THE SOUL OF A MONSTER

Horror Hair: Rose Hobart as Lilyan

THE SOUL OF A MONSTER (1944). Director:  Will Jason. 

A great doctor and humanitarian, George Winson (George Macready), is dying and no one can save him. His wife, Ann (Jeanne Bates), calls on any power, including the power of darkness, to save him. Along comes a mysterious woman named Lilyan (Rose Hobart) with a severe and hideous hairdo, who somehow manages to save George's life. However, everyone -- including his friends and associates Fred (Erik Rolf) and Dr. Vance (Jim Bannon of The Unknown) -- notice that the good doctor has changed and doesn't especially care about people anymore. Ann is convinced that George is under the control of the evil Lilyan, and the witch even tries to get George to murder Dr. Vance. Then George wakes up ...

Jeanne Bates and George Macready

The ending to the pretty terrible Soul of a Monster will have you groaning. The screenplay by Edward Dein -- who was better known as a director [The Leech Woman] -- is ludicrous, with stilted dialogue that would have been a challenge to any actor. Despite this, Rose Hobart manages to make a minimal impression and Macready is almost always on target in his performances. The best you can say about Will Jason's direction is that it is fortunate he did no more horror movies. Dein did write a few more scripts in the genre, which were better than this. The basic effect of the movie is that of a filmed old comic book with little logic and very haphazard storytelling. A near-murder sequence where Macready stalks his friend (who never mentions it to anyone) with an icepick in hand is so protracted  and slow that it becomes more boring than suspenseful. A scene with a boys' choir singing "Ave Maria" is more interesting. 

Verdict: A waste of an interesting idea. *1/4. 

THE LEECH WOMAN (Another view)

Grant Williams and Coleen Gray

THE LEECH WOMAN (1960). Director: Edward Dein. 

Wealthy June Talbot (Coleen Gray) is ten years older than her not-so-adoring husband, Dr. Paul Talbot (Phillip Terry), and his disaffection has driven her to drink. Paul gets an idea to make lots of moola when he encounters Malla (Estelle Hemsley), a native woman who claims to be over 140! Paul importunes June to travel to Africa with him -- along with guide Bertram Garvey (John Van Dreelen) -- so they can discover Malla's secret from her tribe. June discovers the secret -- and how! -- and returns to the States (sans Paul) looking so young and beautiful that she can masquerade as her own niece. She sets her cap for her "aunt's" gorgeous lawyer, Neil Foster (Grant Williams), which sets his fiancee Sally's (Gloria Talbott) teeth on edge. Meanwhile bodies of murdered men are being found in both New York and California ... 

Estelle Helmsley, made up to look even older

The Leech Woman is a fun B movie with an interesting premise that actually could have used another 15 minutes or half an hour to develop the characters and milk the situations further. The picture certainly exploits the universal terror of aging. Coleen Gray gives a vivid lead performance in this, although 73-year-old Estelle Helmsley (mother of comic actor Sherman Helmsley) makes a strong impression as well. (When Malla becomes young and beautiful again she is played by Kim Hamilton.) Phillip Terry, former husband of Joan Crawford, offers an effective portrait of a slimy opportunist. Van Dreelan is fine and Williams [The Incredible Shrinking Man] doesn't have to do much but look dreamy enough to excite the interest of both Sally and June, something the handsome blond easily accomplishes. 

Verdict: One woman's revenge on callous male age-bigots? ***. 

THE LEECH WOMAN

Coleen Gray and  Estelle Hemsley

THE LEECH WOMAN (1960). Director: Edward Dein. 

Dr. Paul Talbot (Phillip Terry) has driven his wife, June (Coleen Gray), to drink, and is even more contemptuous of her now that she's a dipsomaniac. However, when they encounter a woman named Malla (Estelle Hemsley), who claims she is 152-years-old and that her tribe back in Africa can make her young again, the Talbots lives begin a downward spiral into horror. 

Back to beauty: Coleen Gray

Malla believes that men grow distinguished with age but that an aged woman is pretty useless. Her tribe offers its old women one night of regained youth, beauty and love before dying. Oddly, one of the tribe's males has to be sacrificed in order for the woman to have one more night of life. Accompanied by their guide, Bertram (John Van Dreelen), the Talbots travel to Africa where June is offered her lost youth -- only she must pick the man for the sacrifice. Guess who's chosen? Using a powder derived from orchids combined with liquid from the pineal gland, June becomes young and sexy again. But for how long? And how many men will have to die in order for her to stay young?

Grant Williams and Coleen Gray

The Leech Woman is a fun movie if you don't take it seriously. The sequences in Africa are quite flavorful, with well-chosen clips of wild life and the like, and the scenes with the natives are all well-played. The movie becomes a bit stage-bound once the characters are back in the U.S., and not nearly enough is done with the film's basic premise of murder-for-youth. Gray gives a very good performance in a difficult role -- she pretends to be her own niece once she's young again -- but is on top of things all the way through. Terry is fine as the oily and distasteful Paul, Van Dreelen makes a convincing Bertram, and Grant Williams [Soldiers of Fortune] and Gloria Talbott are also good as June's somewhat sleazy lawyer and his over-anxious fiancee. Virtually every character in the movie is a certified creep. Irving Getz' score and a fast pace are decided assets. 

Verdict: Ridiculous but amusing horror flick with a solid lead performance. ***.