The year is 1973. English Gothic Cinema is on the run. DRACULA A.D. 1972 has brought Christopher Lee into the 20th century. Period flavor films like THE GHOUL still have motor cars and other modern trappings. Tigon Productions, one time rival to Hammer who made WITCHFINDER GENERAL (1968) and THE BLOOD ON SATAN’S CLAW (1970) are now producing such fare as THE BODY STEALERS (contemporary sci-fi, not about Burke & Hare) and THE VIRGIN WITCH. EGC decides to have one last go at it.
They gather Gothic superstars Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee and atmospheric cameraman-director Freddie Francis and concoct a tale, set in the Victorian Era, about an ancient skeleton which may be the root of all evil. Scientist Cushing who discovered the bones wants to study them, asylum director Lee who wants money and fame plans to steal them, and woe to anyone if they get wet as that makes them grow flesh (thus the film’s title). Transporting them in a rainstorm proves to be a bad idea.
Even though the story is predictable. the craftsmanship on display here from the masters of the form is extraordinary and THE CREEPING FLESH deserved a better fate than it got. You see the same year there was this little movie called THE EXORCIST and…horror movies were changed forever. Audiences were exposed to and then demanded over-the top thrills in a modern setting. They also demanded A budget special effects and so horror films moved away from the evocative to the literal and movies like FLESH suffered for it.
Hammer would release 2 more Gothics (FRANKENSTEIN & THE MONSTER FROM HELL, CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER) but the die was cast. So what was once the norm in horror films became a subgenre for afficionados, people who appreciate story based, character driven movies with modest effects and loads of visual atmosphere. If you belong to that group, then THE CREEPING FLESH is one of the best although I’m not sure if I like the CALIGARI like ending.
The Capsule Critic 