THE FLESH EATERS

Martin Kosleck, Barbara Wilkin, Rita Morley 

THE FLESH EATERS (1964). Director: Jack Curtis. Written by Arnold Drake. Colorized version.  

Drunken actress Laura Winters (Rita Morley) simply must get to Provincetown to perform, and she hires pilot Grant Murdoch (Byron Sanders) to get her there, dragging along her secretary Jan Letterman (Barbara Wilkin). Unfortunately engine trouble forces them down on a deserted island inhabited by former Nazi scientist Peter Bartell (Martin Kosleck of Agent for H.A.R.M), who is still experimenting with a microscopic lifeform he refers to as "flesh eaters." And he ain't kidding! For unspecified reasons Bartell wants to use electricity to super-energize the little darlings, but this has an unexpected result, causing the creatures to form a conglomerate that is positively huge. 

Byron Sanders and Martin Kosleck

The Flesh Eaters is a wild, gruesome, uninhibited horror story that may not have much internal logic but provides ample opportunity for thrills, amusement and horror. The cast, led by the sinisterly charming Kosleck, is certainly game, and Rita Morley scores as the somewhat overbearing dipsomaniac actress. Although at first he's quite irritating, Ray Tudor is notable as the ill-fated beatnik Omar, whose death figures in the movie's grisliest sequences. There's a splendid scene when Murdoch helps Laura -- trying to grab a suitcase of booze where it got caught in some rocks -- make her way over a pool of sizzling flesh-eaters on a treacherous jetty. The giant flesh eater has mottled, bumpy skin as well as humongous pincers. The score by Julian Stein is not very impressive initially, but eventually it becomes quite effective. Aside from Kosleck, most of the actors had few credits, although Sanders and Morley did work in soap operas. 

Verdict: A clever and inventive monster flick. ***