Not a bad movie but it could have used some work in the editing room, I think whoever cut the movie was on LSD. Some scenes went into others without explanation. The last 10 minutes were the worst.
The acting and the script were not the best either.
Strange movie but mildly entertaining.
5 out of 10.
I totally agree about the ending. Maybe it helps to be on LSD to appreciate it, but after a strong buildup, it all was "resolved" too easily (well, not really when you consider the final shot). I though Dean Stockwell gave a superbly creepy performance, but the townspeople seemed like rejects from "Night of the Living Dead."
Still, based on imagery and Dean's performance, I gave this 7 out of 10. It's one for the time capsule.
There was a tiny bit that was snipped off the very end of the film - when Dr. Armitage is leading Nancy away from the altar, the image of an embryo was superimposed on Nancy's abdomen.
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That part was in the version I saw. Still a poor ending in my opinion.
It was like the film jumped off the rails and they decided to take two days and finish it.
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Never mind the poor last 10 minutes - the whole film was a complete steaming pile of dung - no surprise with that overrated *beep* Corman involved
Hey Witchdoctor, give us the magic words.
ooh ee ooh ah ah, ting tang wallawallabingba
I rated it a 4/10 mostly because of the really terrible third act. I agree that it fell apart completely. Almost like they were told at the last minute that they had run out of money for editing and SFX. But yes, luckily there was still room in the budget for PLENTY of LSD, thank goodness.
With a better final act, I'd have definitely given it a 6/10 for its crazy '70s take on a '20's story.
Unfortunately you are correct, the slow ending brought me down a bit, as I was pretty much enjoying the first two thirds. It would have been an 8 out of 10, but got reduced to a 7 out of 10 for the slow ending.
shareI guess I'm in the minority here. I think the ending is when the movie started to get interesting. The last third is the best.
shareI'm with you, it ties everything up in a colorful, haunting way while not overstaying its welcome, plus throwing in an omen of things to come. It reminds me of flicks like "The City of the Dead" (1960), "Die, Monster, Die" (1965) and "Curse of the Crimson Altar,” aka “The Crimson Cult” (1968). It’s superior to “Die, Monster, Die” and arguably on par with the other two.
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