The Flesh Eaters (1964)
Bad weather causes a charter pilot to land his plane and his female passengers on a remote island that is surrounded by ocean water containing deadly bacteria. THE FLESH EATERS is a pulpy b-movie that is both quite entertaining and amazingly gory. It may be in black-and-white but the violence is quite gruesome, from a guy getting a chunk of flesh cut off his leg to an intestinal meltdown to a dissolving man putting a bullet in his brain, just to name a few. It's all very shocking to behold and most certainly caused a lot of late night TV viewers to freak out. The film is pretty low budget with its small cast and easy sets of natural land but director Jack Curtis makes the most of the limitations. There are several genuinely creative shots executed, with the highlight being a deep focus shot where the main hero's profile is in focus along with a couple of characters in the background, which then pans over to a grisly discover. The acting is that right kind of cheesy fun, though character actor Martin Kosleck does a swell job as a multi-faced scientist who isn't a Nazi but was perverted by their studies. Even with its high carnage and fairly risqué sensuality, the movie does get a bit tiresome trying to pad out a feature length running time, most notably when a boat-driving savior is introduced only for the dumb idiot to get splashed by the carnivorous liquid and die in short order. Those seeking a combination of 50s sci-fi horror and early 60s splatterfests will want to check this one out.
FINAL REVIEW: 3 / 5
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