Blu Release – 3.5/5
Creature with the Blue Hand
Director(s) – Alfred Vohrer (Derrick, The Black Forest Hospital) and Samuel M. Sherman (Raiders of the Living Dead, Dracula vs. Frankenstein)
Starring – Harald Leipnitz (The Old Fox, A Case for Two), Klaus Kinski (Nosferatu the Vampyre, Vampire in Venice), and Carl Lange (Alpha Alpha, Peter Brown)
Release Date – 1967
Rating – 3/5
Tagline – “Fear will grip you by the throat when the evil hand kills…kills…kills!”
Klaus Kinski is seriously one of the most entertaining actors I’ve witnessed in film. I’ve reviewed several of his films over the years and I know he is a controversial figure but no one can deny his talents in front of the camera. I’ve been fortunate enough to review several of his films over the years and I was recently sent a double feature from Film Masters to check out. The first film of the two is the 1967 horror film Creature with the Blue Hand.
**Spoiler alert** The film follows a twin brother and his siblings who live in a mansion when they receive news that their brother, the other twin, has escaped prison where he was held for murder. While the police investigate his whereabouts, they uncover a string of murders that they associate with him and his escape. **Spoiler Alert**
From the moment I hit play on this one until the end credits rolled, I was mesmerized. Klaus Kinski delivers what may be one of my favorite performances and without him I don’t think the film would have been as great as it is.
The acting, as I just stated, is fantastic. Kinski never disappoints and him taking on the dual roles of twins is a stroke of brilliance. He delivers one hell of a performance and I don’t see the film being as enjoyable as it is if anyone else would have taken the role. The supporting cast is just as great but they don’t have the energy nor the intensity that Kinski has. The story for this one is very fun and not as predictable as you would believe. The gothic murder mystery unfolds very well and the slower scenes are compensated for with fantastic acting and characters arcs. With that being said, the last leg of the film is a bit predictable if you pay attention but for the most part it works.
Finally, don’t expect a bloody flick. The film doesn’t really show the murders on screen. That take place out of the camera’s view or with classic camera tricks. The focus is the story and not the deaths. Overall, Creature with the Blue Hand is a fantastic film and Film Masters’ release looks amazing. Fans of Kinski or late 60s gothic horror will truly appreciate this release. Check it out.
Web of the Spider
Director – Antonio Margheriti (Cannibal Apocalypse, Death Rage)
Starring – Anthony Franciosa (Tenebre, The Twilight Zone), Michele Mercier (God’s Thunder, Black Sabbath), and Klaus Kinski (Crawlspace, Venom)
Release Date – 1971
Rating – 3.5/5
The works of Edgar Allen Poe has fascinated people for decades. His foreboding tone, gothic atmosphere, and nightmarish twists has mesmerized readers for sometime. It only made sense that his works would be adapted into films. When I was growing up I remember watching several of the Vincent Price lead films that was adapted from Poe’s work. When I was in high school I watched the Dario Argento and George A. Romero anthology Two Evil Eyes. Both segments in the film was adapted from Poe’s work and they were phenomenal.
Several years ago I received a press release for the 1971 film Web of the Spider. I fell in love with the bluray artwork and reached out for a review copy. I was lucky enough to get a copy. Thanks Garagehouse!
**Spoiler Alert**The film finds Poe in England telling his stories of ghosts and a life beyond in a pub when the American journalist Alan Foster arrives. The two speak for a moment before Lord Blackwood introduces himself and offers a wager to Foster. If he can spend the night in his castle he would win a hefty sum of money.
Foster is reluctant to do so but when the wager is lowered he agrees to it. The castle seems to be well maintained and soon he crossed paths with two beautiful women who live in the castle and a professor studying the afterlife. But soon other residents of the castle make their presence known and Foster realizes that there is indeed ghosts and his life hangs in the balance.**Spoiler Alert**
I had not heard of Web of the Spider prior to the press release so I wasn’t expecting one of the best films to hit the horror genre since Night of the Living Dead. However, I was shocked by how well made this haunted house flick was made.
The acting in this one is great. The entire cast delivers amazing performances which makes me wonder why no one talks about this one in horror circles. My only real complaint about the cast was Klaus Kinski was not in the film more. I was under the impression that he was the star but he was only in the film for minutes.
The story for this one takes the standard haunted house tale and adds more to it. The film incorporates romance a great deal which works well with the characters established and the jilted lover angle works so well with their backstories. The film has perfect pacing which builds tension very well.
Finally, the film isn’t really that blood. We do have an on screen kill or two but they are done in such a manner that the viewer doesn’t get the gruesome bits. A little bit of blood and minor practical effects is it. Overall, Web of the Spider is a great film. The atmosphere isn’t there like the haunted house flicks from the black and white era of cinema but it still works very well. Check it out.
Special Features:
Creature with the Blue Hand full length commentary track
Web of the Spider full length commentary track
included HD film, ‘The Bloody Dead (1987),’ from Independent International Pictures which added scenes for the home video release
Essays by Christopher Stewardson and Nick Clark
All new documentary on Edgar Wallace
Archival commentary by Samuel M. Sherman
Original theatrical trailer from 35mm for Creature with the Blue Hand
Reimagined trailer for Web of the Spider using restored elements
