The Curse Of The Living Corpse

Year releasted: 1964

by Keith Phipps
May 17th, 2006

Tagline: "From out of the grave stalks the creature that undrapes the passions of the living!"

Plot: The year: 1892. The place: some spooky corner of New England. The occasion: the death of Rufus Sinclair, an elderly gentleman with a lifelong fear of being buried alive. He's little-missed, and no wonder, considering that he's even a dick from beyond the grave: His will withholds his inheritances for a year after his death, and it requires his family to meet stringent requirements, like keeping a torch constantly burning in his crypt just in case he should return from the dead. If they don't, he promises his spirit will kill them in the manners they fear most. (There's no "Bwa-ha-ha!" in the wording, but it's implied.)

Key scenes: Hey, guess what happens? The would-be-heirs start dying in the manners they fear most, including drowning, fire, and in the case of one vain son, fatal disfigurement. Could it be Rufus Sinclair returned from the grave? Nah, but it takes nearly 80 minutes and some not-so-expert sleuthing from the local constables to deduce that unassuming son Roy Scheider (making a less-than-distinguished debut) is actually committing the murders.

Can easily be distinguished by: The Curse Of The Living Corpse combines the production values of an early-'60s Roger Corman production with the depth of character that writer-director Del Tenney brought to his best-known effort: the Mystery Science Theater 3000 favorite The Horror Of Party Beach.

Sign that it was made in 1964: Several characters clearly want to have hot, naked sex instead of the theoretical variety suggested by most '50s B-movies. Also, one scene reveals most of a breast.

Timeless message: If the dead want to have lit torches next to their coffins, just let them. Jeez.

Memorable quotes: There's no escaping the logic of this statement: "If he was buried alive, you can be sure of one thing. By now, he's hopelessly insane, a homicidal maniac bent on only one thing: revenge by the most the most horrible means imaginable."

Available on a double-feature DVD with The Horror Of Party Beach from Dark Sky Films.