The Werewolf (1956) / The Vulture (1966)

The first flick in tonight’s double feature was this 50’s monster flick.

A man is wandering in a small town at night. He seems to have lost his memory, not even able to recall his name. After leaving a bar, he gets into a fight with a guy who tries to steal his money, and transforms into a werewolf and kills him. A woman sees the entire thing and screams, attracting the attention of the people in the bar. The sheriff is called, and he and the townspeople set about to try and capture this mysterious man before he kills again. They seek the help of the town doctor and his nurse daughter.

Despite the film playing things mostly straightforward, it still manages to be slightly cheesy and fun. The werewolf makeup is goofy, and the explanation for how he becomes a monster is kinda far-fetched (some paranoid doctor injects him with an experimental serum in an effort to save himself and a few others from an apocalypse that he is sure is coming). Ultimately, it’s a fun and decent old werewolf film.

The next film was a 60’s mystery called The Vulture, about a scientist who investigates the sighting of a mysterious monster.

One night in Cornwall, a woman becomes hysterical when she sees what she describes as a giant bird with a human face flying out of an open grave. The grave belonged to Francis Real, an 18th century seaman who was buried alive with his pet vulture. Before dying, Real had swore vengeance on the Stroud family,  who were responsible for his death. An American scientist named Eric is married to Trudy, the niece of Brian Stroud, the descendants of the family who killed Real. After finding feathers and evidence that a giant bird is in the area, Eric becomes convinced that the curse of Real is real, and tries to find answers to protect his wife and her uncles from the curse. Eventually, a giant bird starts stalking the Strouds, and Eric races against time to solve the mystery before they’re all killed.

The movie is cheesy as hell, and the reveal of the bird monster is laughable (it’s a giant vulture with a human head). The explanation for its existence is rooted in ridiculous science (created by means of nuclear transmutation). The monster attacks are fun, the plot goes all over the place, with one mysterious character that seems important, and then his storyline ends up going nowhere. The cast play it seriously, reciting a lot of absurd dialogue. The end result is an entertaining b-movie. I streamed both of these flicks on YouTube. Check them out if you enjoy retro monster movies.