Medical Nightmares Month Quick Picks and Pans

Horror Hospital (1973) Michael Gough stars as the unscrupulous Dr. Christian Storm, who runs a sanitorium for young adults. The sanitorium is only a ruse, however, to provide a steady supply of unwilling test subjects for his experimental brain surgery (as a deterrent for potential escapees, the doctor’s limousine is equipped with a blade for quick and easy decapitations). The operation results in zombies who obey his every command. Robin Askwith and Vanessa Shaw play two 20-something patients who attempt to foil his plans, while trying to make it out alive. Gough is in top form playing another warped character you love to hate. Good, darkly comic fun. 

Rating: ***½. Available on Blu-ray and DVD 

 

Infection (2004) In director/co-writer Masayuki Ochiai’s unsettling, claustrophobic medical horror thriller, tensions run high at a small, financially strapped hospital. Already understaffed, overworked, and underpaid, the doctors and nurses are stretched beyond the breaking point when an infection of unknown origin runs through the patients and staff. The disease exerts a psychological and physiological effect on its victims, twisting perceptions while it transforms them into puddles of green goo. While the plot gets a bit muddy, it’s worth seeing for the strong performances and creepy atmosphere. 

Rating: ***½. Available on DVD and Tubi.

The Dentist (1996) When a high-strung dentist, Dr. Feinstone (Corbin Bernsen) discovers that his wife Brooke (Linda Hoffman) has been cheating on him with the pool man, his sanity goes off the deep end. Starting with Brooke, he takes his revenge on anyone else who crosses him. Although the makeup effects are suitably icky, the film overall is surprisingly restrained, with much more implied than shown. If you had an aversion to visiting the dentist before seeing this movie, it’s not likely to change your opinion. Look for a young Mark Ruffalo as a sleazy agent, Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead) as a police detective, and Earl Boen (Terminator, T2: Judgement Day) as a crooked IRS auditor. Directed by Brian Yuzna and co-written by Dennis Paoli, Stuart Gordon, and Charles Finch, The Dentist doesn’t break new genre ground, but it achieves its modest goals. 

Rating: ***. Available on DVD and Tubi 

Scalpel (1977) Dr. Phillip Reynolds (Robert Lansing), a morally bankrupt plastic surgeon, concocts an elaborate scheme to seize his runaway daughter’s (Judith Chapman) $5 million inheritance. An opportunity falls in his lap when he discovers a stripper who has been left for dead on the streets, with her face destroyed. He takes her under his wing, reconstructing her face in his daughter’s image. He grooms the ersatz daughter (also played by Chapman) to convince his lawyer and the rest of his family that she’s the real deal. Complications ensue, however, when the real daughter returns, only to find her doppelganger in her place. While far from perfect, it’s a decent thriller with a good twist ending.  

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray and Tubi

12 Hour Shift (2020) Set in a rural Arkansas hospital over the course of one night, anything can and often does happen. Mandy (Angela Bettis), a nurse at the end of her rope, keeps herself going by pilfering various drugs from the hospital, and taking part in a black-market organ transplant ring. When her dimwitted cousin (Chloe Farnworth) misplaces a kidney, it becomes just one of a cascade of unfortunate events, including bad weather, power outages, and a dangerous convict (David Arquette) on the loose. Matters are made worse by some inept cops and a less-than-helpful nursing staff. Writer/director Brea Grant’s black comedy keeps a lot of plates spinning, sometimes stretching credulity to its breaking point, but the colorful characters, amusing dialogue, and outrageous situations make this a diverting watch.   

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray and DVD

Night of the Bloody Apes (1969) In this Mexican exploitation film from director/co-writer René Cardona, a “gorilla” (although in the establishing shots, it’s clearly an orangutan) is taken from the local zoo by Dr. Krallman (José Elías Moreno), desperate to save his terminally ill son Julio (Agustín Martínez Solares). He successfully transplants the gorilla’s heart into his son (including some real open-heart surgery footage), but there’s an unexpected side-effect: Julio transforms into a murderous, hulking ape creature that kills men and rips the clothes off unsuspecting women. There’s also a women’s wrestling subplot that somehow figures into the story, prompting me to wonder if this started as another Santo movie (sadly, there’s no match with the monster). Stupid, silly and exploitive, but never dull. 

