The Leech Woman (1960)

Director:

Edward Dein

Writers:

David Duncan (writer)
Ben Pivar (story)

Release Date:

May 1960 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Forever young! Forever deadly! She lived off the life blood of male victims!

Plot:

When a very old African woman offers an ambitious endocrinologist the secret of eternal youth, he decides...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Africa | Rejuvenation | Doctor | Eternal Youth

Cast

Coleen Gray	...	June Talbot
Grant Williams	...	Neil Foster
Phillip Terry	...	Dr. Paul Talbot
Gloria Talbott	...	Sally Howard
John Van Dreelen	...	Bertram Garvay
Estelle Hemsley	...	Old Malla
Kim Hamilton	...	Young Malla
Arthur Batanides	...	Jerry Lando

Also Known As:

Leech (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1960) | USA:Unrated

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

Universal (then Universal-International) made this low budget horror film because they needed a second feature to play with their U.S. release of the Hammer production The Brides of Dracula (1960).

Goofs:

Continuity: While resting near the water after their escape from the village, June and the scout see two crocodiles climbing ashore near them. We then cut to a close-up of an alligator.

Quotes:

Dr. Paul Talbot: Well, that's a novelty -- you're refusing anything with alcohol in it! I'm not used to seeing you sober this time of day.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Phantom Planet (#10.2)" (1998)

A movie designed especially for latecomers

Speedily put into production in order to offer exhibitors a second-feature lure with bookings of The Brides of Dracula, this little movie suffers from a tedious First Act. The initial scenes were obviously designed merely to fill in time, so that latecomers would not feel at any disadvantage. We're told absolutely nothing that doesn't develop later on in the plot. A bit of judicious trimming here would do wonders. And in any event, Coleen Gray doesn't seem nearly old enough in these early scenes to make her motives credible. Fortunately, she is marvelously made-up later on—and in these sequences she also gives by far the best performance of her career.

Despite Dein's flat-footed direction and the obvious constraints and inhibitions imposed by a tight "B" budget, interest is kept at a high level in the last half of the movie not only by Gray's forceful portrayal (and the skillful way she is lit and make-up) but by some neat yet unexpected plot twists

Alas, the film cheats on special effects, the transformations being accomplished without camera trickery in a most tame and disappointing manner.

Nonetheless, although horror devotees will find the going pretty dull until the halfway mark, the movie does eventually hit its stride. In fact, I'd describe it as a key item for any keen fan's personal collection.