Very well executed

Thanks for the memories!

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Horror superstars Sir Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing play half brothers in this Victorian era shocker. Cushing is an eminent scientist, Emmanuel Hildern, who has put forth the idea that insanity is a disease that *can* possibly be cured. His discovery of a most unusual pile of bones in Papua New Guinea would seem to lend credence to his theories of evolution. Lorna Heilbron is Emmanuels' troubled daughter Penelope, who's distraught over not knowing very much about her late mother. And Lee is James Hildern, operator of a lunatic asylum who also has a daffy idea that he aims to prove.All the ingredients are here for what turns out to be a pretty solid, if imperfect, feature. Cushing and Lee are simply wonderful, especially in their scenes together. And they're directed by renowned cinematographer / filmmaker Freddie Francis, who also guided the two of them in "The Skull" from 1965. The amusing, interesting screenplay is by Peter Spenceley and Jonathan Rumbold, who create a few subplots and mix them together with decent results. One of the through lines is Emmanuels' accidental discovery that his newly acquired skeleton can be restored to life!A company named Tigon made this one, and it's good enough to compare favorably with a lot of the period horrors cranked out by the more famous Hammer Studios and Amicus productions. The period detail is respectable, the lighting by Norman Warwick is just right, and the music by Paul Ferris is excellent. Makeup artist Roy Ashton does typically fine work. The film is also somewhat gory, but it won't be too hard to take for more squeamish viewers.Gorgeous Heilbron delivers a transfixing performance as the daughter. The exemplary supporting cast also includes George Benson, Kenneth J. Warren, Duncan Lamont, Harry Locke, Michael Ripper (whose role is much too brief), Catherine Finn, and Jenny Runacre.It's all worth it just for the delicious twist ending, which does help to smooth over any holes there might be in the story.Seven out of 10.

Compared to other movies that paired up Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, "The Creeping Flesh" is a bit more obscure than some other offerings. Which is too bad, because this effort is quite a bit of fun to watch. One of the interesting things about it is that there is significantly more plot than usual, so much so that part of the fun is wondering how all these plot threads will eventually meet up. There is admittedly a bit TOO much plot and not quite enough monster thrills; those looking primarily for horror violence and action will probably be somewhat disappointed. There are also some slow bits here and there, though the movie never gets to the point of being boring. Also, the way that the movie is told - it's almost entirely one long flashback - will probably have you correctly guessing what the twist at the end of the movie will be during the first few minutes of the movie. (I certainly predicted it.) Despite those aforementioned problems, those who enjoy British horror movies from this period will probably enjoy this entire package. After all, any movie project that could attract both Cushing and Lee must have something to it.

Peter Cushing plays a scientist returning from New Guinea with a huge humanoid skeleton he had found. He has formed a theory that it was evil, and when it is splashed with water, starts to regrow flesh, then eventually comes to life to wreck havoc. Meanwhile, he injects his daughter Penelope with its blood, mixed with blood he considers good, on the theory that it will destroy the evil: he is proved to be wrong, as Penelope goes on the same road to ruin that led to his own wife being put in an insane asylum, run by his brother(played by Christopher Lee).Contrived and cynical film about the battle between good and evil never amounts to much, even with two horror legends in the leads. Subtext about whether or not the scientist is really crazy(and the whole film a figment of his imagination) is not enough to redeem this film, though the direction by Freddie Francis is adequate.

"The Creeping Flesh" is a neat idea for a movie: a doctor brings home a skeleton that grows flesh when exposed to water. That probably could have been the plot of a 1950s B movie. Unfortunately, this movie meanders way too much. A large portion of it focuses on the daughter's descent into madness, and we have to wait a really long time before the skeleton does its stuff. Maybe one has to see it more than once to appreciate the movie as a whole sufficiently.Other than that, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are great in their roles (as can be expected). Even so, I prefer Freddie Francis's movies that stick entirely to their plots. As it was, the end of this one reminded me of the end of Philip Kaufman's "Quills".