Seddok, l'erede di Satana (1960)

User Rating:

3.3/10   

Director:

Anton Giulio Majano

Writers:

Alberto Bevilacqua (writer)
Gino De Santis (writer)

Release Date:

19 August 1960 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

You'll gasp with Horror . . . a spine-tingling motion picture only the atom age could produce!

Plot:

A stripper is horribly disfigured in a car accident. A brilliant scientist develops a treatment that restores her beauty and falls in love with her...

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Transformation | Public Domain | Disfigurement

Cast

Alberto Lupo	...	Prof. Alberto Levin
Susanne Loret	...	Jeanette Moreneau
Sergio Fantoni	...	Pierre Mornet
Franca Parisi	...	Monique Riviere
Andrea Scotti
Rina Franchetti
Roberto Bertea	...	Sacha
Ivo Garrani
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Glamor Mora
Gianna Piaz		(as Giovanna Piaz)

Also Known As:

Atom Age Vampire (USA) (dubbed version)

Runtime:

105 min | USA:87 min | USA:72 min (video version) | USA:69 min (DVD version)

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

Leone Film

Movie Connections:

References Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

A familiar premise executed very poorly

A brilliant but overly obsessive scientist has to kill young woman in order to constantly supply his own beloved female patient with fresh facial cell structures, since hers was incurably damaged in a nearly fatal car crash. Nothing really new or innovating here, as this was quite a popular premise the in late 50's/early 60's European exploitation-cinema industry. The downright brilliant French milestone "Les Yeux Sans Visage" launched the trend and also Jess Franco's "The Awful Dr. Orloff" and Ferroni's "Mill of the Stone Women" revolve on a similar theme. This dark and mean-spirited Italian production comes out as very weak compared to any of the previous titles, mainly because of its cheapness and lack of credibility. The other titles had convincing and naturally evil-looking mad doctors in the lead roles, while Albert Lupo in "Atom Age Vampire" more looks like an amateurish clown, completely incapable of developing breakthrough medical treatments. The fact that he spontaneously transforms into a hideous monster himself doesn't really help, neither…In fact, that was rather awkward… Still, there are some redeeming elements that Euro-horror fans might enjoy: the atmosphere is sinister, there's some nice camera-work here and there AND quite a lot of gore and icky make-up art to admire (especially considering the time it was made and the non-existent budget!). Too bad these positive aspects can't nearly make up for the slow pacing and the total lack of tension. The dialogs are sometimes hilarious although I'm quite sure they weren't intended to be. For example, can you imagine a doctor saying encouraging words to his desperate patient like: "Oh my God, your case is worse than leprosy!!" Overall, I wouldn't recommend this film unless you're well trained in seeing trashy exploitation junk.