Rating: **½ stars. Available on Blu-ray, DVD, Prime Video and Midnight Pulp 

The Immortalizer (1989) This film features a B-movie premise that could have been a fun throwback to cheapo ‘40s and ‘50s productions if it hadn’t been so clumsily executed. Dr. Divine (Ron Ray) runs an underground clinic that transplants the brains of old, rich people into young, healthy bodies. A young man escapes the clinic, but returns to investigate the disappearance of his brother and their dates who have become subjects for the doctor’s experiments. Much like 1957’s The Unearthly, which the film seems to take its inspiration from, the action mostly takes place in one house, with interminable scenes of the characters running around. Even at 96 minutes, it seems at least 20 minutes too long. 

Rating: **. Available on Blu-ray and Prime Video 

Hellhole (1985) In this would-be thriller, Judy Landers stars as Susan Walker, an amnesiac in a mental hospital. The facility is lorded over by the sadistic Dr. Fletcher (Mary Woronov), who conducts experimental chemical lobotomies on patients in a clinic affectionately known as “Hellhole.” Meanwhile, she’s relentlessly pursued by the same hired killer (Ray Sharkey) who killed her mother. Susan’s memory holds the key to the whereabout of some “papers,” although their significance is never made clear. The movie features lots of gratuitous nudity to distract you from the fact that the story is so underbaked (including former Russ Meyer starlet Edy Williams as a fellow patient, whose sole purpose seems to be appearing in various states of undress). By the time the film sputters to an end, you’ll probably cease to care. 

Rating: **. Available on Blu-ray and Tubi 

X-Ray (aka: Hospital Massacre) (1981) Barbi Benton stars as Susan, a divorced businesswoman visiting the hospital for a routine exam. What was supposed to be a brief consultation with her doctor turns into an indefinite hospital stay when someone tampers with her X-rays, making it seem as if she’s suffering from a serious illness. As the body count piles up, it becomes evident that she’s the killer’s real target. An interesting premise is squandered by standard slasher trappings, and a comically incompetent hospital staff (who somehow fail to notice all the deaths). 

Rating: **. Available on Blu-ray, Prime Video and Tubi 

Surgikill (1989) Andy Milligan’s final film, this aggressively unfunny slasher comedy, ensured that his career went out with a whimper. Chaos is the rule at Goode Hospital, a struggling community hospital (which appears to be comprised of three rooms). A killer roams the halls, dispatching the clueless hospital staff. With its haphazard editing, cringe-worthy acting, and gags that consistently fall flat, Surgikill falters, even by Milligan’s questionable standards. 

Rating: *½. Available on DVD, Midnight Pulp, Prime Video and Tubi 

 

 

 

The Man Who Could Cheat Death

(1959) Directed by Terence Fisher; Written by Jimmy Sangster; Based on the play The Man in Half Moon Street by Barré Lyndon; Starring: Anton Diffring, Hazel Court, Christopher Lee, Arnold Marlé, and Delphi Lawrence; Available on Blu-ray and DVD

Rating: ***½

“I must insist in saying that there are no South American versions, nor are there any Japanese versions or any other versions. This is what happens: we shoot the scenes up to the point where we say, ‘This is it; no further; this is how it should be.’ Subsequently, the complete integral version is submitted to the censors of each country, whereupon they decide what could be cut and what should be left in… There was only one scene they asked me to shoot for possible export. That was a waist nude of Hazel Court when she was posing in The Man Who Could Cheat Death.” – Terence Fisher (on shooting alternate film versions for Hammer)

 

Ever since our species have contemplated our mortality, it’s been the dream of philosophers, scientists, and the wealthy to find the secret to prolonging life. Barré Lyndon’s 1939 play The Man in Half Moon Street ran with this theme, followed by the 1944 Paramount film adaptation. Seeking to get a piece of the late ‘50s Hammer Horror pie, Paramount offered their property to the production company. Peter Cushing was offered the starring role, but when he turned it down for unknown reasons (presumably exhaustion), Hammer scrambled to find a replacement. The logical choice was Anton Diffring,* who played the role in 1957, for a one-hour segment of the British television series, Hour of Mystery (sadly, it’s presumed lost). Hammer’s version was retitled The Man Who Could Cheat Death,** with the play’s main character, John Thackeray, changed to Georges Bonnet for the latest version. 

* Fun Fact #1: The re-casting of Diffring was truly a last-minute decision, with producer Michael Carreras offering the role only five days before shooting was to begin. 

** Fun Fact #2: The film’s working title was The Man in the Rue Noire, before it became known as The Man Who Could Cheat Death.

