refuses to take her to the town doctor. The Witleys' butler subsequently collapses and dies from sickness himself, and Reinhart witnesses the aged Mr. Witley burying him on the grounds in secret. Gaining entry into a locked greenhouse, our hero is alarmed to find giant mutated vegetables and even abnormal creatures thriving on small chunks of what appears to have come from some larger glowing rock. Stephen ultimately confronts Mr. Witley and learns that a green meteorite crashed to these grounds many years before, and that the old man has been nurturing it in the basement, believing that it was actually enhancing their lives when in reality, its radiation has been grossly mutating all living things in the vicinity.

Adapted from the H.P. Lovecraft tale "The Colour Out of Space," this movie (also known as MONSTER OF TERROR and THE HOUSE AT THE END OF THE WORLD) winds up missing the mark on many levels. Directed by Roger Corman's former production designer, the film's Gothic look is very attractive and some sequences are imaginatively shot; unfortunately much of the time we feel ourselves waiting for more things to happen with a tedious script that seems to be lacking something. It's got potential, yet there seems to be far too much loitering about, with many scenes of snooping around and investigating strange occurrences. Still, it's always fun to watch the arrogant-sounding Nick Adams and its a treat to see Boris Karloff still acting in his later years. **1/2 out of ****

AIP decided to try cashing in on Lovecraft rather than Poe this time around.What we get is an above average movie that is hampered by its budget.

Nick Adams plays Stephen Reinhart who arrives in the small english town of Arkham.When he tries various means to travel to the Witley estate he is rebuffed by the townsfolk and has to walk.We're treated to some decent matte shots of a desolate countryside.

Arriving at the estate the young man is met by Nahum Witley (Boris Karloff).He is pointedly told to leave.Sticking to his guns Steve informs the man that he was invited by Mrs Witley.Of course Susan (Witley's daughter) rushes down to clear up some confusion.

Here we learn that there are some weird goings on involving everyone at the house. A maid has disappeared,weird screams are heard at night and Mrs Witley hides behind curtains.A real miasma lurks in this house. Nahum has a strange secret in the basement that seems to be killing everyone who comes in contact with it.

Rather than go further into the plot which is really basic there are a few things that lift this above your standard haunted (for lack of a better word) house story.This movie just reeks with atmosphere.It is very opressive and claustrophobic.The sets are wonderful and nicely done on the cheap.Boris Karloff gives his usual wonderful performance. Nick Adams actually holds his own here.

On the downside the special effects are very limited due to the budget. A minor quibble.Patrick Magee shows up for a role that will leave you scratching your head wondering what that was all about.

Definitely worth a look if you catch it on AMC or find the dvd cheaply.

This production has everything an old chiller ought to have: an American in England, a spooky old mansion, locals frightened of the spooky old mansion, a pretty girl who knows not the evil which surrounds her, creepy old people with a creepier family history, monsters, pseudoscience, the occult, and more. It all ends up being both too much and not enough, altho Boris Karloff is certainly acting his heart out. The scripting is clumsy: the elements are too traditional and elementary, everyone knows something they refuse to tell for no particular reason, the heavies are homicidal for no logical reason, the hero is afraid of nothing yet makes no effort to pursue attackers.... Worse, the directing is flat and the leads have little charisma or chemistry. It's occasionally effective, but mostly boring, which is death to the chiller genre. I want to say "Die, movie, die!" but it's just not that offensive.

Originally filmed under the more atmospheric title 'The House At The End Of The World', sadly both the American ('Die, Monster, Die!') and British ('Monster Of Terror') titles reflect the quality of the movie.

An adaptation of H P Lovecraft's 'The Colour Out Of Space' it feels more like a Poe adaptation, with its old dark mansion, subterranean corridors and air of family secrets. Unsurprisingly first-time director Haller was Corman's production designer/art director on the Poe series and the end result is a good-looking movie ruined by a poor script.

Karloff is wasted as is the cast, which is a shame as it is a fine one. Freda Jackson, Suzan Farmer and Patrick Magee are genre veterans who have given (or would go on to give) fine horror performances in other movies, here they are just thrown away in small cameo roles or, in Farmer's case, a stiff, disconnected leading role.

Haller would go on to make the far better Lovecraft adaptation, 'The Dunwich Horror', which, while flawed, is well worth checking out.

