I Bet You Didn't See... The Fly
The Fly (1958) is probably one of the most famous and successful B-Movies ever made and one of THE horror films of all time.
Like Rocky, The Shining, Alien among others, The Fly is one of the most commonly referenced and parodied horror films across countless mediums. But it is a masterpiece that works through the ages.
WARNING - There will be spoilers here, as I assume we call know the story!
Helene Delambre (Patricia Owens) is telling Detective Charas (Herbert Marshall) and her brother-in-law Francois (Vincent Price) why she has killed her husband Andre Delambre.
Andre Delambre (David Hedison) is a French-Canadian scientist and inventor, co-owning a company with his brother. He doesn't care for it much, but it gives him the money to explore his scientific interests. He spends long periods of time in his basement laboratory, away from his wife and son, Phillipe (Charles Herbert), but when he celebrates, he treats them with love and kindness.
One of these celebrations is for his matter-transporter. He shows his wife, but when the makers print on the plate comes out backwards, he retreats back until the issue is fixed. Then he treats his wife to a night out at the opera.
Then, having fixed further issues that lead to him losing the family cat to the ether, he ceases to leave the lab and only permits Helene to enter. When she does, his head is covered in a cloth and he always has his left hand in his pocket. Communicating with his typewriter, he explains he has had his terrible, infamous accident. Helene doesn't understand the full extent of his changes until he violently tries to stop a fly, whereupon his cloth falls from his head and she sees his full change.
The film carries on with Helene's downfall into near madness as she obsesses over catching this particular fly. Francois deceives her as he tries to understand her motives as she never fully explains why she killed him until the end, and why it doesn't quite fit the evidence at the scene of his death.
Vincent Price is the his usual charismatic self, while Patricia Owen carries the story at either end very well. David Hedison is lively and bubbly as Andre until his accident, and then he drives the tension and fear with his twisting mind coming through his costume brilliantly.
Despite the limited budget and resources, and not just because of the era, The Fly showed off just what cinema could do. It is simple and pleasing to watch, if you can say that about a B-movie horror, but it is great.
Unfortunately, the follow up films did not inspire the same vibe. The Return of the Fly (1959) and The Curse of the Fly (1965) were failed attempts at serialising a franchise. The Return of the Fly is an immediate follow on. Basically the same concept as Andre's son Phillipe, trying to complete the experiments. The amusing thing about this film is the oversized fly head they used. When you see the new fly-mutant running, the actor does have to hold on to the mask! Vincent Price reprises his role.
The Curse of the Fly is contradictory to the original in a few ways, and it is just a poorly written film. It didn't really come to light properly after it's initial release until 2007 when it was released in a boxset with the other two.
I have to say I didn't enjoy the 1980's Jeff Goldblum remake anywhere near as much despite it having Jeff Goldblum in. It was modernised, as expected, but for me it was too graphic and felt like a forced use of new techniques and prosthesis - as was the trend in 80's horror and science-fiction. Stick with the original.
Directed by: Kurt Neumann
Based on: The Fly written by George Langelaan
Starring: David Hedison, Patricia Owens, Vincent Price, Herbert Marshall
Release Date: 16 July 1958
Rating: 8/10
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