The Creeping Flesh (1973) Poster

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6/10
Pretty good Tigon terror film with the two greatest horror stars : Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee
ma-cortes9 September 2018
A scientific, Peter Cushing, decides he can cure evil by injecting with a serum derived from the blood of an ancient corpse that he got from a discovery in Papua New Guinea . As Cushing has at his lab the remains of a giant prehistoric to administer an anti-evil serum with perhaps incredible results . As when the body is exposed to water, flesh returns to the bones with horrible consequences. Meanwhile, Cushing has a skeleton in the cupboard, as his insane wife is interned at a mental institute run by the stiff mad doctor Christopher Lee.

Some truly eerie and chilling moments will get you flesh creeping. As a palentologist bag of bones from a Papua New Guinea giant, which develops new flesh when water drops on him , unleashing a string of distresses and terror when he is brought to life, adding an inevitable and surprising final denouement. Well paced film including a complicated storyline , never flashy , its true secret lies in the peculiar style, knitting together with considerable skill . It has enough flair play to keep us pondering its latent inconveniences and absurdities. Stars two great myths of terror cinema, Peter Cushing who gives his customary cultured acting looks even better in an interesting screenplay and, of course, Christopher Lee , though the latter has a secondary performance as an Asylum director. And Lona Heilbron is nice as the repressive daughter to whom Cushing administers an anti-evil serum with amazing consequences . Support cast is acceptable such as the regular Duncan Lamont as a Police Inspector, George Benson, Kenneth J Warren and brief cameo by Michael Ripper, as usual .

Well financed by Michael Redbourn and Tigon production that very much attempts to return in style and class to the early Hammer movies .The motion picture was professionally directed by Freddie Francis. He was a Horror expert making a lot of titles, such as The doctor and the devils, The ghoul, Legend of the werewolf, Dark Tower, Craze, Tales that witness madness, Tales from the crypt, The vampire happening, Dracula has rising from the grave, They came from beyond space, Torture garden, Dr Terror's house of horrors, The skull, The evil of Frankenstein , Hysteria, Day of the Triffids, The brain, and Paranoic. Besides, he was a prestigious cameraman , such as The straight story , Princess Caraboo, Cape fear, Glory, Her alibi, Dune, The elephant man, The innocents , The French lieutenant's woman , Brenda Starr , Saturday night and Sunday morning, Room at the top, The battle of the sexes, Time without pity, among others. Rating : acceptable and passable 6/10.
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7/10
Lush Gothic Hammeresque Mystery/Horror with Lee & Cushing
Wuchakk14 March 2014
Although "The Creeping Flesh" (1973) is not technically a Hammer film, it was made by a rival British company with Hammer alumni Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and director Freddie Francis.

Lee and Cushing play two rival half-brothers; Lee runs a mental asylum and Cushing is a scientist trying to cure humanity of evil and insanity. Lee, it turns out, is also trying to find the same cure by experimenting on the lunatics in his asylum.

Cushing is driven by the insanity and recent death of his wife. He is so paranoid about the "infection" of evil and madness that he overprotects his daughter.

He discovers an 8-foot tall diabolical skeleton on one of his expeditions in New Guinea and becomes convinced that evil itself is somehow linked to this figure. He discovers that the skeleton strangely acquires flesh/blood when it gets wet. He subsequently develops a "vaccination" from the blood to supposedly give people immunization from evil and insanity, which he then administers to his daughter (!).

As you can see, the plot is highly creative, if nothing else. Numerous issues are touched on in the storyline, including:

The origin of evil and insanity. Sibling rivalry. The consequences of overprotection. Is evil and madness a disease for which a person can be vaccinated? The (lack of) ethics of "scientists." An escaped lunatic running amok. Having a carnal celebration after years of repression. The 19th century English pub scene (alcohol, whores and brawls). An 8-foot creeping horror.

Some would contend that "The Creeping Flesh" bites off more than it can chew (especially at only 95 minutes). Yet, I would say that it addresses all of these items very well. I should also point out that it's not hard to follow, as another reviewer argues.

Two parts of the film are very well done: First, when Cushing's daughter, Lorna Hailbron, finally escapes her father's overprotective clutches and attempts to "paint the town red" (naturally). Lorna does an exquisite job portraying the daughter in both her initial naive, modest state and, later, in her wild first-time-party-girl condition.

Second, when the skeleton finally comes to life after acquiring all its flesh. You can see it lurking in the moonlight with a hood and cowl. This creepy image brought to memory artist depictions of the Flatwoods monster that supposedly appeared near that West Virginia village in September 1952.