"The Colour Out of Space" has long been one of my favorite H.P. Lovecraft stories, so I was curious to see how the 1965 film version had turned out. Very well indeed, I'm happy to report. In this solid little AIP chiller, Nick Adams, an American, comes to Arkham, England to visit his college girlfriend. Her father, played by Boris Karloff, presides over a house that the local villagers shun, and once there, Adams realizes that some strange things are going on, to put it mildly. As the synopsis up top has already given away, a meteorite has lately resulted in all manner of plant and animal mutations, and Boris' servant and wife are starting to come down with symptoms... This is a rather loose adaptation of the Lovecraft story at best, but, handsomely mounted as it is, with impeccable acting by the entire cast and with solid direction by the man who was once art director for AIP's Poe cycle, succeeds on its own terms. There are several moments that will make the viewer jump, and the thing that Boris eventually turns into is like nothing I've ever seen on screen before. The decision to place Arkham in England, rather than the Massachusetts foothills--not to mention Boris' character's name being changed from Nahum Gardner to Nahum Witley--may offend Lovecraft purists, myself included, but this is a minor issue. "Die, Monster, Die!" remains an excellent minor horror entry, and loads of fun. You won't be bored, that's for sure. Now, when is some fine filmmaker going to tackle Lovecraft's "The Shadow Over Innsmouth"...

Nick Adams arrives in a town in rural England to visit a young lady he met in college. However, when he tries to get a ride or rent a vehicle to take him to her manor home, the villagers are downright nasty--refusing to help him as well as inexplicably saying nothing about why they are so angry. Eventually, he just walks to her home. However, once there, the welcome is just as chilled and her father (Boris Karloff) treats him like a leper--telling him to go. However, it soon becomes apparent that the girl and her mother want Nick to stay and finally Boris reluctantly agrees to let him stay one night.

This is a movie in search of a decent ending. During the first half of the film, the audience is highly entertained in a tale of possible madness or Satanism and the mood is terrific--eerie and with a strong sense of foreboding. However, despite a wonderful buildup, the ending is a major disappointment and can't help but sink this movie to the "barely watchable" level. The deep and dark secret just seemed rather dull and uninteresting.

It's worth seeing if you are a Boris Karloff fan, but otherwise it's pretty skipable.

A film based off the work of HP Lovecraft and starring Boris Karloff showed promise already, even before watching. Die, Monster, Die! doesn't quite live up to that, but despite having a lot of problems it is still a fun and decent film. Apart from Boris Karloff and to a lesser extent the lovely Suzan Farmer, the acting is clunky with Nick Adams in particular looking as if he's sleepwalking through everything. The special effects and make-up are cheap and look more silly than scary, while the script can get muddled, the pacing is a little pedestrian at times and the ending is rushed and somewhat hard to swallow. Aside from the special effects, Die, Monster, Die! is still a good-looking film, the Gothic sets are both atmospheric and handsome and it's very beautifully photographed. The lighting adds to the mood, and the costumes likewise. The music score is appropriately haunting without bogging things down, and the atmosphere and resolutely creepy and chilling. Daniel Haller's generally solid direction is to thank for that, and the story is fun and atmospheric, if let down by the last half-hour or so where things get too silly. Karloff is wonderful, one of those actors who was nearly always able to redeem a film regardless of their quality(he's the best thing about those god-awful Mexican films that he made at the end of his career), even when he's in a wheel-chair he still shows a great deal of energy and charisma. Farmer is lovely and not too bland. Overall, flawed but fun and creepy, and even if he's been and done better Karloff does not disappoint. 6/10 Bethany Cox

A creakily atmospheric chiller from the American International stable, 1965's Die, Monster, Die! is a loose adaptation of HP Lovecraft's The Colours Out Of Space and boasts a great exploitation title and Boris Karloff, although it's now more likely to offer fun than frights.

A young heroic type arrives in a remote village looking for his fiancé but finds her family shunned by the hostile locals, and with good reason – her mad scientist father Nahum Witley (Karloff) has recovered a strange meteorite which turns plants into giants and several members of his household into grotesquely scarred mutants.

Clunky acting and a faintly ludicrous script aside, there's a lot to enjoy, from the gloomy sets and portentous dialogue to one of wheelchair-bound Karloff's last meaty roles and a delicious mood of corruption well sustained by director Daniel Haller (formerly art director on some of AI's finest Vincent Price vehicles).

Die, Monster, Die! aka Monster of Terror is a loosely adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's story The Colour Out of Space. In my opinion, the real star in this movie is the house and its interiors, besides that we get some nice Hammer movies feel (those colors!) and last but not least maestro Boris Karloff himself. Not outstanding but a nice nostalgic trip back in time.

