The Film Masters know who to love and Creature With the Blue Hand offers fans of 60s cinema a double (or dare I say triple?) dose of Klaus Kinski. His fame peaked in the 60s because of his work in five of Werner Herzog’s most celebrated films. But in recognition of tomorrow, All Hallow’s Eve, hd did wonders in Nosferatu, the Vampire (Amazon purchase link). He played the seminal count in this update, and made this villain all the more terrifying.
In Creature with The Blue Hand, Dave Emerson (Kinski), a suitably deranged murderer, escapes from the asylum and decides that hiding out at his family estate is the best course of action. When his twin, Richard (also Kinski), arrives, there’s a chance to turn his life around. However, he’ll have to dispense with his brother! In this crime drama, the sequence of events that unfolds concerns catching the killer in the act, and that isn’t easy! What I’m seeing is a very dangerous cat-and-mouse game!
This film made at Rialto Film‘s studios helps add to the claustrophobia. As most of the action takes place in a closed set, to deliver the gothic vibes must have been tough. While the honour goes to Alfred Vohrer, who directed this film, all the work really showcases Kinski’s talent. In the updated version, The Bloody Dead, the producers filmed new scenes to make the film all the more terrifying! The distributors presented this print in its raw, transferred state, without remastering it for blu-ray.
The treat here is that we have three films in one package! While the first is a fine example of krimi cinema, the other is all out haunted house! Although not certified, I firmly believe the former helped establish what we know as masked slasher movies from Hollywood in the later years. The original form enjoyed modest success from the 50s to early 70s before works like Black Christmas and Texas Chainsaw Massacre introduced the masses to Hollywood’s version of the subgenre. But I’m sure this movie defined the tropes, as it’s been an ongoing franchise since John Carpenter’s Halloween!
Whether that’s true, only he knows. As for a proper festive treat, plays Edgar Allan Poe in Web of the Spider. This bonus film is the more supernatural of the two. Here, although Klaus’ role is minimal, his narrative sets the tone for what’s to come. Alan Foster (Anthony Franciosa) helps Poe recover from a bout of madness following a paranormal investigation in a cemetery. While neither truly believe, it’s the journalist’s encounter with one of the spectres of Blackwood manor that gets truly Dark Shadows. The fact he sees Elisabeth consistently can be a problem, but as for whether he believes she’s truly real, well that’d be saying too much.
Although he knows she’s dead, does she? When Foster is in love, the big question is if he can escape the manor’s thrall too! Or can he pull off what I call “an Eleanor” (from The Haunting of Hill House) in order to find his peace? The narrative beats say no, but I think he said yes.
4 Stars out of 5
Creature with the Blue Hand Teaser Commentary