Interestingly, "The Creeping Flesh" has many similarities to "Horror Express," another Hammeresque film made the very same year. Each film stars Lee and Cushing; each features an ancient recently-discovered artifact that emanates evil (a skeleton and a frozen neanderthal respectively); each features numerous shots of people analyzing "evil" blood samples through a microscope. I like both films about equally, but give the slight edge to "The Creeping Flesh."

Don't hesitate to check out "The Creeping Flesh" if this sounds like your cup of java.

GRADE: B+
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7/10
A Cushing Delight
BloodTheTelepathicDog18 January 2010
Unlike other Peter Cushing outings, in which he garners star-billing, he is undoubtedly the "star" of this picture. Here he plays a absent-minded professor who finds the skeletal remains of a giant man/ape creature and brings them home to his lab in England. Although he is on the verge of occupational success, his personal life is slipping. Determined to win a prestigious science award for his discovery, he fails to give ample time to his daughter Penelope (Lorna Heilbron) who wants to know more about the mother she has never known.

Cushing isn't alone in this picture; he gets support from fellow horror icon Christopher Lee. Lee plays Cushing's half brother who operates an asylum--the very asylum Cushing had his whore of a wife sent to when Penelope was just a child. Lee serves as a nemesis for Cushing because he is seeking to win the same science award Cushing is with his research on electroshock therapy. The two men use science as a method of explaining the perverse things they do, culminating, for Cushing, in injecting Lorna Heilbron with an experimental serum he has concocted in order to keep her from the nuthouse. But the serum has the reverse effect: it speeds up her route to wearing strait-jackets.

This is a wonderful horror film, the likes of which aren't made anymore, as the genre has descended into revolting displays of gore that test an audience's gag reflex. This is story and character driven--not blood and guts driven--with Cushing carrying the piece. Both horror icons, Cushing and Lee, are in splendid form and Lorna Heilbron, as the female lead, is equal to the task of sharing the screen with them. She does a marvelous job as Penelope, beginning the film as a meek do-as-your-told daughter before transforming into a depraved nutcase that dances in the courtyard in her nighty to the music that only plays in her head.

There are enough Darwin principles and theories used in this film to sustain interest of science aficionados. Even with all the science talk, this is a quite a splendid film. Keep in mind, this is nothing like modern horror films. The monster has a fifteen minute screen time and the lone "gore scene" is tepid at best when Lorna Heilbron slits the throat of a sailor trying to rape her.
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Great Horror Fun!
BaronBl00d1 May 2000
Throw in Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Hammer director Freddie Francis, a wonderful story about the found remains of a giant beast, gothic, Victorian sets and costumes, an eerie score, a wonderfully ironic and unexpected ending, and the philosophical question about the nature of evil...and you have The Creeping Flesh, and one HELL of a good film! The cast is superb, and this is probably one Of Cushing's best roles in the 70s as a good-natured, yet-determined anthropologist seeking to rid humanity of evil through the aid of some giant skeletal remains found in New Guinea that fleshes out with water contact. The plot is interesting...and complex...and a bit like Swiss Cheese...yet it is great fun in the hands of Francis(underrated as a director in my humble opinion!) Lee is as ever cold and austere and a joy to behold. The rest of the cast is quite good. The sets are lavish and the costumes very Victorian. The skeleton itself is most impressive! A wonderful way to spend the evening and a wonderful ending for the viewer unawares!
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7/10
One of the most fascinating Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee collaborations.
Coventry30 July 2004
How can this image possibly be bad? Peter Cushing (star and protagonist of an endless list of horror classics) as a dedicated scientist on the verge of unraveling an entirely new evolution theory in which the existence of evil plays a crucial role. And Christopher Lee (once again, star and protagonist of an endless list of horror classics) as the over-ambitious president of an asylum, trying to steel Cushing's ideas to add them to his book about ‘the origin of insanity'. These actors, along with their character's vicious professions pretty much guarantee a dazzling horror premise already. If you then add a tight gothic atmosphere, overall decent special effects and loads of emotional intrigues, you've got yourself an authentic British horror highlight! And The Creeping Flesh isn't even a Hammer production! Responsible for this film is Tigon Productions, who also brought us overlooked milestones such as `The Witchfinder General' and `Blood on Satan's Claw'. Cushing's character (Dr. Hildern) is the discoverer of an ancient skeleton that might carry the secret of evil! When exposed to water, flesh immediately grows on the creature. Hildern develops an anti-evil vaccine, but has to use this same antidote on his lovely daughter Penelope when she finds out her beloved mother spend years in an asylum when she thought she was actually deceased already. Asylum keeper Lee – who's also Dr. Hildern's half brother – takes notice of the bizarre events going on in the Dr.'s mansion and hires somebody to steal the skeleton to increase his own success as an authority in the field of mental illnesses.

