Woodyanders Review of Die, Monster, Die!

Die, Monster, Die! (1965)

A pleasingly moody 60's Gothic horror chiller

[8/10 · 14 October 2009]

Hot-headed American Stephen Reinhart (a fine performance by Nick Adams) goes to a remote house located in rural England to visit his sweet fiancé Susan Witley (winningly played by the adorable Suzan Farmer). Susan's cranky, crippled reclusive scientist father Nahum Witley (a splendid portrayal by the great Boris Karloff) demands that Stephen leave right away. Stephen decides to stay and finds out that Nahum has discovered a glowing radioactive meteor which causes plants to grow to enormous size and people to mutate into hideously misshapen beasts. Director Daniel Haller, working from a compelling script by Jerry Sohl that's based on H.P. Lovecraft's classic short story "The Colour Out of Space," relates the story at a slow, yet steady pace, does an expert job of creating and sustaining a supremely creepy and mysterious atmosphere which becomes more increasingly eerie and gloomy as the narrative unfolds towards its lively and exciting fiery conclusion, and delivers a wealth of stunning visuals (Haller's use of pervasive sinister mist is especially inspired and effective). Kudos are also in order for the sound acting from the tip-top cast: Karloff and Adams are both excellent in the lead roles, Freda Jackson likewise excels as Nahum's ailing wife Letitia, and Patrick Magee has a regrettably small, yet nifty minor part as bitter retired physician Dr. Henderson. Paul Beeson's sumptuous widescreen cinematography boasts richly saturated color and lots of evocatively uncanny shots of the dismal fog-shrouded countryside. Don Banks' shivery score hits the shuddery spot. The mutant beings are genuinely scary and grotesque. But it's this film's strong sense of pure skin-crawling dread and despair which makes this picture so spooky and unsettling. Well worth seeing.