I had long wanted to purchase the Region 2 DVD (it’s still M.I.A. in the U.S.) of this one, but somehow I kept postponing it \u2013 I remember there was some discussion whether the Fullscreen presentation here was the correct Aspect Ratio \u2013 and it eventually went out-of-print. Luckily, I stumbled upon a single copy at the Oxford Street branch of Virgin Megastores while in London last month and quickly lapped it up. Distressingly, as has been happening with some of the stuff I brought over from the U.K., the picture froze as soon as the film started on my Pioneer model \u2013 so I switched it onto the cheaper DivX player I acquired some months back and it proceeded to play all the way through without a glitch! <\/p>\n
Anyway, to get back to the film: I have to admit that I was somewhat underwhelmed by it on this initial viewing \u2013 even if I readily concede that it’s one of Corman’s most ambitious and interesting efforts from this era (with a plot clearly inspired by the true case history dealt with in THE SEARCH FOR BRIDEY MURPHY [1956]); the only other three of Corman’s early horror titles that I’ve watched are A BUCKET OF BLOOD (1959), THE WASP WOMAN (1959) and THE LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1960). I know that, with the budgets usually allowed Corman at this time, not much could be expected with respect to the film’s look \u2013 but its partial period setting, perhaps, hampers it more than most; in later years, the black-and-white TOWER OF London (1962) suffers a comparable fate vis-\u00e0-vis the more visually lavish Poe adaptations.<\/p>\n
The inadequate leads notwithstanding, the cast responds enthusiastically to the inherent campiness of the piece with Allison Hayes (as a wicked yet voluptuous sorceress), Mel Welles (as a Shakespearean gravedigger) and Richard Devon (as an equally theatrical Satan) coming off best \u2013 though the usually reliable Billy Barty makes for a rather obnoxious imp. Still, while the climactic Witches’ Sabbath (with its clever twist ending and a brief appearance by the ubiquitous Dick Miller) is an undeniable highlight, the blank verse and ‘Olde English’ pronunciation utilized throughout the re-enactment of the heroine’s past life gets tiresome pretty quickly; that said, this ill-advised attempt at respectability (the barren sets and general lack of period sense would have fooled no one even back then!) \u2013 for the record, the film suffered the ignominy of being spoofed on “Mystery Science Theater 3000” \u2013 does look forward to the somewhat similar yet rather more successful INCUBUS (1965) which was filmed, for no discernible reason, in Esperanto! <\/p>\n
Among the DVD supplements are 9 theatrical trailers of titles in the “Arkoff Film Library” \u2013 though, curiously, not one for THE UNDEAD itself: I’d be interested to watch DAY THE WORLD ENDED (1955), THE SHE-CREATURE (1956), BLOOD OF Dracula (1957), EARTH VS. THE SPIDER (1958; promoted here under its original title of THE SPIDER), HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER (1958) and WAR OF THE COLOSSAL BEAST (1958) \u2013 all of which promise to be cheesy fun\u2026not that I’d rush out and go purchase them or anything at this stage, mind you! With a backlog of some 600 legitimate DVDs and almost as many recorded VHS titles, God knows I have enough stuff to tide me over for a long time to come; however, one film I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on is Corman’s influential sci-fi classic NOT OF THIS EARTH (1957) \u2013 itself remade no less than three times! \u2013 but which has, mysteriously, never been available on home video.<\/p>\n
A 50-minute audio interview (recorded at London’s National Film Theatre) with legendary AIP honcho Samuel Z. Arkoff is also featured on the disc: it’s an interesting piece \u2013 especially when discussing his early years in the business, the advent of Roger Corman himself and the company’s tenure in England; less enthusing, however, are his decidedly feeble comments about the huge dividends made by low-budget productions today (in the face of so many costly box-office failures) \u2013 but where their ultimate quality, entertainment value and longevity could hardly be compared to the good old days.<\/p>\n