The only negative comment you could give on this film is that it actually contains TOO much ideas and horrific aspects. Regretfully, this sometimes results in underdeveloped plot-twists and a lack of continuity. There are enough horror-elements in The Creeping Flesh to fill 3 movies, really! But, despite these little flaws, this is one of the purest and most entertaining Cushing/Lee collaborations, brilliantly directed by the talented Freddie Francis (`Torture Garden', `Tales from the Crypt…) The main actors, as well as the stunning Lorna Heilbron, are a joy to observe and the film is pretty darn suspenseful, too. All in one, a must see for the true horror fans.
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6/10
A bit of a let down considering my expectations...
Mister-Creeper17 June 2015
I want to start off by saying that I thoroughly enjoy most of Freddie Francis' films, especially those he made with Hammer. But...I was expecting so much more from THE CREEPING FLESH. With the recent passing of Christopher Lee (RIP), I wanted to go back and re-watch his films that I loved and also to find some that I hadn't previously viewed. So I stumbled upon THE CREEPING FLESH and immediately sought it out. Maybe my expectations were too high going in, but I was a bit let down. As I said, I really like Freddie Francis. I also love Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. So it was a no-brainer that I would like this film. And I did like it...just not as much as I thought I would going in to it.

The Victorian age set pieces were fantastic. The subject matter of the story (though not scientifically accurate) was interesting. The acting was great. The atmosphere was pretty good. It was the lack of the horror element that I was expecting and it just didn't seem to show up until the final 15 minutes or so of the film. When it did show up it was great. I just wish the movie would have used it sooner.

I also disagree with the many people who feel THE CREEPING FLESH is Freddie Francis' best film. TORTURE GARDEN, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF and maybe even THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS and THE SKULL were all better in my opinion. I especially loved LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF...but I am partial to werewolves.

All in all, THE CREEPING FLESH is a good movie worth watching, especially if you are a Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing fan (or a fan of Hammer films even though this is not a Hammer production). It's a good, solid 6 out of 10.
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6/10
Lee & Cushing are great but the beautiful Heilbron steals the show
scarletheels7 March 2012
In the late 19th century, scientist Emmanuel Hildern (Peter Cushing) returns home to London with a prehistoric skeleton that he acquired in Papua New Guinea. While cleaning the skeleton, he learns that water triggers a horrific reaction - reanimation. He slices off the finger, now covered in flesh, and preserves it for later experiments.

While having breakfast with his daughter, Penelope (the breathtaking Lorna Heilbron), Emmanuel reads a letter informing him of his wife's death. Unbeknowst to Penelope, her mother has been in an insane asylum since she was a little girl. Fearful that his wife's mental illness may be hereditary, Emmanuel has sheltered his daughter at their estate with only the servants to keep her company. She's not allowed outside, except for short walks within the gated premises.

Emmanuel travels to the institution where his wife died. He meets up with his half-brother, James (Christopher Lee), who happens to be the insane asylum's director and a competing scientist. Emmanuel was always the favorite of the two siblings, the one destined to achieve greatness, so it's with great pleasure that James tells him that he is in the running for the prestigious Richter Award. In addition, he will no longer fund Emmanuel's transcontinental trips.

I'm not familiar with most horror predating 1980. I rate this somewhere between 60%-70% (about a 6.5/10). I've never watched a movie, horror or other genre, with so much anticipation and dread for what may come. The climax is truly a frightening one. The suspense is nail-biting! Lee and Cushing are great but it's the beautiful Heilbron who steals the show. I want to watch more films she stars in.

I recommend this to horror fans who want to explore the classics. No gore, torture, or loud music cues to instill a false sense of fear. I liked it!
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6/10
Sometimes interesting misfire
utgard1418 January 2017
Scientist Peter Cushing digs up an ancient skeleton that's pure evil or something. When you pour water on the bones, flesh grows. So don't do that. Anyway, this is all weird and interesting enough but then there's a huge chunk of the movie dealing with Cushing's daughter who he is overprotective of because he doesn't want her to turn out like her mom, who died in an asylum. This stuff is a lot less fun. Christopher Lee plays Cushing's brother. He runs the asylum and he's got a subplot about an escaped inmate. All of these plot threads eventually meet but I can't say they do so satisfactorily.

It's a decent British horror movie with two top stars and a good director in Freddie Francis. The problem is it's got too much going on and it devotes more time to the uninteresting stuff than the skeleton business. Now, the ending is cute and perhaps lines the meandering plot up a bit but it doesn't fix everything. You're still left feeling like you didn't get as much of the "creeping flesh" aspect of the movie as you might have expected.
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5/10
A Good Project that Fails for Too Many Ingredients
ragosaal29 December 2006
This film's idea of a reviving ancient flesh when in contact with water is truly original, its sordid atmosphere is very well achieved and Peter Cushing and Cristopher Lee's presence give it a sort of category in the genre. In fact, when Cushing arrives back in England with a strange scary huge skeleton from New Guinea and you learn that water could bring it back to life you have the feeling you'll watch a most interesting horror picture focused mainly in that strange fact.

