The Creeping Flesh
Encyclopedia
The Creeping Flesh is a 1973 British horror film
. The film was directed by Freddie Francis
, and stars Christopher Lee
, Peter Cushing
, and Lorna Heilbron
.
scientist, is locked away in an insane asylum run by his brother Dr. James Hildern (Christopher Lee). Prof. Hildern tells (in flashback form) the tale of how he returned from New Guinea
with an abnormally large humanoid skeleton which contained malevolent powers. When exposed to water, the skeleton grows skin and turns into a vicious monster. He deduces from the monster's blood that evil is a sickness that one can get like a cold. By combining good and bad blood, Prof. Hildern's theory is he can make someone immune to evil. He promptly injects it into his daughter Penelope (Lorna Heilbron), hoping she will not become mentally ill like his wife who recently died in a sanitarium.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
. The film was directed by Freddie Francis
Freddie Francis
Frederick William Francis BSC was an English cinematographer and film director.He achieved his greatest successes as a cinematographer, including winning two Academy Awards, for Sons and Lovers and Glory...
, and stars Christopher Lee
Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
, Peter Cushing
Peter Cushing
Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
, and Lorna Heilbron
Lorna Heilbron
Lorna Heilbron is a Scottish actress born on the 8 June 1948 in Glasgow.She appeared in television series such as Ace of Wands, Van der Valk, Blake's 7, Taggart and Lovejoy...
.
Plot
Prof. Emmanuel Hildern (Peter Cushing), a Victorian eraVictorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
scientist, is locked away in an insane asylum run by his brother Dr. James Hildern (Christopher Lee). Prof. Hildern tells (in flashback form) the tale of how he returned from New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
with an abnormally large humanoid skeleton which contained malevolent powers. When exposed to water, the skeleton grows skin and turns into a vicious monster. He deduces from the monster's blood that evil is a sickness that one can get like a cold. By combining good and bad blood, Prof. Hildern's theory is he can make someone immune to evil. He promptly injects it into his daughter Penelope (Lorna Heilbron), hoping she will not become mentally ill like his wife who recently died in a sanitarium.
Cast
- Christopher LeeChristopher LeeSir Christopher Frank Carandini Lee, CBE, CStJ is an English actor and musician. Lee initially portrayed villains and became famous for his role as Count Dracula in a string of Hammer Horror films...
– Dr. James Hildern - Peter CushingPeter CushingPeter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
– Prof. Emmanuel Hildern - Lorna HeilbronLorna HeilbronLorna Heilbron is a Scottish actress born on the 8 June 1948 in Glasgow.She appeared in television series such as Ace of Wands, Van der Valk, Blake's 7, Taggart and Lovejoy...
– Penelope Hildern - Jenny RunacreJenny RunacreJenny Runacre is an actress.Runacre was born in Cape Town, South Africa. She relocated to London as a child, attended The Actor's Workshop there, and trained in the Stanislavski System....
– Marguerite Hildern - George BensonGeorge Benson (actor)George Christopher Benson was a Welsh and English actor of both theatre and screen, whose career spanned from the 1930s to the late 1970s...
– Prof. Waterlow - Kenneth J. WarrenKenneth J. WarrenKenneth John Warren was an Australian actor.-Selected Filmography:*Long John Silver *I Was Monty's Double *The Criminal *The Double Man *S*P*Y*S...
– Charles Lenny - Duncan LamontDuncan LamontDuncan William Ferguson Lamont was a British actor. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, but brought up in Scotland, he had a long and successful career in film and television, appearing in a variety of high-profile productions....
– Inspector - Harry LockeHarry LockeHarry Locke was a British character actor.He was born and died in London. He was a familiar face in three decades of British cinema, with appearances including Passport to Pimlico , Reach for the Sky , Carry On Nurse , The Devil-Ship Pirates and The Family Way .In 1969 he appeared in Randall...
– Barman - Hedger Wallace – Dr. Perry
- Michael RipperMichael RipperMichael Ripper was an English character actor born in Portsmouth.He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. He played one of the two murderers in Richard III. Ripper became a mainstay in Hammer Film Productions...
– Carter - Catherine Finn – Emily
- Robert SwannRobert SwannRobert Swann may refer to:*Robert L. Swann , comptroller of the State of Maryland in the United States*Robert L. Swann , American lawyer, and Colonel in the United States Armed Services...
– Young Aristocrat - David BailieDavid BailieDavid Bailie is a British actor, known for his performances on stage, television and film. In the '60s and '70s he worked for both the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he was an associate artist. On TV he played "Dask" in the 1977 Doctor Who serial The Robots of Death, and...
– Young Doctor - Maurice Bush – Karl
- Tony WrightTony Wright (actor)Tony Wright was a British film actor.-Selected filmography:* The Flanagan Boy * Jumping for Joy * Jacqueline * Tiger in the Smoke * Seven Thunders...
– Sailor - Marianne StoneMarianne StoneMarianne Stone was a British character actress. She appeared in many films from the early 1940s to the late 1980s...
– Female Assistant - Alexandra DaneAlexandra DaneAlexandra Dane is a blonde haired actress who appeared in many films including Goldfinger, The Ups and Downs of a Handyman, Carry On Up The Khyber, Carry On Loving, other Carry On films and Terry Gilliam's Jabberwocky.Her many television appearances include Not On Your Nellie, Alas Smith and Jones...
– Whore - Larry Taylor – Warder #1
- Martin Carroll – Warder #2
- Dan Meaden – Lunatic
- Sue BondSue BondSue Bond is a blonde British actress, cabaret singer, and comedienne best remembered for her appearances on The Benny Hill Show in the early 1970s....
– Girl in Tavern