[psycho d]

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974). This is one of those movies that defies being a bad movie in spite of itself. At times corny and cheap, with silly plots twists and unreal moments of victim retardation, it is difficult to pin down what makes this a candidate for a near horror masterpiece. Further compounding description is that this was an Italian creation set in England and yet dubbed in English. Perfect.

The story itself was thin, but what gave it so much appeal was its delicious subtext. The typical "stupid humans" and society as a blob of mindless followers was of course exploited to its fullest, but touches such as the taint of fascism were also nicely infused into this movie. The grim comedy was superbly understated, much like a spice that leaves you in want of more.

The acting was above average for cheesy movies. Lovelock's lead character was charmingly annoying and fit the bill perfectly. His unlikely partner gave a decent performance as well, but she really did not have much to work with. The near villainous inspector was the real treat, a fascist wannabe in a detective's uniform.

The direction must be lauded here, for it was Jorge Grau that took this simple premise and made a great movie out of what could have easily become dismissible dung. The score was gratingly chilling, creating the perfect atmosphere for a movie that existed outside of the norms of the genre without betraying it. The real star of this movie was the cameraman. Whereas the other elements of this flick were appreciably low budget, the camera captured the events in a manner that fully exploited the moment. The mise en scène was delightfully arranged for each scene, and not a detail was missed in the richly colored photography.

For its time, the special effects must have made a wicked impression. This was not a schlocky gore-fest, but when the ghouls do come out their flesh-tearing designs were revealed to their fullest.

In the end, this was an uncompromising movie that had a lot to say but whose message did not intrude upon the fun. And with dialog such as "I'm mad about apples," how could you go wrong with a night spent with this terrific little number.
d