But then other story appears about Cushing's insane wife's death and their daughter's obsession with her mother that turns into a parallel plot. And that's when "The Creeping Flesh" looses quality and sense -in its genre of course- and things start to mix up badly; there is also a mad killer at large (not frightening at all). What I mean is that so many different topics -unrelated between them- is too much for just one film, and the final outcome is not a good product. Besides, the special effects of the Papuan monster came to life are poor, even for 1973.

Perhaps a better product would have come out if the film had stayed with just the archaelogical evil creature, but it seems the writers couldn't find a way to develop the subject and make a full script out of it.

The picture has some good moments, but in my opinion it is just for Cushing and Lee's fans and no more than that.
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6/10
Meandering...
poe-4883331 August 2016
Warning: Spoilers
THE CREEPING FLESH is one of those alleged Fright Films that has a LOT going for it- not the least of which are two of the foremost Superstars of the Supernatural, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Unfortunately, the storyline is so mired in sub-plots that it gets hard to tell who's at bat at any given time: we have Peter Cushing as a mad scientist who's unearthed the skeleton of a creature whose very blood is "the essence of Evil." He also has a daughter, begat with a mother who was mad (in the Mentally Unhinged sense), who may or may not be succumbing to madness herself. It doesn't help when daddy injects her with a sample of the "essence of Evil" blood taken from the reformed middle finger of the left hand of the aforementioned prehistoric skeleton (magically reformed when said digit came into contact with water). Meanwhile, a murderous inmate escapes from the asylum being run by Christopher Lee (who, upon investigating the escape, is forced to gun down ANOTHER inmate who makes a break for it). Thoroughly confused? If not, you WILL be before all is said and done. Given that the filmmakers had two of the Greats heading up the cast, one can't help but wonder why they didn't simply focus on Lee and Cushing...
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5/10
A rambling disappointment.
gridoon17 July 2001
Peter Cushing gives an effective, sympathetic performance as a slightly loony but basically well-intentioned scientist, and he shares some (too few!) amusing screen moments with another horror icon, Christopher Lee. Unfortunately, this beautifully produced and promising horror film is otherwise disappointing, undermined by a severe lack of scares (until the final 5 minutes, the most intense scene is a rape attempt) and a disconnected, rambling script. After reading all the positive reviews, I expected a lot more out of this film. (**)
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10/10
Origin of man and origin of evil
hakan_nilsson11 September 2005
I saw this movie as part of a Peter Cushing DVD box. I did not really expect much but was pleasantly surprised. The special effects, which always are a bit cheesy in the Hammer films, was really very good, but it was the themes covered in this movie really impressed me. The desire to eradicate evil in the world and to create a kind of paradise only to see these great ambitions fail was great. The second theme, were Christopher Lee tries to find the scientific basis for insanity to find a cure for it, slowly connects to the story line of Peter Cushings research. The ambiance of the movie is very Gothic and illustrates nicely the futile human endeavor to create a paradise. The evil is a part of us and will always remain so. It is also far from the all to common American moralizing horror movies which tend to focus on the perils on pre-marital sex, e.g., "Friday the 13th".

For those of you who are a bit unsure about the horror genre I would say that this is a great introduction for it is a) a very good movie b) a nice intellectual exercise (!) and c) it stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in one of their best performances. Even giving this movie a 10 feels a bit unsatisfactory since I would like to give it more just to show my appreciation of it.
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6/10
Lacks A Cohesive Story
Theo Robertson13 July 2004
Warning: Spoilers
Like many a horror film broadcast on TV in the late 1970s THE CREEPING FLESH was a topic of conversation at school the next day with the gory scene of the man getting stabbed in the throat with all his veins hanging out being most memorable moment

!!!! SLIGHT SPOILERS !!!!

Unfortunately when I saw this movie again a couple of nights ago I became aware that THE CREEPING FLESH is composed of memorable moments and little else . The title sequence featuring a painting that resembles Salvador Dali`s worst nightmare is memorable , the man trapped under the coach in a rain storm sequence is memorable , as is the image of the shadow falling against the house , but despite all the imagery and memorable moments the movie lacks a cohesive story

One reviewer mentioned Freud and watching the story play out as virginal and repressed Penelope evolve into an entirely different sultry creature it`s impossible not to notice some sort of Freudian sub-text . Alas this doesn`t seem to comprise of the bulk of the film and it`s impossible to work out what the bulk of the movie is about . Is it about the nature of evil ? What was the skeleton originally ? What were the skeleton`s plans ? You see if you stop to examine the movie in any great depth it ends up giving more questions than answers . I was also confused as to what how the scenario affected the 20th Century . Did the skeleton and Peter Cushing`s character experimenting on the essence of evil lead to world wars and genocides across the world ? If so then Nigel Kneale wrote a far better , more interesting and more cohesive story on human nature with QUATERMASS AND THE PIT

