3. Die, Monster, Die! (1965)

Only In Amityville

Episode 3 of Season 4! Host, Gratton Conwill and special guest, Matt Fields discuss Die, Monster, Die! (1965).

Die, Monster, Die! is an American sci-fi Horror film released on October 27th 1965. It was directed by Daniel Haller and written by Jerry Sohl. It was a loose adaptation of HP Lovecraft’s “The Color out of Space” and featured Horror Legend Borris Karloff in a mad scientist role some have compared to his character in the 1935 film The Invisible Ray. For his role as Nahum Witley, Borris Karloff would don an iconic wheelchair to perform more comfortably. By 1965 Karloff was suffering from back problems that made walking a painful ordeal. Opposite Karloff is actor Nick Adams, known today for his roles in Frankenstein Conquers the World and Invasion of Astro Monster. As a result of not having back problems, Adams was denied the luxury of a wheelchair. The movie, produced by AIP, would shoot in Shepperton studios in England with Paul Beeson as cinematographer. However the movie would have its premiere in the United States a year before it reached the UK. Die, Monster, Die! marks the first time one of HP Lovecraft's stories would be adapted for the silver screen and the first time Daniel Haller would ever direct his own movie. Combining the gothic atmosphere of AIP’s typical genre movies with fear mongering cold war trepidations of radiation, Die, Monster, Die! was a bold endeavor. And its lofty ambitions landed it on a double feature with Mario Bava’s Planet of the Vampires. I have no idea if this movie made money, but reviews have been mixed to favorable. According to IMDB trivia, “a contemporary article in "Daily Variety" noted this was the first "monster" role for Boris Karloff in 30 years.” With Karloff having played a vampire in Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath just two years previously, not to mention Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde 12 years before, this claim is complete bullshit. Nonetheless, this obscure horror gem is appreciated today by horror fans worldwide with some even claiming it is quote, “the best movie ever made”.

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