The Leech Woman (1960)

Too much of everything

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Edward Dein directed this horror yarn that stars Coleen Gray as June Talbot, an alcoholic and unhappy older woman married to a heartless doctor(played by Philip Terry) who is having multiple affairs. When a very old African woman visits him, she promises him an anti-aging cure in her native land, so takes her(and June) along on the safari back there, and the formula works only by extracting a fluid from the back of the neck of a man, killing him in the process(guess who!) June brings the cure back home by subterfuge, but it proves only temporary, forcing her to kill young men to stay young and beautiful. Grant Williams plays her attorney. Good performance by Gray can't save this silly and absurd film, that is only good for unintended laughs.

Much more thoughtful and intelligent than its misleading title implies, this film transcends its B movie quickie roots to offer plenty of startlingly incisive and provocative spot-on commentary on Amercia's obsession with staying forever young at any cost and our society's shallow overemphasis on attractive physical appearances. Coleen Gray gives a strong and sympathetic performance as June Talbot, a bitter and unhappy middle-aged woman who's stuck in a lousy marriage with the mean and uncaring Dr. Paul Talbot (well played by Phillip Terry). After discovering a rare compound on a jungle expedition that enables her to become young again, June soon discovers that its effects are only temporary and that she has to continue killing folks for a certain fluid in the human body that makes the compound work. Director Edward Dein and screenwriter David Duncan treat the potentially hokey premise with unexpected and hence refreshing taste and smarts; they eschew the standard cheap scares in favor of concocting a tragic parable on the harsh spiritual price one must pay in the ruthless pursuit of immortality. The uniformly sound acting from the able cast further elevates the overall solid quality of this movie: Gray excels in the lead, with bang-up support from Grant Williams as handsome and lustful attorney Neil Foster, Gloria Talbott as Neil's pretty and jealous nurse girlfriend Sally, John Van Dreelan as suave, but untrustworthy jungle guide Betram Garvay, Estelle Hemsley as the nice and wizened Old Malla, Kim Hamilton as the gorgeous, yet wicked Young Malla, and Arthur Batanides as slimy heel conman Jerry. Both Ellis W. Carter's sharp cinematography and Irving Getz's spare and unobtrusive score are up to speed. Kudos are also in order for the excellent and convincing make-up. A neat little sleeper.

An endocrinologist in a dysfunctional marriage with an aging, alcoholic wife (Coleen Gray) journeys to Africa seeking a drug that will restore youth.While this may officially be a B-movie, it has a lot of charm, and is different from the sci-fi films of its day. This one is actually believable, and has a real science behind it. There are not just large bugs or aliens.The alcoholism angle is interesting, and there is a profound truth to the discussion of men and women and how they age differently. Special credit should be given to the makeup department, who did a great job on this one. Sorry I do not know your name(s).

Okay, This is a cheezy low budget movie. That comment needs to be stated up front so that unrealistic expectations are brushed aside.This is a fun movie! An aging woman, June Talbot, is abhorred by her successful doctor husband and has to deal with her fear of aging, loss of love, and alcohol abuse - while somehow she must navigate her soul past a lecherous husband, a predatory hunter, and a slimy lawyer. She fails, and turns to the dark side, attempting to destroy these men to maintain her youth and beauty. An old African woman holds the key to youth - juice from a rare orchid combined with a sacrificed male's pineal gland fluid. The husband takes the wife into the 'heart of darkness' (Africa) to meet with the old woman, learn the secret of youth, and experiment on his wife! Um, what is not to like about this? The dialog is snappy, no one pulls any punches, emotions are worn right on the shirt sleeves. Plus there's plenty of stock footage of African animals doing their thing (a cheezy but cool bonus to any film), a bunch of murders, and a hoot of an old woman. All this in about an hour. Coleen Gray, the lead in this film, does a reasonable job in portraying a once wholesome girl, now aging and neglected, transforming herself into a predatory, sexy, man-hunter. My only complaint is that the movie was too short, I really wanted June to run roughshod over 1950s suburbia. Too bad her new way of life was cut short...