Not to be totally negative THE CREEPING FLESH is an entertaining traditional British horror with Christopher Lee , Peter Cushing and a few women with large breasts and I have mentioned the rather impressive imagery . It is rather disappointing if you`ve seen it with an absence of 25 years ( The man getting stabbed in the throat is laughably ungory when viewed today ) but I`ll still give it 6 out of 10
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5/10
good, but meanders too much
lee_eisenberg5 March 2013
"The Creeping Flesh" is a neat idea for a movie: a doctor brings home a skeleton that grows flesh when exposed to water. That probably could have been the plot of a 1950s B movie. Unfortunately, this movie meanders way too much. A large portion of it focuses on the daughter's descent into madness, and we have to wait a really long time before the skeleton does its stuff. Maybe one has to see it more than once to appreciate the movie as a whole sufficiently.

Other than that, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are great in their roles (as can be expected). Even so, I prefer Freddie Francis's movies that stick entirely to their plots. As it was, the end of this one reminded me of the end of Philip Kaufman's "Quills".
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Another terrific Cushing and Lee horror classic.
Infofreak14 January 2003
British horror icons Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee co-star in this fascinating bit of Victorian pseudo-scientific nonsense which will have you entertained until the very last scene. The bad news is that they share very little on screen time, in fact there isn't all that much Lee content at all. But that is my only gripe about this terrific horror thriller. If you want to see the two REALLY co-star go to their many Hammer classics or the brilliant 'Horror Express' from around the same period as this. Cushing plays a familiar role, Hildern, a scientist with good intentions who meddles with something he shouldn't have. He shares a home with his adult daughter, the sweet and innocent Penelope. She believes that her mother died many years before not realizing the truth, that she was a fun loving floozie who flipped out and spent many years in an asylum, run by Cushing's ambitious half-brother James (Lee). Hildern returns from an expedition from New Guinea with a mysterious skeleton of a giant creature which he believes predates man. On his arrival home he is greeted with the news that his insane wife has finally died. He still hides this knowledge from his daughter, fearing for her own mental well being. Hildern and his assistant experiment on the skeleton and he believes that it can unlock the secret of evil, which he theorizes can be innoculated against. When a hysterical Penelope finally stumbles across the truth about her mother, Hildern, with the best of intentions, tries the experimental anti-evil vaccine on her. This proves to have disastrous results, and matters are further complicated when James, who both envies and resents his more respected brother, gets wind of what is going on and plans to steal the skeleton for his own research. If you take all the "science" in this movie with a pinch of salt you'll find it to be one of the most enjoyable horror movies Cushing and Lee were ever involved in. A most underrated movie, highly recommended to all fans of late 60s/early 70s British horror.
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7/10
Creepy Gothic Fun
bensonmum23 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
The Creeping Flesh is good, old-fashioned fun. The Creeping Flesh has that one ingredient necessary for a successful Gothic horror – atmosphere. From the minute that Peter Cushing opens that crate he's brought back with him from New Guinea, you just know nothing good is going to come from that bizarre looking skeleton. All it takes is having that "thing" laying there to create effective atmosphere. The slight sound that can be heard every time Freddie Francis gives us a close up of the thing only adds to the unease. And when you throw the shots of the "evil" blood (regardless of how preposterous the idea is) Cushing is able to draw form the creature, you've the foundation for a very nice Gothic horror film.

The subplot involving Cushing's daughter going mad is also well done. In large part, I think the credit has to go to Lorna Helbron. She is believable as both the demure, obedient girl and the tantalizing, violent woman. I bought her genteel table manners as much as I did her wild gestations from behind bars. It's really a nice performance.

The rest of the cast is more than up to the challenge. Any Gothic horror film is better when Peter Cushing and/or Christopher Lee are in the cast. By Lee's standards, his performance is what I would call average. Much of the blame for that has to be the attributed to the script as Lee is given very little to do. Cushing, on the other hand, is dynamite. He goes through a range of emotions and satisfactorily pulls them all off. I especially like the ending of The Creeping Flesh when you see that Cushing has been talking so sincerely and earnestly to …… well, never mind - that would spoil it.
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6/10
Decent enough Gothic horror.
poolandrews16 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
The Creeping Flesh is set in the 19th Century in Victorian England as scientist Emmanuel Hildern (Peter Cushing) returns home after a three year absence in New Guinea looking for evidence of primitive man. His return home delights his daughter Penelope (Lorna Heilbron) but Emmanuel has little time for family reunions as he made a tremendous discovery in New Ginuea, a huge man like skeleton that may change everything we know about Neanderthal man & our own origins. While trying to clean one of the skeleton's fingers with water the creatures living flesh starts to grow back which disturbs Emmanuel, after doing some research he finds out that in ancient prophecy the New Guinea natives called it 'the evil one' & that one day it would again walk the earth spreading it's evil wherever it goes...

