THE UNEARTHLY (1957)
Director: Boris Petroff
Image Entertainment

In one of his finest hours of cinematic schlock, a 50-something John Carradine plays deranged scientist Dr. Charles Conway in this essential slice of "creature features" sleaze. Conway is trying to prove his theories about a new gland that will cease the aging process. Of course, he is yet to fully realize his experimentations, so he lures subjects without families to his home, parading as a concerned doctor who treats depression. In actuality, Conway plans to use the subjects as human guinea pigs.

Often referred to as one of the worst, THE UNEARTHLY is actually very watchable due to its fun cast and and interesting assortment of oddities occurring in a typical house on a hill (complete with mad scientist lab and basement torture chamber/prison). Aside from Carradine (who hams it up to the hilt and plays spooky organ music for his dinner guests), there's also the hulking Tor Johnson as Lobo, a carryover "idiot servant" character from several Ed Wood films. Lobo is not horribly scarred as usual, but he's dumber than ever, uttering lines like "time for go to bed." Watch the continuity flaw that has Lobo in a tie and dress shirt one minute, a white t-shirt the next, and then back again!

Myron Healy, a B-movie and western villain favorite, is the tough guy hero who is great with the ladies ("Grace? Hmm, pretty name for a pretty girl."). The absolutely gorgeous Allison Hayes is the wayward heroine who is brought to Carradine's place, expecting to be treated for depression (naturally, the kook lusts after her). Former Playboy model Sally Todd (the hussy turned lipsticked monster in the following year's FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER) is a pretty but naive blonde victim who is turned into a toasty mess, looking much like Universal's THE LEECH WOMAN. Harry Thomas created the monstrous make-ups, and at the end we get a cellar full of botched experiments that appear as though they just sailed in from THE ISLAND OF LOST SOULS.

Image's DVD of THE UNEARTHLY is letterboxed in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio and is 16x9 enhanced. The transfer is immaculate, with almost no blemishes, and the film finally looks the way it should. The black and white image is very sharp and rather nicely defined. Blacks are solid and there is no noticeable grain to speak of. The mono audio track has crisp, completely understandable dialog, but there is some minor distortion and background hiss underlying it.

The only extra is a photo gallery made up of four stills. The appreciative liner notes are written by David Del Valle, and provide some interesting production notes, as well as a recent quote from Myron Healy and a funny Tor Johnson anecdote from the late Harry Thomas. (George R. Reis)

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