Le messager du diable

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).

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")

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.

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.

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