Squeezed between the invasion of science-fiction films that ruled the decade, THE THING THAT COULDN'T DIE (1958) is a horror film oddity. Universal International was about to release the US version of Hammer's HORROR OF DRACULA and they needed another horror film as second-billing. What they came up with paled in comparison. The tepid story is saved by the creepy, disembodied head of the executed Gideon Drew (Robin Hughes), who casts its hypnotic spell among the rest of the players to do its evil bidding.
- Will Cowan produced and directed over 100 films during his long career, but this was his only horror picture.
- Scriptwriter David Duncan wrote a number of horror, fantasy and science-fiction scripts including, RODAN (English version; 1956), THE BLACK SCORPION (1957), MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS (1958), FANTASTIC VOYAGE (1966) and three versions of THE TIME MACHINE (1960; 1993; 2002).
- Edward Curtiss edited; besides working on a number of Howard Hawks' films, FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN (1943) and THE INNER SANCTUM thriller, PILLOW OF DEATH (1945), early in his career, he edited THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1923) and THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA (1925).
- Bud Westmore is credited as the makeup artist, but as in THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON it is Jack Kevan's work that got suppressed as a result of the Westmore family's stranglehold on the Hollywood makeup industry; he designed and created Drew's head and it's likely that Westmore just copied that for the makeup on the live actor.
- Actor Robin Hughes may look familiar; he played the Devil in the Charles Beaumont-scripted episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE, "The Howling Man".
SYNOPSIS (from the Pressbook):
When Jessica Burns (Carolyn Kearney) tries to prove her powers of "second sight" to a group of skeptical friends, Gordon Hawthorne (William Reynolds), Hank Houston (Jeffrey Stone) and Linda Madison (Andra Martin), she discovers an ancient, 400-year-old chest hidden on her ranch.
Later that night, with the still unopened chest under the guard of the ranch handyman, Mike (Charles Horvath) and the foreman Boyd Abercrombie (James Anderson), its horrible contents are disclosed when Mike, thinking it may contain treasure, forces it open. He comes face to face with a hideous human head whose eyes open and overcome Mike with their hypnotic power, forcing him to kill Boyd. Mike escapes into the night cradling the horrible head in his arms.
While wandering alone the next morning, Jessica is overcome by a strange evil force, and, in her faint, sees an event from the past recreated. She sees an ancient jury sentence Gideon Drew (Robin Hughes) to death for practicing the powers of Satan, His head is cut off and placed in one casket, while his body is in another, his sentence of eternal damnation.
Shaken by her experience, Jessica returns home. One by one the head overpowers first Linda, and then Jessica herself. She is forced to use her "witching" powers to located the buried casket containing the head's body.
After finding the chest, it is opened in front of everyone in the living room.The incredible headless corpse rises and is joined with the evil head. Filled with lust, it is about to make a blood sacrifice of Jessica to its Satanic Gods when Gordon, who is in love with Jessica, throws off the hypnotic power by a supreme effort of will and fights for his life with Drew.
At the last moment of the struggle, Gordon flings Jessica's magic talisman at Drew and the group is released from the hypnotic spell as Drew's body crumbles into a pile of ashes and dust, finally at peace.
LOBBY CARDS
PRESSBOOK
Noted movie poster artist Reynold Brown used this picture of Robin Hughes as Gideon Drew as photo reference.
PHOTOS
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| James Anderson as Boyd Abercrombie. |
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| Carolyn Kearney as Jessica Burns. |
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| Andra Martin as Linda Madison. |
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| Charles Horvath as Mike. |
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| Jeffry Stone as Hank Huston. |
SPOOK STORIES CARDS (1961). After getting many duplicates in my wax packs, I never knew what movie these were from until years later).
THEATRICAL TRAILER
