Monster of the Day #13

Updated on April 23, 2010 By Ken Begg 14 Comments

“What if Phillipe does not have the mind of a human… but the murderous brain of a fly?!?”*

[*OK, that’s cheating a bit, because the quote is from the sequel.  But c’mon, that’s like the greatest line in movie history.  Even moreso because it’s said by Vincent Price.]
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  • Ericb

    “Murderous brain of a fly?” Since when are flys murderous? They can’t even bite or chew they just slurp stuff up with their sponge mouth.

  • P Stroud

    I was 11 years old when that movie came out. My parents let me see it one Saturday matinee. It scared me shytless and I spent a goodly amount of time hiding in the lobby with a buncha other kids. Great movie.

  • The design of the fly head makes an interesting contrast with that of the sequel. As you can see here, the fly head is, at best, as big as a regular human head. In Return of the Fly, it’s huge, like Betty Boop’s.

    I guess maybe they thought that was scarier? Either that, or this was more of a make-up appliance that had to be put on in stages, and the much cheaper follow-up (it was in black and white, whereas the first film was a color A-picture) just whipped up a big mask so that whoever was around could wear it?

  • Tork_110

    This movie is responsible for sooo many people being arachnophobic.

  • Ericb

    That last scene still creeps me out.

  • The film does end with a pressing decision.

  • KeithB

    Should we make bets as to when Brundlefly appears?

  • Rock Baker

    That’s really great! I don’t think I’ve ever seen this shot before but it’s a perfect one! Return of the Fly was a keen picture too, more of a monster movie really, and didn’t hurt from being shot in black and white. Curse of the Fly is a bit of a stumper. While the title DOES make sense (and I admire the effort to try something new rather than simply re-play ‘Return’), what sense does it make to have a ‘Fly’ movie without a monstrous half-man half-fly in it?

  • Rock Baker

    By the way, back in the 70s Mego toys put out a Fly action figure! Sure it wasn’t official and is said to be a really crude doll, but the idea behind it is one of the best examples of why toys were so much cooler in the 70s.

  • BeckoningChasm

    I like this version (of both film and monster) much more than the Cronenmberg remake.

  • FLIES ARE MURDEROUS!!

  • Elizabeth

    Strangely enough, I have never seen the Cronenberg version. My father took it upon himself to educate small me in the very best of movie history, and this was one of his picks (along with Them!, The Tingler, and other classics).

    The final scene, alas, was horrifying in concept but… lacking in execution. Squeaky voices just don’t work for terror.

  • Your father was a wise, wise man.

  • Marsden

    I always thought murderous in this sense as: will eat anything without regard to whose meal they’ve just landed on. They only just slurp stuff up with their tounge after they puke acid on it, so that could be… trouble.