Set in Paris, circa 1890, doctor and hobbyist sculptor Georges Bonnet (Anton Diffring) has set up his practice in a new place (curiously, we never see him practicing medicine or treating a single patient). Just as he’s about to retire his latest model/muse Margo Philippe (Delphi Lawrence), an old flame from his days in Italy, Janine Du Bois (Hazel Court), walks back into his life. When Janine agrees to pose for Bonnet’s unfinished project, a nude bust, their passion is reignited – much to the disdain of her current boyfriend, Dr. Pierre Gerrard (Christopher Lee). Meanwhile, Margo, who’s less than thrilled to have been kicked to the curb, accidentally discovers Bonnet’s secret, which he’s guarded fiercely for decades: an elixir that restores his youth and vitality. As we soon learn, however, the substance only has a temporary effect, with a more permanent solution requiring more drastic measures. Bonnet eagerly awaits the arrival of his elderly colleague Dr. Weiss (Arnold Marlé),* who alone holds the secret to prolonging his life, a surgical procedure involving replacement of the parathyroid gland (which requires replacement every 10 years).** Complications ensue when the now 89-year-old Dr. Weiss (who was once 15 years Bonnet’s junior) reveals that a recent stroke has rendered him incapable of operating. Desperate to preserve his life at any cost, Bonnet is forced to find another doctor who can perform the delicate surgery. But time and his previous misdeeds (moving from place to place each preceding decade, while his models mysteriously disappear) have begun to catch up with him. 

* Fun Fact #3: Marlé, who also appeared with Diffring in the 1957 television version, reprised his role as Dr. Ludwig Weiss for the movie. 

** Fun Fact #4: Although an operation scene seems to suggest that the parathyroid gland was in Bonnet’s abdomen, the real parathyroid gland (humans generally have four) is located around the thyroid gland in the neck.

The film’s greatest strength is in the performances by a cast of exemplary actors.* While some might view Diffring’s performance as Bonnet to be cold and distant, I would argue that he sets the right tone, as someone who’s progressively lost his humanity over the years, desperate to keep his youthful visage at any cost. On the other hand, it’s a little difficult to imagine Peter Cushing occupying the same role, although I’m confident he would have done a good job with his interpretation of the character. Hazel Court is radiant as Bonnet’s muse and former lover, Janine, in what should have been her breakthrough role as a Hammer star (unfortunately, this film proved to be Diffring’s only role for Hammer, and Court’s last). Christopher Lee is underutilized as Dr. Pierre Gerrard, who seems to be there only to serve as the film’s moral compass. Arnold Marlé has a more substantial role as Dr. Weiss, who’s grown ambivalent about his relationship with his longtime friend and colleague. His tipping point is reached when he expresses his disgust to Bonnet about his flagrant disregard for the sanctity of human life. 

* Fun Fact #5: Hammer regular Michael Ripper was reportedly slated to play a scene as a morgue attendant, although it appears the scene was never shot.

Despite the fact that the film was fairly tame compared to its Hammer contemporaries The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula (aka: Horror of Dracula), the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) scrutinized every detail of the production, starting with Georges Bonnet’s hobby (they didn’t like the idea that the main character was a sculptor of busts, which was apparently too salacious for audiences). They also objected to the scenes when Bonnet attacked one of the characters with his toxic green hand (the accompanying sound effect was cut from the final print). The BBFC also deemed the final scene too gruesome, so the climactic sequence was truncated for the release version. Most famously, a brief shot of Hazel Court posing topless was excised from the UK and American prints but retained for the European cut (film lovers will be pleased to learn that the recent Vinegar Syndrome release restores the cut shot of Court, as well as the complete final scene).  

 

The Man Who Could Cheat Death resonates with the age-old theme of someone vainly attempting to overcome humankind’s mortal limits. With shades of The Picture of Dorian Gray (minus the painting) and Bluebeard, the film illustrates how the quest for the secret to eternal life is an ultimately selfish pursuit, neither practical nor desirable. It’s too bad it’s not regarded as highly as some other Hammer productions. It stands on its own, featuring an enduring premise, fine performances, and eye-catching color cinematography. By virtue of following The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula, the bar was set impossibly high for this comparatively lower-key production. While the movie fails to hide its origins as a stage production, its other substantial assets are more than enough to hold our attention. With the benefit of quite a few decades behind its belt, The Man Who Could Cheat Death deserves a reassessment, based on its own merits. Although perhaps a notch below some of Hammer’s most celebrated films, it’s certainly worthy of its Hammer Horror pedigree. 

 

Sources for this article: Vinegar Syndrome Blu-ray commentary by Kim Newman and Stephen Jones; “A Hideous Concoction – Film Historian Jonathan Rigby on The Man Who Could Cheat Death” (Vinegar Syndrome featurette); The Hammer Story, by Marcus Hearn and Alan Barnes; Hammer Films: The Unsung Heroes, by Wayne Kinsey