Le messager du diable

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. (**)

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 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

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 ****