It was in the 1940's when mankind first discovered the Atomic bomb and many of the scientists working on it, hoped it would usher in a new world for mankind. In point of fact it did. The discovery brought forth the knowledge, the world could more easily destroy itself much easier than before, In the movies, like this horrific film called " Die Monster, Die " the new element called Uranium, did in fact bring a new beginning, it was called The Atomic age and the new element was global fear. In this story, an America has journeyed to England to visit his fiancé. One there, he is surprised to learn the town's people are terrified of the Witley family and wants nothing to do with them. Nevertheless, Stephen Reinhart (Nick Adams) seeks to discover the reason for the fear and is introduced to Mahum Witley (Boris Karloff), his fiancé Susan, Letitia (Freda Jackson) and their man servant, Merwyn (Terence de Marney). The family has an established, though terrifying history, but none so deadly as a monstrous secret glowing in their basement which is destined to infest the world. The movie is a horror of the sixties and has become a cult horror film. A fun monster movie to be sure and with the presence of the great Karloff, certain to be a classic. ****

Just caught it on AMC, and my question is, after 30 years of valiant (and not-so-valiant attempts) will anyone ever be able to do a real Lovecraft movie? The main problem seems to be that most of the Lovecraft stories are just vignettes, heavy on narration, light on action. (The Night Gallery episode "Pickman's Model" probably comes closest to the format) While ReAnimator is terrific, it relies heavily on humor, which is mostly absent from Lovecraft's prose. The main problem with Die Monster Die is that coming from the Corman Camp, it tries to hard to Poe-ify the source material and it becomes just another crazy-old-man-hiding-a-secret-in-the-old-dark-house story. Karloff gives a good performance, but you can see how badly his health was affecting him by the time this was filmed. All in all, it could be worse. (see '87's The Curse, and its non-sequels for evidence)

Die Monster Die may not be a major highlight for any of its major players, but even so; this film represents an assured slice of Gothic horror and I can't find much to complain about. The film is based on the Lovecraft tale "The Colour out of Space", and follows the common Lovecraft themes of mutated life forms and mysterious central characters. The film begins to build intrigue immediately as a young British man arrives in town with the intention of visiting his fiancé's estate. None of the locals are too happy about his presence; especially when he tells them where he is going. This immediately gets the audience on the edge of their seats as the desire to find out just what has been going on at the mysterious mansion sets in. Director Daniel Haller continues to build the suspense when our central character gets to the mansion and we are introduced to Nahum Witley; a wheelchair bound father that is also none too happy about the man's presence. From there, the film builds a scintillating Gothic atmosphere, and the locked greenhouse quickly becomes the focus of our attention...

The only other film I've seen from director Daniel Haller (who worked with Roger Corman on his classic Poe Anthology) was The Dunwich Horror, which squandered its Lovecraft story thanks to some frankly boring plotting and an ending which succeeded in explaining next to nothing. Needless to say, this earlier film doesn't suffer from the same problem as there are bags of tension and intrigue, and the director doesn't hold back when it comes to letting the audience know the secret behind the central character's cagey nature. The special effects are good considering the time in which the film was made and the obvious budget constraints, and the sequence in which we finally get to see what is inside the greenhouse is a definite highlight. The film is most famous thanks to a lead performance from the great Boris Karloff, who might not massively impress in the acting stakes this time; but still manages an assured horrific performance. The ending is exciting and plays out well, and unlike The Dunwich Horror; succeeds in explaining the mystery. Overall, while this is only a modest success, it's certainly well worth seeing!

If there is one thing I don't like in horror films (well, it's more than one, but never mind) it's those long, dialogue-free scenes of people-investigating-strange-noises-in-dark-rooms. "Die, Monster, Die!" has more than its share of such scenes, and this results in a draggy pace: the movie runs only 80 minutes but seems much longer than that. However, there are some good things to be said about it: the prologue is funny ("He wants to go to the Witley house. Ha ha ha ha!"), the mansion where most of the action takes place is a marvelously old-fashioned and atmospheric set, and the special effects are pretty good - perhaps even ahead of their time. Of course, Boris Karloff fans will want to see him in any film, and despite his health problems at the time he was still an inimitable actor, but in this film he wasn't given enough juicy dialogue to chew on. For me, the standout in the cast is the sweet Suzan Farmer as Karloff's daughter. (**)

Nick Adams stars as a young man who arrives at an isolated village in search of Witley mansion, where he wants to surprise his fiancée Susan(played by Suzan Farmer) The locals are most uncooperative to him, so he sets out alone to the estate, only to be shocked by the state of decay he finds, both inside and outside. Susan is glad to see him, but her wheelchair-bound scientist father(played by Boris Karloff) is not. Both of them soon discover the terrible Witley secret involving a radiation emitting meteorite that has had a devastating effect on the family...

