Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing find themselves pitted against an ancient alien locksmith prone to eerie whistling. This thing has been frozen for 2,000 years somewhere on the Siberian steppe but he’s able to pick the lock on his cargo container blind and escape. His first act: play mockingbird to the Countess’s piano playing. Either that or the soundtrack composer’s monkeying around with the movie’s main theme. John Cacavas!

 

Maybe of the greatest concern is that, with his eyes, he kills people. Not Cacavas but the creature. His eyes go red and you go dead. But more than that he’s stolen everything you’ve ever known and experienced. He’s kinda like that Wendigo (see Creature Feature from October 12). Add phenomenal charisma, the ability to command a zombie army as well as jump from host to human host and he’s a sextuple threat, a six-tool baddie.

 

In one section, Cushing’s Dr. Wells performs an autopsy on one of the monster’s victims as the train hurtles along the tracks. That should have been the sloppiest of messes but he manages to take the top of the deceased baggage man’s head off with great skill. Later on, he and Lee’s Professor Saxton manage to use a microscope without putting out an eye. So, basically, the monster’s met his match in these two.

 

Throw in a scenery-chewing mad and mixed up monk who sees Satan in every thing, an inspector with a monster’s hand and Telly Savalas as Kojak the Cossack… and, well, you’ve got yourself a rip-roaring cult picture.