This British production was directed Freddie Francis who apparently took over from Don Sharp at short notice & was produced by Tigon Pictures & is an OK effort but in the end it doesn't quite work. The somewhat lethargic script by Peter Spenceley & Jonathan Rumbold which takes itself extremely seriously tries to be a bit too ambitious for it's own good & in the end I felt The Creeping Flesh came across as various loose sub plots which come & go & are all very tenuously linked together, I mean there just doesn't seem to be a single unifying thread throughout the film as it switches direction & narrative on several occasions. At first it starts like a monster film with the Skeleton which regrows it's own flesh then it becomes & good vs evil morality tale as it's blood is found to be pure evil & then it goes back to be a monster film for it's climax which sort of leaves things hanging in the air a little bit & it isn't even made clear whether what happened was true or whether it was the mad ramblings of nut-case. There are other various sub plots to confuse things even further like the death of Emmanuel's wife, the effect it has on his daughter, his half brother trying to steal the skeleton for himself & an escaped lunatic from an asylum who has no relevance to the story at all. Having said that it's well written, has some very effective moments in it & is definitely something a bit different even though it seems the filmmakers didn't quite know what to do with the bizarre ideas & themes.

Director Francis does a decent job & I absolutely love period British horror films, the production design is fantastic from the sets to the props to the costumes & they all have great detail. On the negative side of things I'm not convinced by Christoper Lee's fake goatee beard, the creatures severed finger looks more like a penis & the day for night shots look terrible as they usually do. There's a nice atmosphere & there's some scary & creepy moments as well. The creature when seen at the end looks pretty good actually & quite gross, you can tell it's a static rubber mask but it's a pretty good one all the same. Forget about any gore, they cut the creatures finger open to experiment on it but that's as gory as it gets.

Technically the film is very good with excellent production values, decent special effects, good cinematography & good attention to detail in the period setting. The acting is good from a great cast including the always watchable Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee are worth the price of admission alone.

The Creeping Flesh in my opinion is not a classic British horror & it's a touch slow going at times but it's something different yet still retaining that 70's Gothic Anglo horror feel & look, it's not always a total success at what it tries to do but it's watchable enough.
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6/10
Classic Horror at its best? Hmm, not really...
mtsahakis15 April 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This movie had the necessary ingredients so as to achieve Horror Classic: superb cast, the right semi-Gothic scenery and a script with a nice twist in the end. But there is definitely something missing here. Is it the direction, the slow story telling, or the lack of a solid villain icon, you name it. The effects are also a bit gruesome, even for 1973. Especially the final incarnation of evil is really disappointing, I expected so much more given the tension build around it. But despite its flaws, it is enjoyable to watch and it has its moments. Best part by far is the rivalry between Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, which is once again top notch. So don't go running to your local DVD rental and ask for a copy, but if you ever come across it give it a try. It doesn't heart a bit
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7/10
A bit silly, but it ends well and the silliness actually can be explained in the twist ending.
planktonrules30 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this reason for the same reason many others probably watched the film--it starred Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee...AND, of course, it was a horror film. This combination is usually pretty interesting and this film is quite interesting--even if it is also a bit silly now and then.

The story finds Cushing as a scientist of sorts. He seems to be a combination of a paleontologist and biochemist back in the late 1800s. When the film begins, he is arriving back home with a skeleton he unearthed in Indonesia. Oddly, the skeleton is an enormous humanoid but it is much older and radically different from anything found in the past. Odder still, if you know much about skeletons, you know that once the flesh decays, the bones all become disconnected--but the one in this film is fully articulated--even after a bazillion years in the ground. In other words, the ligaments and tendons and muscles holding everything together decompose after death and the bones naturally all fall apart from each other. However, like I've seen in a lot of bad horror movies over the years (such as TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE), the skeletons are fully articulated--like some sort of Halloween novelty skeleton. This is a silly mistake, but one that will most likely only bother doctors, biology majors and compulsive film nuts like myself.

For some inexplicable reason, Cushing is convinced that the skeleton belongs to a creature of pure evil. His reasons for this are pretty vague, as is his theory about evil itself. While working with the skeleton, he washes off some dirt and soon flesh begins growing around the portion he dampened!! Quickly, he cuts off this finger and puts it in water. Soon, it has grown into a huge flesh covered finger and it actually bleeds! The blood, naturally, is not normal blood...it's EVIL blood.

