Masterful Movie

Lack of good storyline.

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

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

...And since A.) the source material is a story by H.P. Lovecraft, and B.) the film was made in 1965, there's absolutely no way that anyone would expect a faithful adaptation, right? "Die, Monster, Die!" is so ridiculously un-Lovecraftian that it makes Roger Corman's Poe films look like exact replicas of the tales on which they were based, but you can't go wrong if you approach it in the spirit of fun. It's an AIP monster flick, after all, and the presence of Boris Karloff lends it considerably more dignity than it would otherwise have had. Nick Adams and Suzan Farmer are adequate as the obligatory young-couple-in-peril, while Frieda Jackson and Patrick Magee are on hand to bring an extra touch of British class to the proceedings. What remains of Lovecraft's classic story 'The Colour Out of Space' is the meteor and its frightening effects; everything else was concocted by screenwriter Jerry Sohl, but you'll have a good time anyhow (and that's coming from a staunch HPL fan). "Die, Monster, Die!" was Corman set designer Daniel Haller's first film as a director.

I do love the old American International Pictures films from the 1960s. Many of them were directed by Roger Corman, starred Vincent Price, and were based on Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft stories. What did AIP do when they couldn't rely on Corman or Price to head up one of these moneymaking projects? They replaced them with other reliable talent like Boris Karloff and Set Designer / first time Director Daniel Haller.The outcome of this pairing was 1965's strange mix of sci-fi paranoia and classic haunted house themes entitled "Die, Monster, Die!" Imagine a 1950's space invader film like "The Quartermass Xperiment" and "The Thing" colliding with the setting of "The Haunted Palace." An American scientist (Nick Adams) is summoned to the secluded estate of his fiancée (Suzan Farmer). Her home sits on the edge of a crater in the center of a countryside devastated by what appears to be fire. Upon arriving, he is met by the woman's embittered and secretive father (Boris Karloff). After he's urged by his girlfriend's sickly mother (Freda Jackson) to take her as far away as possible, he begins investigating the mysteries surrounding the old house and its devastated grounds."Die, Monster, Die!" is not rated. There are some rather graphic and gory death scenes which would merit a PG rating now. They're not going to freak out anyone who's used to the realistic effects of today. However, they quite possibly could frighten children.Although not directly related to the storyline, I found "Die, Monster, Die's" use of Biblical and religious elements fascinating. The mother talks quite openly about the sins of the father coming down on the son. She also states that one can be a man of strong faith and lose it only to become a tool of the Devil.In hindsight, "Die, Monster, Die!" is a unique little film that isn't what it appears to be from the get-go. Screenwriter Jerry Sohl and Director Haller did their best to lead audiences in one direction before banging them over the head in the climax of the movie with a twist on the haunted house genre. It suffers a little from pacing, but one could almost explain that away to the era it was made in. People didn't demand such quick delivery in the 1960s and 1970s.

I've read more than once that of all the grisly tales H.P. Lovecraft wrote during his incredible literary career, The Colour Out of Space was his favorite. I'm fairly sure that Lovecraft would have been shocked with the liberties taken with his story by American International Pictures, but all the same Die Monster Die! is a fine, unfairly overlooked Gothic gem. Steeped in an eerie, melancholy atmosphere from the time Nick Adams steps off the train all the way through to the fiery climax, Die Monster Die! is a delight for all horror fans. Though the aforementioned Adams is the protagonist, and a very able one, there's no question the star of the show is the legendary Boris Karloff. Karloff plays the lord of a dilapidated--and possibly cursed--manor who rules his estate with a ruthless desperation, especially where his lovely daughter, played by Suzan Farmer in her first major role, is concerned. Before long, Adams wants to cut his visit short and spirit Suzan away from her enigmatic father and his house of horrors, but it's too late for that and inevitably Karloff's secrets come to a horrifying head. The script certainly isn't loyal to Lovecraft's original story, but it is engaging and well-written in its own way. Daniel Haller's direction is solid and deserves a lot of the credit for the rich, oppressive atmosphere. The cast plays it surprisingly low-key, generally avoiding the histrionics that ruin many similar pictures. Adams is a capable hero, Karloff is as usual marvelous, and the exquisite Suzan Farmer is the kind of girl any man would gladly risk life and limb for. A fine all-round feature that deserves a greater audience.

The American Stephen Reinhart (Nick Adams) arrives by train in Arkham, a small town in the countryside of England. He tries to travel to the real estate of a man called Witley by taxi or bicycle, but the locals are frightened by the name and refuse to help him. Stephen has to walk to the property and he is badly received by Nahum Witley (Boris Karloff), who is on the wheelchair.Stephen informs that he had been invited by his fiancée, Susan Witley (Suzan Farmer), who welcomes him when she sees Stephen. The young man is summoned by Susan's mother, Letitia Witley (Freda Jackson), who is very ill, to have a private conversation with her, and she asks Stephen to leave the real estate as soon as possible with Susan. Further he learns that the maid Helga has disappeared and the butler Merwyn (Terence de Marney) is also very ill.Stephen notes that there are weird things happening in the house, with a woman in black wandering in the garden and screams during the night. He snoops around and finds the Nahum is using the radiation of a meteorite in the greenhouse to turn the wasteland into a place of beauty with giant plants. However the side effect of the radiation has killed Merwyn and affected the health and turned Helga and Letitia into monsters. Now Nahum wants to destroy the stone with tragic consequences."Die, Monster, Die!" is a good sci-fi horror movie with Boris Karloff. The creepy story has a promising beginning but when the mystery is disclosed, it is a little disappointing. I was expecting that Corbin Witley was behind the dark events but the plots changes to science fiction and becomes silly. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Morte Para Um Monstro" ("Death for a Monster")