Starring John Merivale, Didi Sullivan, Gerard Herter, Giacomo Rossi Stuart, Vittorio Andre
Directed by Riccardo Freda
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
A biologist researching the Mayan exodus in ancient times, discovers the cause, a still living destructive mass of protoplasm, which is fabled to destroy the world.
Freda's film is said to have been taken over by cinematographer/special effects artist Mario Bava as the first step in a reputable directorial career, but no matter who did what, it's a fine piece of Italian cinema and European horror with many wonderfully chilling elements. Bava's photography is first rate, expertly blending light and shadow for maximum effect, and although this was the third "giant blob" film released, after Hammer's X The Unknown and the American The Blob, it is technically the most expert, with perhaps the most chilling monster. Pulsating mounds of fleshy material (made from tripe (thanks to Dominique Lamssies for researching that) rip skin from its human victims in some grotesque effects that still hold up well. Robert Nicolosi's music score is also very effective, with eerie themes that highlight the ancient monster's menace. The human character subplots in the screenplay are nothing you haven't seen before, but are well integrated enough to build suspense when Caltiki isn't on the screen, and make the picture as a whole not only entertaining to watch, but also artful in its construction.
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