By 1958 the Golden Age of the American B movie, especially those in the horror and sci-fi genres, was all but over. At Universal-International, THE THING THAT COULDN’T DIE represented a last ditch effort. It was shot in less than two weeks on the back lot and was intended as a shorter companion piece to Hammer’s HORROR OF DRACULA, the first Christopher Lee Dracula film. Talk about suffering by comparison! However at a brisk 69 minutes and a better than average plot for this type of film, THE THING THAT COULDN’T DIE is more entertaining than it should be although not always in the way that the filmmakers intended. Although it was regularly shown on TV back in the 1960s and 70s, I didn’t see it until this year.
The movie was originally to have been called THE WATER WITCH as the central character Jessica is seen dowsing for water using a divining rod. The setting is a ranch in the contemporary West. Instead of finding water, she discovers a centuries old chest that contains the living, disembodied head of a 16th century warlock (the “thing” of the title) that can hypnotize anyone who looks at it. The head is searching for its body which was buried separately. How this came about is shown in a lengthy flashback sequence which is well handled. Should they be reunited, then the warlock will have unlimited power to perform evil acts. Head and body are eventually reunited and then…well it’s a case of too little, too late.
Shakespearean actor Robin Hughes is given the titular role which is rather ironic in that we only hear him speak at the very end of the film. However his stage experience allows him to use his eyes and facial features to good advantage even when under heavy make-up. Whenever he appears you can’t take your eyes off him. The other performers are Universal-International contract players who leave little impression although the women easily outshine the men. The music is recycled from earlier U-I 1950s movies. This UNIVERSAL VAULT release is their standard no frills DVD affair with no extras or subtitles but at least the picture is sharp and the sound is clear. Hardly great but good fun from an earlier time.
The Capsule Critic 