CAVE
OF THE LIVING DEAD (1965)
Directed by Ákos Ráthonyi
Image Entertainment DVD
Reviewed 07.14.05
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILM
Ah, world traveling. Beautiful,
isn't it? Some people marvel at
the Swiss Alps via cable car while
others bite into a calzone at Pizza
Central in Altoona, Iowa. Regardless
of your destination choice, I'm
guessing that a quaint little vampire
grotto in Germany has yet to top
the list. This is your lucky day!
Cave Of The Living Dead
is another semi-cheesecake spooker
in a series of dubbed, early 60s
imports from dependable UK producer
Richard Gordon (The
Playgirls And The Vampire,
Inseminoid, Fiend Without
A Face, the list goes on...).
This time around, Gordon acquired
Der Fluch der grünen Augen,
a German production from 1964, then
distributed the finished product
with Trans Lux in the USA. Thrill
to the exploits of a playboy inspector
as he tussles with a coven of creepy
vampires in a quaint German village!
Sure to please? Almost. If only
every scene didn’t last five
times longer than needed...and they
cut out those odd bits of unneeded
racist remarks.
Six beautiful women murdered in
six months. Who you gonna call?
Well, if you can tear him away from
the swanky strip club and cocktail
hour surf instros, Inspector Frank
Dorin, that’s who! Frank makes
his way to the electrical-deficient
village where all six murders took
place, gets himself a room, and
calls it a night. While he sleeps,
an incredible vampire attack sequence
takes place, complete with shrill
vibrato, lengthy fingernails, and
artsy shadow lurking. The villagers
begin to talk...vampires...old witches...palm
readings...bats on strings. Will
Frank get down to the bottom of
things, despite the disapproving
eye of the town doctor? And what
of the castle-dwelling Professor
Von Adelsburg and his lovely assistant
Karen? Only a final 15 minutes of
A-1 creeped out ambience will tell.
This sucker runs nearly 90 minutes.
Shave off twenty of those snails
and we’d be onto something.
See, the film features plenty of
what you and I love about certain
black and white obscurities: sinister
vamps in plastic fangs, a slight
sexual undercurrent that echoes
the cultural awakenings of the early
60s, and stunningly contrasting
photography. Unfortunately, there’s
also a whole lot of what we don’t
need; namely, inconsequential talk
and the aforementioned negative
racial slants (“That negro
gives me the willies...I don’t
trust him for a minute!”).
The cons slightly overpower the
film’s strengths, doing just
enough damage to pull you out of
the top notch atmosphere. And what
strengths they are: vibrato-vamp
attack noises, an amazing vampire
cave lair, a complete lack of musical
score aside from the credits, and
the actors’ visible breath
in nearly every scene. So close.
When you get around to booking that
grotto getaway, try to make it a
quick one. A lengthy stay might
tucker you out.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Another cool print from Image’s
Euroshock collection. Cave
unfolds in its original 1.66:1 widescreen
aspect ratio, slightly dirty, full
of thick blacks, and crisp as it’ll
ever get. The mono sound was just
fine...all the better during the
opening and closing credits’
swanky instrumentals. The presentation
perfectly represents what I look
for in films of this vintage: non-perfection.
EXTRAS
Strike out.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Cave Of The Living Dead
makes for a well crafted dose of
exotic horrors about half the time.
Now included as part of Image’s
Euroshock Box (a collection of Richard
Gordon-produced titles), it’s
nice to throw on after The Playgirls
And The Vampires or Devil
Doll; just don’t expect
a knockout. |
Out for necks
Inspect-her Frank
Dirts McGurts
She rises
|