A parallel story occurs in Cushing's house. It seems that years before, Cushing's wife went mad and was incarcerated in his brother's hellish mental hospital. However, he has always told his daughter that her mother died in order to spare her from the stigma and pain. In an odd twist, when the daughter accidentally discovers this, she almost immediately turns into a sluttish psycho murderer--though she'd been previously normal her whole life. And, when the brother (Lee) looks at her blood under a microscope, it turns out she, too, has evil blood--just like the skeleton's!

There's a lot more to the story than this--especially a plot involving Lee experimenting on his own patients. Up until the end, most of the film makes no sense at all and there are lots of inconsistencies. However, believe it or not, pretty much all the problems with the film are explained away well by the twist ending which is highly reminiscent of THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI. So, be sure to stick with it--the mistakes and problems just seem insurmountable until late in the film.

An interesting and unusual film.
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4/10
Acceptable Horror sci-fi mishmash with double Star Performance
erwan_ticheler14 July 2004
Warning: Spoilers
SPOILERS:BETTER TO READ IT AFTER SEEING THE FILM

Two of the greatest English actors of all time are in this film which makes it already watchable.Both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee star in this rather strange horror piece by veteran director Freddie Francis (The Evil of Frankenstein,The Ghoul).

It is a very weird tale about an idealistic professor called Emmanuel (who else to play that role than Peter Cushing)who comes back from New Guinea with a huge skeleton of a primeval human being.Emmanuel believes that this majestic creature is the key to world peace(?!?)cause it comes alive through water(?!?!).The movie goes on about this weird fact and ends of course with the creature coming to life.The coda is very interesting since it doesn't give a clear answer.Is Emmanuel making this whole story up or is it a true event,The movie doesn't give a clear answer although my believes are that Emmanuel is making it up but I'm not sure.Lee by the way plays Emmanuel's brother,a sinister doctor(Again good casting).

The film itself isn't that spectacular,the sub stories tend to slow the pace but it was necessary to fill 90 minutes I guess.The appearance of the creature is a bit of an anti climax since it looks terribly cheap,but that's also the charm. No,the good parts of the movie are lying elsewhere.

First of all the acting.Both Cushing and Lee(I salute the person who has seen all his films) give star performances,Cushing with his usual enthousiasm and Lee with his really scary and impressive appearance."The Creeping Flesh" is one of several horror movies in which Lee and Cushing star together,the greatest being "Dracula" from 1958 which is still one of the best horror movies ever made and definitely the greatest of the endless Dracula series.It is funny that Christoper Lee's voice is heard twice in different scenes before he actually is seen in the movie.

Second there is the great tension.One of the best scenes in the movie is the one in which Emmanuel accidentally throws water over the creature's finger,this sequence is without any sound which makes it really scary and exciting.There are more of these scenes in the film.

I also liked the coda,very surprising and necessary since the opening sequence(in a great white setting)is with both Cushing and Lee(although you only hear him).So you actually know in the first scene that both of them stay alive until the end since the rest of the movie is a flashback.

Overall,not the greatest of horror films(certainly mot)but still enjoyable because of the leading actors and a surprise ending. 6/10
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7/10
Slow but interesting
preppy-320 June 2007
Kindly, absent-minded professor Emmanuel Hildren (Peter Cushing) brings home the skeleton of what he thinks was a prehistoric man. His evil brother James (Christopher Lee) runs an asylum. Things get complicated but by the end of the movie there are two maniacs and a monster running around loose!

This is a slow but OK horror movie. The script is kind of silly. Most of the first hour is all talk and the revelation of what the skeleton really is is absolutely ridiculous--but Cushing manages to put it through. It's more of an old-fashioned horror movie than the blood and gore movies Hammer was putting out at the same time. The rating is PG and there are only two bloody (but tame) throat slashings. Also the look you get of the monster actually made me jump. I loved it the first time I saw it on TV (edited) back in the early 1980s but, unfortunately, it doesn't hold up on a second viewing. The plot was a whopper. I could handle it the first time but the second time around I thought it was just dumb.

Good acting all around helps. Cushing and Lee (playing brothers!) are just great--but I think those two were incapable of giving a bad performance. Lorna Heilbron was also good as Cushing'd daughter Penelope. She has do a complete turnabout with her character halfway through the movie and she pulls it off.

Worth seeing for horror fans--especially people who like old-fashioned ones.
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5/10
Tiresome Tigon twaddle.
BA_Harrison18 January 2014
The presence of English horror icons Lee and Cushing cannot save The Creeping Flesh from being one of Tigon Productions least effective horror efforts, the film's major weakness being its silly, plodding Gothic plot—a creaky, cliché-ridden mess that clumsily handles its theology versus science central theme, regularly defying logic and positing numerous preposterous theories as it progresses.

