Creature with the Blue Hand/Web of the Spider (Blu-Ray)
**The Blu-Ray/DVD from Film Masters of “Creature with the Blue Hand” will be available on October 22, 2024. This is a review of not just the feature, but the Blu-Ray edition. The grade for this will be for the main movie itself; the set grades will be featured in the body.
“Creature with the Blue Hand” (1967)
A film like “Creature with the Blue Hand” is going to be best enjoyed nowadays as a relic of a time when plots only had to make the thinnest of sense to be entertaining. Of course, when you think about it, that is basically any time during the course of cinema history, but in the ’50s and ’60s, even if a film’s story had a literary source, as this film does, the way it unfolds can feel deeply silly. Tone is everything in storytelling, and even though this film goes to some bonkers places, that’s part of why Alfred Vohrer’s film works the way it does.
Adapted from a novel by Edgar Wallace (who also was a writer on “King Kong,” which was in production when he died in 1932), this film begins with Klaus Kinski as Dave Emerson, a man accused of murder who has been sent away for insanity. He escapes the facility early in the film, and he makes his way to his family’s home, where his mother (Ilse Steppat), his twin brother Richard, and the rest of his family lives. Inspectors from Scotland Yard follow him there, and he dresses in Richard’s clothes to make it seem like he is his brother. When people begin to be murdered, however, all suspicion leads to Dave, but something darker might be afoot in this story.
At a certain point, the film dispenses of Richard, and so Dave is the only brother left, and I’ll be honest- it’s a little disappointing “Creature With the Blue Hand” (which is how the killer dispatches of their victims) doesn’t really find use for a real dual performance from Kinski, not to mention his wild man energy in either role. This is a fairly straightforward murder mystery, albeit with some strange asides, like the other inmates at the hospital Dave escaped from, and how his cousin (played by Diana Körner) becomes a patient there. Straightforward, yes, but this is also a very solid one that leans into the absurdity of the story in a way that will keep you watching.
Blu-Ray Presentation
Film Masters delivers the goods once again. This film is restored beautifully without losing any of its age along the way. In addition to some of the usual Film Masters’s extras- a restored original trailer, as well as a modern one, an essay written by Nick Clark, a commentary by Stephen Jones and Kim Newman, along with documentaries on Edgar Wallace and Kinski- we also get a completely different cut of the film. Re-released in 1987 as “The Bloody Dead,” this version is six minutes longer, and is presented in its entirety, along with an archival commentary with the new footage’s director, Sam Sherman. That alone would be worth picking up this set.
Film Grade: B+
Audio & Video: A-
Bonus Features: A
“Web of the Spider” (1971)
If you are expecting a rich double feature centering around Kinski himself, 1971’s “Web of the Spider” will be a sore disappointment for you. Though he plays famed poet Edgar Allen Poe in the film, Kinski is only in the beginning and end of this thriller, which actually centers around an American reporter who spends the night in a castle that is allegedly haunted. Yes, that old thing. Kinski’s absence is not terribly missed, though, because the surreal nature of Antonio Margheriti’s film keeps us on our toes throughout.
The American journalist in question, Alan Foster (Anthony Franciosa), is originally in town to interview Poe, who is reciting his work while drinking in a tavern. As the two are talking, a man- Lord Thomas Blackwood (Enrico Osterman)- overhears Foster say something about him not believing in ghosts, and challenges him to spend one night in a castle his family owns. Foster accepts, and he is directed to the castle. Immediately he finds himself in the presence of the lovely Elizabeth Blackwood (Michèle Mercier), who shows him around. From there, his night begins to resemble a nightmare.
Margheriti’s film has atmosphere to spare as it unfolds, showing us familiar horror imagery through the perspective of a man who claims to not believe in the supernatural. Blinded by his affection for Elizabeth, Foster finds himself sliding down a mountain that populates the castle with intrigue and terror. The film is surreal and sometimes confusing but never without interest. This is a filmmaker who understands what matters in a film like this, and why we’re watching, and an internal logic is far down on the reasons we’re interested. Kinski may not be a major part of the action, but he is an important part of why “Web of the Spider” lures us in, and leaves us unsettled.
Blu-Ray Presentation
“Web of the Spider” is very much the bonus film of this collection. The good people of Film Masters have done a great job preserving it as they did “Creature with the Blue Hand,” but in terms of extras, this was definitely something of an afterthought. That doesn’t mean they are worth skipping, however; in addition to the trailers- both original and new- we get a commentary by Jones and Newman, along with an essay by Christopher Stewardson. It’s not a lot of bonus features, but they are enough to make this a worthy addition to this collection.
Film Grade: B+
Audio & Video: A-
Bonus Features: A-
Klaus Kinski is the selling point for this double feature of films, but the films are what will sell you in making this a part of your collection. I wouldn’t say either one is great, but both make a lot of sense for the type of legacy Film Masters is trying to maintain, and succeeds with.
