THE PREMATURE BURIAL

THE PREMATURE BURIAL (1962). Produced and directed by Roger Corman. 

Convinced that his own father suffered from catalepsy and was buried alive, Guy Carrell (Ray Milland of The Sea Serpent) has a morbid fear of the same fate and takes elaborate steps to prevent it. His wife, Emily (Hazel Court), father-in-law Gideon (Alan Napier), and friend Miles (Richard Ney) convince him to cast off his fears and live life on its own terms. His crypt, with a variety of safety devices should he be entombed while alive, is burnt to the ground, and he starts out on a new life. But he may find that certain forces could be conspiring against him ... 

Guy on the moors

The Premature Burial is one of the best of Roger Corman's "Poe"-influenced vehicles, although the screenplay -- by Ray Russell [The Horror of It All] and Charles Beaumont -- seems more influenced by Robert Bloch or Jimmy Sangster than Poe. Although at first Milland, filling in for Vincent Price, seems a bit stiff, he eventually settles in and gives a good performance, underplaying as if afraid of being too hammy as Price could be. (Originally this was not going to be released by American International, and since Price had an exclusive contract with AIP, Milland had to be hired -- then the film was released by AIP.) Court, Ney, Napier and Heather Angel as Guy's sister, Kate, all give notable performances, as do John Dierkes and Dick Miller (whom I did not recognize) as gravediggers. The moody film is well-shot by Floyd Crosby and Ronald Stein's score adds to the considerable atmospherics. Both gentleman also worked on Attack of the Crab Monsters. 

Verdict: Classy, well-acted, absorbing horror melodrama. ***. 

HOSTILE WITNESS

Ray Milland also directed the film

HOSTILE WITNESS (1969). Director: Ray Milland. 

Attorney Simon Crawford (Ray Milland, who also directed the film) is horrified to learn that his daughter, Joanna (Sandra Tallent), has been killed by a hit and run driver. Soon after, Simon's old friend, Judge Gregory (Percy Marmont), who was practically an uncle to the young lady, is found murdered. The prosecutor insists that there is evidence that the dead judge was the hit and run driver, and that Simon, who swore to kill whoever ran over his daughter, is the murderer. Simon does not believe that the judge was the driver, and knows he did not commit the murder. Now the arrogant barrister finds himself on trial, and a lot depends on a strange letter and a private investigator who may or may not even exist. 

Hostile Witness is absorbing enough although the plot, taken from a stage play, is a bit on the creaky side. Milland is fine as Simon, and he gets some able support from Sylvia Syms as a legal assistant, Ewan Roberts as his lawyer, Hamish Gillespie, and Norman Barrs as another associate, Charles Milburn. Geoffrey Lunsden is also effective as Major Maitland, a dear friend of Simon's who may do more harm than good on the witness stand. It's all professional, reasonably fast-paced, but all in all just too minor to be that memorable. Milland also directed Panic in the Year Zero and a few other theatrical films along with several TV episodes. There is at least one loose end remaining at the film's conclusion. 

Verdict: Watchable if forgettable. **1/4. 

THE SEA SERPENT

The pop-eyed serpent of The Sea Serpent

THE SEA SERPENT (aka Serpiente de mar/1985). Writer/Director: Gregory Greens (Amando de Ossorio).

Pedro Fontan (Timothy Bottoms) loses his licence as ship's captain and may go to jail for claiming that his ship was sunk by a sea monster. Linares (Jared Martin), who didn't see the creature, insists to a board of review that Pedro was drunk. Pedro was also captain of another ship that sunk, and Linares' sister died. Leaning of a woman, Margaret (Taryn  Power), who was institutionalized after seeing her friend devoured by the creature, Pedro goes to see her and sneaks her out of the hospital. The two then contact Professor Wallace (Ray Milland), who after initial distrust, believes their stories and decides to help them track down the sea monster, which was apparently created or revived when the military activated and dropped an atomic bomb in the ocean to keep it out of the hands of the enemy (!). 

Bottoms, Power, Milland

If you're hoping for a classic sea monster movie like The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms or a not-quite-classic like The Giant Behemoth -- and this movie borrows many elements from both films -- be warned that The Sea Serpent is nowhere near that level. The screenplay itself is by no means terrible, and there is at least an attempt at characterization, but the movie is almost defeated by the rather silly-looking monster. Not a "sock puppet" as many have described it, the creature has a full-size prop head large enough for certain actors to fit inside its mouth. (The scenes of the beast gobbling down supporting cast members eventually become comical.) The monster is quite large, with a very long, snake-like, slithering body that in one genuinely creepy scene winds itself around and around a lighthouse. The climax involving a bridge and a helicopter is somewhat exciting as well, if only the budget and the FX had been up to the challenge. The protagonists in the movie seem less interested in fully destroying the monster than they are in simply chasing it away so it can become somebody else's problem! Nice!

Bottoms and Power

One might suggest that the performances in the film are better than the movie deserves. Although most of the actors are dubbed, it appears as if the four leads were allowed to use their own voices. One has to say that this cheapie-creepy certainly has an interesting cast: Bottoms from The Last Picture Show; Martin from TV's Dallas; Milland, a Best Actor Oscar-winner for The Lost Weekend; and Tyrone Power's daughter, Taryn, from Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. I wonder if they knew what the monster with its decidedly limited movement would look like while they were filming? It's one of the least convincing monsters since the big bird of The Giant Claw. 

The Sea Serpent was Milland's last theatrical film. Power only made one more film out of ten. Bottoms' career survived this flop and he is still acting and producing today. Martin passed away in 2017 at age 75. 

Verdict: Not completely atrocious, but hardly one of the better efforts in the genre. **.