Cushing plays scientist Emmanuel Hildern, who returns from his three year expedition in New Guinea with the skeleton of a giant humanoid creature that predates the earliest known examples of man. After water is accidentally spilt on the skeleton's hand, Hildern is amazed to see flesh forming on the bone; he severs the now living finger from the rest of the skeleton, and proceeds to study the creature's blood.

Under the microscope, Hildern witnesses the being's blood cells attacking his own and comes to the incredible conclusion that, not only was the creature the origin of all evil, but also that he might be able to create a serum from the creature's blood that could inoculate humans from evil itself!!! But as bonkers as that sounds, it nowhere near as daft as what he does next: inject his daughter Penelope with the serum because he believes it will prevent her from going the same way as her clinically insane mother.

Rather ironically, the unwitting test subject goes psychotic as a result of the injection, and after going on a hedonistic killing spree, winds up at the very same asylum that was home to her mother, and which is rather coincidentally run by her Uncle James (Lee). When blood tests on Penelope yield some unusual results, James becomes very intrigued about his brother's experiments, and eventually attempts to steal his scientific specimen, unwisely choosing a stormy night to do so and unleashing pure evil on Earth in the process!

Director Freddie Francis admirably handles this nonsense without taking the easy tongue-in-cheek option and even manages to conjure up quite a chilling atmosphere, but the pacing of his film is dreadfully slow and with the 'creeping terror' itself only making a fleeting appearance towards the very end, genuine scares are in short supply. A rather clever twist ends the film on a high note, but one cannot help but feel disappointed when considering the film's stars and the studio's horror pedigree (Tigon also gave us Witchfinder General, Blood on Satan's Claw and Virgin Witch, all of which are much more enjoyable).
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10/10
One of Tigon's best films
HEFILM2 April 2005
Tigon was one of the top English Horror film producers of it's era. This, I believe was their last horror film release. It is well produced, acted, directed,scored and pretty much top drawer in all departments especially at a time when the horror boom had peaked and production qualities were slipping. The plot is Lovecraft like in terms of it revolving around previous race being discovered and evil being considered as a scientific problem not a religious one. One of the best things about the script is that the back stories of the characters all figure into the monster story as it evolves in clever and even kind of meaningful ways. Lee and Cushing are both in good form here as is the uneven director Freddie Francis who shows enough horror to make it work without showing too much to give away the limits of his budget. He knows when to move the camera, when to cut, etc. The monster is memorable as is the music score. Lots of fun, this film, but not in a stupid way. The recent DVD release is no frills but features a good looking and sounding version of the film. If you like British period horror films and HP LOVECRAFT definitely find and enjoy this well made and very well written film.
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6/10
Tigon trying to clean up their act - and going out with a whimper
Groverdox6 November 2018
Here is a surprisingly restrained horror offering from Tigon productions, a studio that attempted to rival Hammer pictures with films known for their violence ("Witchfinder General") and sleaze ("Virgin Witch").

For "The Creeping Flesh", Tigon also cribbed a few Hammer actors: Cushing, Lee, and Michael Ripper. According to Wikipedia, it was the last movie produced by the studio; their run in production was only seven years long.

I wonder if the film failed, and that was the cause of the stoppage. It doesn't feel like a failure, but then it's nothing great, either. Cushing is a scientist who has recovered a skeleton of "primitive man" from a trip to New Guinea. The skeleton is enormous, with a spacious ribcage and a massive deformed skull. It looks like the skeleton of Pumpkinhead.

Cushing is looking to isolate the cause of evil through his experiments. However, his brother, played by Christopher Lee, is also after the prize, and may be willing to interfere with Cushing's research to gain it.

Matters are further confused by a serum Cushing's character invents that is supposed to prevent evil. He injects his daughter with it when he fears she might be going crazy like his wife did. It doesn't work: instead she puts on a red dress and goes to a bar where she gets drunk and attacks someone. But why did he inject her in the first place? Why would an anti-evil serum stop a person from going crazy?

The movie ends with the long awaited arrival of the monster in an admittedly fairly tense scene. Unfortunately, the movie just doesn't bring all its pieces together well enough. I think the fault may be in the direction or script level; the performances are good.
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4/10
Oh indeed, indeed... that is why I shall have to employ someone for whom ethics have no significance.
bombersflyup31 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The Creeping Flesh is interesting, but psychotic with many threads that don't come together successfully.

Void of humanity, in almost every scene. Even the protagonist though intending grand achievement for the good of mankind, is in fact evil day to day. The ending's abruptly poor, the brother studying them and this thing's where? It took a finger, the end... The acting's not great either, some of the minor roles bloody terrible.
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