Based on the H.P. Lovecraft story "The Color Out Of Space", the film is atmospherically directed by Daniel Haller, but otherwise a misfire, becoming much too silly and absurd, ruining the second half of the film, after a reasonable set-up. A waste of Boris Karloff, who does the best he can.

Daniel Haller had been Roger Corman's art director before making his directorial debut with "Die, Monster, Die!". It's the typical hokum that you can expect of the genre, with Boris Karloff as the patriarch in an English estate hiding a deadly secret. One particularly ridiculous scene is when Nick Adams's character says of himself and his fiancée "We were in science class together," since no one calls it science class in college. Yep, it's one of the many absurd but enjoyable horror flicks from the '60s, this time based on an H.P. Lovecraft story. Not any kind of masterpiece, but still fun. Suzan Farmer is a real fox!

Am I the only one who thinks that Nick Adams's character looks like Tintin?

PS: the cast members from "A Clockwork Orange" are Patrick Magee (Dr. Henderson here, Mr. Alexander in the latter) and Paul Farrell (Jason here, the homeless man in the latter).

Horrifying and tense terror movie in Roger Corman style , packing creepy scenes , fantastic elements , chilling frames and astonishing finale . It deals with Stephen Reinhart (Nick Adams) who travels to a far English village to visit his sweetheart Susan Whitley (Susan Farmer) . From the moment he arrives in the village , it's clear that no one will speak of the Whitleys or even give him address to the Whitley estate . Susan is very glad to see him when he ultimately makes it there but her daddy Nahum tells him he must leave immediately . Susan and her bedridden mummy Letitia (Freda Jackson) are happy to have him stay but it's clear that the reclusive Nahum Whitley (Boris Karloff) has a secret , one that Susan isn't aware of, but is kept in the cellar of the house . As the old scientist experimenting with a radioactive meteorite , while gaining bizarre powers . No one can stop this killing machine.... It's Already Dead!!! Can you face the Ultimate in Diabolism? ...can you face Pure Terror ! Science Fiction challenges the Forces of Darkness to scare you screamless! It Could happen! It May happen! It Might happen! To You !

This is a fantastic , frightening-two unearthly thriller with spine tingling terror . It's a cheesy but agreeable movie with chills , thrills , suspense , plot twists and supernatural incidents . This is a peculiar H. P. Lovecraft rendition that is more like a Roger Corman Poe film , concerning a strange scientific who has discovered a meteorite that emits mutating radiation rays resulting in turning the plants in his greenhouse to giants . Main and support cast are pretty well . Boris Karloff gives the best acting as the wheelchair-bound scientist who hides a glowing object with disastrous results and the veteran Freda Jackson as his own wife who falls victim to a mysterious power . While the early deceased Nick Adams is fine playing a young who man visits his fiancée , the beautiful girl Susan Farmer .

Here stands out the gorgeous and colorful cinematography Paul Beeson , being perfectly remastered . As well as suspenseful and frightening musical score by Don Banks . Both , cameraman Beeson and musician Banks , were Corman's regulars , along with Samuel Z. Arkoff , James H. Nicholson from American International Pictures . The motion picture was regular but professionally directed by Daniel Haller , though it has some flaws , shortcomings , gaps and failures . Daniel Haller was a good craftman who belonged to the famous Corman factory with whom he worked a lot in his better period . By chance, Daniel happened to meet New World Pictures head Roger Corman in the mid-1950s when Corman was still an unknown, independent producer-director-jack-of-all-trades . Corman persuaded Haller to become an art director, a relationship that went on through some 30 Corman films . He later became a filmmaker , under Corman's banner, turning out such films as Paddy (1970) and Devil's Angels (1967), with John Cassavetes . In 1971, he moved over to television , directing episodes of Kojak (1973), Owen Marshall , Counselor at Law (1971) , Charle's Angels , Medical Center , The sixth Sense, The Mod Squad , Sunshine , and The Blue Knight (1975), as well as such made-for-TV films as Black Beauty (1978) , Buck Rogers , A Double Life (1978) , among others . Rating : aceeptable and passable , 5.5/10 . The flick will appeal to Boris Karloff fans.