Two B-movie classics, The Crawling Hand & The Slime People, both of 1963, hit a good-looking Blu-Ray with a double feature from VCI Entertainment.
The Films
It’s no secret how much I love my cheesy movies. I grew up on Mystery Science Theater 3000, and it remains my favorite TV show to this day (and I greatly look forward to the new Rifftrax-produced episodes). Send me cheesy movies, the worst you can find. I’ll sit and watch them all! There’s a certain charm. It’s interesting to see these films unriffed, as they’ve been on MST3k and Rifftrax. I’ve said the best sort are the ones that have some entertainment value without Tom, Crow, and crew. One’s I’d watch. And that’s both of these. (I did watch Monster A-Go-Go unriffed a few times via Arrow’s Weird Wisconsin box set of Bill Rebane’s features. That was more of a pain.) When picking up a set like this, and these movies have come as a set from the drive-in in 1963, to MST3k, to DVD collections, thanks to both being produced by Joseph F. Robertson, you know exactly what you’re getting into. Are they good? Not really. Are they entertaining? Very much so. Heck, the paperwork sent to me with the release from VCI Entertainment highlights Leonard Maltin’s 1-star review for either. So sit down and relax and bite into the cheese. Both hit that sweet spot of very watchable B-movie 60s enjoyment.
The Crawling Hand is up first. Written by Bill Idelson and Herbert L. Strock and directed by Strock, it’s the better of the two features. There’s more going on, better characters, and more legitimately enjoyable. The Crawling Hand slides into the sort that is so lovingly satirized in films such as The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra and Vampire Zombies… from Space! There’s a true earnestness, the sort that drove Ed Wood. The filmmakers know exactly what they’re aiming at and hit the mark.
The Crawling Hand, what a title, is about the severed living hand of a dead astronaut (in another movie, there might be a dramatic sadness in knowing death is coming and infected by some sort of parasite; but this tries, gaining a few points) on the move in a beach community, killing people it finds. A part of it also Venoms-tiself to a young man, sending him on a tear across town, seemingly aimed at his Swedish bombshell girlfriend. Along for the ride are a pair of scientists, talking in the wonderful square-jawed pseudo-science nonsense I love. And we can’t forget Alan Hale, Jr, aka Skipper from Gilligan’s Island, as the trigger-happy Sheriff!
The Crawling Hand is incredibly enjoyable in every way. The matter-of-fact, strange dialogue, the giving-it-a-go performance, and some of the imagery actually work with care in making it look great. Who doesn’t love a crawling hand working on its own? Sam Raimi took it for Evil Dead II! Oliver Stone used that for the terrible The Hand. Strocker uses it for a fun, self-assured B-flick.
The Slime People, written by Blair Robertson & Vance Skarstedt and directed by Robret Hutton, isn’t as strong, but still works. Despite being 15 minutes shorter, there is less to see. Literally. So much fog.
The story: parts of Los Angeles are lost as a fog descends, and from that fog come the titular monsters. A band of survivors, led by a pilot played by Hutton himself, tries to figure out what’s going on, survive the monsters, and continue to seek safety. Within, there are a whole lot of people talking to figure out the next steps. But it’s well said for working on the budget. Fog it out, see creatures here and there, keep it small. Science it out! It’s a whole discussion, but the 60s were all about the perils and relief of science in the Space Age (and the atomic fears of the 50s). Love it, the mixture of weird science and monsters. It’s a fun picture, and everyone is doing well. But it’s not the people, but the monsters that are the show.
The slime people of the title? They look pretty good, to be honest. Most of the budget went into the creation of the suits. With the rest for some vole people who were cut from the film. No way are they believable, but it’s clear some good work went into them. We’re not tossing an astronaut helmet on a gorilla suit for RoMan or the ping pong ball eyes of the similar Creature From the Haunted Sea. These are detailed, complex outfits. I’m all for it.
While I prefer Crawling Hand, there’s much to enjoy in Slime People if this is your thing, and it is mine. Together, they make a solid double feature of B-movie goodness.
The Package
Both films are pressed on a single Blu-Ray, housed in a standard Blu-Ray case. It has a reversible sleeve, one side with banners of both films and one with a design by Rob Kelly. An o-ring sleeve features the new artwork.
The Presentation
Wow. As noted, I’ve seen these films before. But usually as part of a package – whether the shows mentioned or in more public domain sort of things. Those areas always faded and washed out. This? As clear, crisp, and pristine as they can be. If anything, this is a fantastic reason to pick it up. Of course, the nature of the productions leads to some issues, but really, I’m impressed. The audio is in English with subtitles. Strangely, the subtitles are often wrong, like the auto-generated YouTube versions.
The Features
VCI adds a handful of solid features for any 60s creature feature lover.
Commentary
The Crawling Hand has a great commentary by Rob Kelly. Kelly gives a great overview of this sort of film, the appeal involved, and shares a great love of B-pictures. It’s a glowing, fun, aware of the quality, and digging into the fun. Detailed for this film and overall for the genre.
Rubber Monsters, Real Fears: Mid-Century Sci-fi
Too short at 3 minutes, a quick overview of the world outside influencing the films of the day. I did a whole single-person panel of this at Crypticon Seattle a few years ago, so believe me, this can go on a while (the commentary touches on it, too).
Classic Drive-in Sci-Fi Poster Gallery
A few dozen posters in order of release from the 50s and 60s. So cool to see a great collection, seeing themes and continuing ideas. As a fan of these films, I’ve seen most, with this slideshow touching on nostalgia.
Susan Hart Interview
So, this isn’t just an interview with Hart, star of Slime People, by Tom Weaver, but a mixture of said interview and an audio essay of the film and similar ones. Loved both parts, detailed as all. Nice to hear from the inside as well as the wider look. (1h)
Final Thoughts
A wonderful package for those who appreciate the work of the contemporaries of Ed Wood, understand the movies we love for just loving them, and revel in B-movie cheese. With fantastic transfers and a nice bevy of supplements, I recommend.