Monster of the Day #281

Karloff’s second go at a glowing monster. (Sorta)

  • The Rev.

    You gonna show the cute critters from the greenhouse tomorrow?…

    I wanted to like this movie better, mostly due to the actors involved. Still, it has its moments, both good and hilariously bad.

  • Ericb

    They ruined one of Lovecraft’s most effective stories by giving the events a disappointingly mundane explanation.

  • Rock Baker

    Die, Monster, Die! is one of those movies I always enjoy, but can’t seem to remember very much of it down the road. I may dig out my copy and give it another look. I mostly recall it as being like AIP’s attempt to make a Hammer film.

  • Gamera

    I don’t really even remember this film that well. Not at all a good film but not so bad it’s a ‘good’ bad movie.

    Would love to hear Sandy’s opinion.

  • zombiewhacker

    A favorite B-movie of mine when I was a tad.

    Nick Adams was a good actor who deserved a better fate.

  • KeithB

    Here is Lyz’ fairly recent take:
    http://www.aycyas.com/diemonsterdie.htm

  • Flangepart

    “Can you help my button my coat? Fingers are just sausages today…”

  • MY opinion? Well I saw this way back when it came out. I had already read Colour Out of Space at the time.

    I think I can sum up this movie best by stating that when I saw it, I did not realize it was a version of the Lovecraft story which I liked so much.

    Really, there weren’t any good HPL theatrical films until Re-Animator. Though a few of the Night Gallery and Thriller episodes did decent jobs.

  • Lovecraft in the 50s-70s was like Tom Waits – no one listens to him, but he influences a vast number of other musicians.

    Why, if it wasn’t for HPL, we woudln’t have the whole tentacle-rape genre from Japan.

  • Gamera

    Thanks Sandy. I wonder how much you can change a movie from a novel/story and still call it a adaption, I do remember this one being pretty loose.

  • zombiewhacker

    Hey, I listen to Tom Waits! Take that back!

  • KeithB

    One could argue that if you don’t leave the theater insane and gibbering madly, it wasn’t a good Lovecraft adaption. (i.e., there can never *be* a good Lovecraft adaption for anyone with half an imagination.)

    We can also thank HPL for the excellent Laundry series.

  • zombiewhacker – I adore Tom Waits and own all his CDs. But he’s not the kind of guy who gets played much on the top 40 stations.

    It is my fate to forever like musicians that are ignored by the masses. When someone asks me what kind of music I like, and I say, for exampke, “Warren Zevon” I just get a blank stare.

    Lovecraft is the same way – when I was the world’s biggest HPL fan in the 1960s and 1070s, no one knew who he was. I said I liked horror fiction and they asked me if I’d read The Stand.

  • KeithB

    “and I say, for exampke, “Warren Zevon” I just get a blank stare.”

    Not even a “Isn’t he the Werewolves of London guy?”?

    Sheesh, I must be getting old.