THE INCREDIBLY STRANGE CREATURES WHO STOPPED LIVING AND BECAME MIXED UP ZOMBIES!!? (1963)
aka THE TEENAGE PSYCHO MEETS BLOODY MARY Directed by Ray Dennis Steckler
Media Blasters DVD
THE FILM
Before you have time to catch your breath, Cash Flagg says his piece:
"The world's here to be enjoyed, not to be depressed."
With one line of dialogue, director Ray Dennis Steckler sums up his entire body of era-defining work in the mid 1960s. And you know what? He's right. The proof's in the pudding.
The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed Up Zombies!!? is an elaborate, no budget, teenage trash-monster opera. Ray's second feature length film as a director and his first as a truly independent filmmaker, the film is a real labor of love. While not his most cohesive production, Creatures is the most ambitious and highest budgeted film ($38,000) that Steckler would ever have a hand in. It's also the most serene. What's that spell? Imagine Serge Gainsberg meeting up with The Chordettes at a showing of The Weird World Of LSD, then stopping off for sno-cones at Coney Island before heading off to sleep. There's no point in stating that this film was ahead of its time. The experience is far too resplendent to draw comparisons. So we won't.
"NOT FOR SISSIES! Not 3-D but real FLESH and BLOOD monsters ALIVE! In the audience!" The midway calls.
Creatures is the story of alcoholic dancer Marge (Carolyn Brandt), free spirited rebel Jerry (Cash Flagg aka Ray Dennis Steckler, clad in his ratty black-hooded sweatshirt), an amusement park with inexplicable secrets, and the brief period of time that wraps around them all. Handheld by Wurlitzer twang and reckless violence, the film takes us through a series of events that simply exist without meaning. No clarity implied, none expected. Fortune teller Madame Estrella's acid-scarred killers (zombies?) attack the costumed showgirls, mid-performance. During the half dozen musical sequences (some amazing, some unbearable), time sits still and we grab a corner table. When Jerry suffers from a five minute long, acid tinged dream sequence, we stare with slackjawed awe. Why? Don't tell me you've forgotten Cash's quote already?
While not as singularly striking as 1964's The Thrill Killers, Creatures finds Ray Dennis Steckler at his most charmingly pure. The inventive camera work, home movie sheen, and rapid edits that would come to define his work (The Lemon Grove Kids Meet The Monsters in particular) are all here, though not as chiseled. Stuffed full of interesting visuals (cheaply elaborate sets, postcard photography), Creatures, like all of Ray's output from 1963 to 1966, is an everyday reminder of one of the most pop-culturally engaging eras of all time. That's reason enough to relish the moment. Still, this is Steckler we're talking about, not Barry Mahon. Creatures is an Ektachrome sliver of inspired indie filmmaking circa 1963; unpretentious, resourceful, fresh-faced, and fiercely talented. You just can’t hold this guy back.
Hypnotism. Bad stand-up comics. Strangling zombies. Cheap rock 'n' roll. This is the world, as outlined by The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed Up Zombies!!? Cash Flagg, you've got my vote.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Presented in anamorphic widescreen with the 1.66:1 aspect ratio, Creatures is a bit of a mess. That's a compliment. I'd never want to see a pristine print of this film; the frequent dirt, scratches, and soft picture quality are the building blocks of a vintage trash presentation. The colors were somewhat inconsistent, but always booming. I loved it. The mono sound was slightly muffled, which I didn't love so much. Good thing the songs still came through loud and not-so-clear, though. Joe Meek would be proud. Just in case you're wondering, this Media Blasters release does not inexplicably chop out a chunk of the film, ala Steckler's The Hollywood Strangler Meets The Skid Row Slasher.
EXTRAS
It's a packed tent. First off, Ray Dennis Steckler delivers his best commentary track yet, in a series of DVD talks that vary in quality. Staying focused throughout, Ray relates hundreds of facts and never lets up. He touches on sacrificing everything to get the film made, odd jobs at the home of Aaron Spelling, and a "where are they now?" update on nearly everyone involved with the film. It's all delivered with a modesty and fondness that goes down like flapjacks. Smooth and filling.
Next up, genre historian Joe Bob Briggs lends a fantastic commentary track, just like his tour de force on the Hollywood Strangler DVD. Briggs covers everything from promotion (masked theater workers invading the audience) to Ray’s later work in porn to the career of Steckler regular Atlas King, all with an amazing amount of detail and heaps of wit. There's a bit of overlap with Steckler's track, but it's mostly in different contexts. Joe Bob has it down. An excellent listen.
Bringing up the rear are eight trailers for other Media Blasters releases (six fake, two real), the original theatrical trailer for the feature (unfortunately with "Comedy Commentary By Joe Bob Briggs" burned into the title screen and additional credit lines), and two interview segments. Carolyn Brandt discusses locations in her cheery 3 minute spot and the 13 minute Steckler segment covers some ground that we don't hear about during his commentary.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Incredibly Strange..., like all of Ray Dennis Steckler's early work, is a spontaneous, wonderful monument to 1960s pop culture. If you own and enjoy a copy of "With The Beatles," you should ditto it with this DVD. There's not another film like it in the world.
— Joseph A. Ziemba, 02.16.06 | 
Beautiful
Don't do it!
The Weird World Of Estrella
Cash attack
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