It has been half a century since I first saw this movie. Watching it again for the first time in all those years made me realize what an impact it had on me way back when. Certain scenes just jumped right out at me as if I were still a child while I can now appreciate the rest of the film as only an adult can. The subject matter (a child being buried alive) would certainly be memorable and frightening to a child back in those innocent days of black & white three network TV.
What struck me this time around is how well made MACABRE really is. It combines the look of LEAVE IT TO BEAVER small town America (the film was made in 1958) with the fog laden atmosphere and chiaroscuro lighting of the classic Universal horror films. Although Jacqueline Scott’s performance is somewhat overheated and the script doesn’t make a lot of sense in some places, the overall effectiveness is still pretty remarkable.
Director William Castle has never been given the credit that producer Willliam Castle has in the making of these films. This is the first Castle film that had a promtional gimmick. Each patron was guarenteed “Fright Insurance” from Lloyd’s of London that promised to pay $1000 should they die of fright. Of course nobody did and the film made a small fortune and Castle was on his way.
Despite the gimmick, MACABRE is extremely well made and tightly directed for maximum impact with a couple of genuine old school scares and a surprisingly serious low key performance from Jim Backus proving that there was more to him than just Mr Magoo and Thurston Howell III. Then there’s the ending credits which are memorable to say the least. The Warner Archive made-on-demand DVD has an incredibly sharp black and white picture and, as usual, no extras but you don’t really need any. For me, having the film available again is reward enough.
The Capsule Critic 