Tigon films never made a secret of being inspired by the larger Hammer horror company: this film is perhaps most indebted to their rival. It stars Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and briefly Michael Ripper, and the story's Victorian setting is familiar to Hammer fans. I don't know how successful this was upon release. It was actually Tigon's final horror outing, the company having all but ceased by the time of the film's release, having been rebranded as the very different The Laurie Marsh Group. I have a feeling it would have been more lucrative had it been released ten years earlier, when such a style of story-telling was in its prime.Cushing plays Professor Emmanuel Hildern, first seen (minus toupee) alongside elegant actor David Bailie in an almost psychedelic, featureless laboratory set relaying the story we are about to see. Lee is typically and masterfully cold and officious as brother James, whose ambition far outweighs any loyalty to his sibling. The charming Lorna Hailbron is Emmanuel's daughter Penelope, stoically attempting to keep the family home alive despite debilitating finances brought about by her father's experimentation into the dawn of creation. Emmanuel is fiercely over-protective of his daughter following his wife's descent into madness; he fears the condition may be hereditary. As it is, his deception is the instigator of Penelope's rapid decline. Too rapid, in my view – for years she has been the most sensible family member; suddenly she is certifiable.Such experiments regurgitate the skeleton of a previously unknown, outsized monolithic humanoid creature. The interesting thing is, unlikely as it may seem, any contact with water puts flesh back on the bones and brings the old boy to life! Energised by this revelation, Emmanuel removes one of the creature's fingers in order to investigate further (some suggest a certain phallic similarity with the outsized digit, which in the hands of lesser an actor than Cushing, could result in chortles from the audience during his examination of the prop). We are treated to many close-ups of the dormant monster, as if he is observing throughout.This is lovingly, sedately directed by Freddie Francis and seems to be well budgeted. James' asylum setting is impressive, as is the lively plight of escaped inmate Lennie (Kenneth J Warren), although this entertaining side-step has little to do with the plot.A word for Cushing's performance. It's a given really, that he always puts in a fine performance, but this fragile, broken soul is amongst his best. The ending, and the lead-up to it, is true classic horror with the creature finally animated and seen in restrained long-shots. Cushing sobbing and defeated after the creature has come to claim its revenge, is heart-breaking.

How can you go wrong with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in the same film? They appeared in movies together twenty two times; I don't know if that's a record or not, but it sounds pretty prolific to me. They're cast as half brothers in this flick, both on a course of determining the true nature of evil from slightly different angles, with Emmanuel (Cushing) seeking a cure for evil as a disease. This sounded to me a little like putting terrorists on trial as lawbreakers, with a lot of the same drawbacks.Hey, how about that escaped lunatic Lenny from the Hildern Institute for Mental Disorders. The actor, Kenneth J. Warren looked like he could have portrayed Russian dictator Nikita Khrushchev given the chance, or if you prefer, a reasonably whacky George 'The Animal' Steele. He just had the perfect look for those kinds of roles, and he fit right in here.Told in a flashback from the perspective of Professor Emmanuel Hildern, we don't know it when the movie opens that he's already become a patient of his brother James (Lee) three years earlier when the events of the story took place. If he had to do it again, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have injected daughter Penelope (Lorna Heilbron) with that anti-evil serum he concocted from the giant skeleton discovered in New Guinea. What was he thinking? And by the way, anyone else think that the head on that skeleton resembled the Predator that came along about a decade later? First thing I thought of.Well, with Penelope taking on her own mother's persona and the skeleton coming to life after the Sky God weeped, it was just a matter of time before the good doctor's plans for wiping out evil in the world came to an abrupt end. Produced by Tigon Pictures, this English film bears the hallmarks of it's competitor Hammer Films, right down to the principals and the Gothic feel of the sets and characters. One element the story could have done a better job of though, was explaining how the resurrected skeleton came by his Riding Hood gear.

I want to start off by saying that I thoroughly enjoy most of Freddie Francis' films, especially those he made with Hammer. But...I was expecting so much more from THE CREEPING FLESH. With the recent passing of Christopher Lee (RIP), I wanted to go back and re-watch his films that I loved and also to find some that I hadn't previously viewed. So I stumbled upon THE CREEPING FLESH and immediately sought it out. Maybe my expectations were too high going in, but I was a bit let down. As I said, I really like Freddie Francis. I also love Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. So it was a no-brainer that I would like this film. And I did like it...just not as much as I thought I would going in to it.The Victorian age set pieces were fantastic. The subject matter of the story (though not scientifically accurate) was interesting. The acting was great. The atmosphere was pretty good. It was the lack of the horror element that I was expecting and it just didn't seem to show up until the final 15 minutes or so of the film. When it did show up it was great. I just wish the movie would have used it sooner.I also disagree with the many people who feel THE CREEPING FLESH is Freddie Francis' best film. TORTURE GARDEN, TALES FROM THE CRYPT, LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF and maybe even THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS and THE SKULL were all better in my opinion. I especially loved LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF...but I am partial to werewolves.All in all, THE CREEPING FLESH is a good movie worth watching, especially if you are a Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing fan (or a fan of Hammer films even though this is not a Hammer production). It's a good, solid 6 out of 10.

Horror deities Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are arguable the best acting-team that Horror cinema has ever known, their collaborations including Hammer Horror Classics such as "The Curse of Frankenstein" (1957), "Dracula" (1958), or "The Gorgon" (1964), as well as many other fantastic Horror films including "Horror Express" (1970). A production from the British Tigon company, "The Creeping Flesh" of 1973 is yet another great Gothic example for what a prefect duo of the uncanny the two Horror icons and real-life friends formed. After the Michael Reeves' masterpiece "Witchfinder General" (1968) starring the fellow Horror-deity Vincent Price, and Piers Haggard's "Blood on Satan's Claw" (1971), "The Creeping Flesh" is probably Tigon's third-best production.The ambitious but good-natured scientist Emannuel Hildern (Peter Cushing) discovers the skeleton of a supposed primate in New Guinea. Upon his return to England, however, suspicions arise that the skeleton may be infested with evil. In the meanwhile, Hildern's malevolent and cruel brother James (Christopher Lee), who leads an insane asylum, is keen on taking his brother's discovery away from him... Cushing and Lee are fantastic as always. Lorna Heilbron is also very good in the role of Cushing's innocent and beautiful daughter. The film's plot has been compared to that of Eugenio Martin's Cushing/Lee collaboration "Horror Express", and while I still prefer "Horror Express" over this one, I must say that "The Creeping Flesh" follows several additional ideas. The atmosphere is constantly creepy and the Victorian English settings and Gothic buildings make the prefect setting for a film of the kind (even though there have been greater locations in British Horror films, including most of Hammer's productions). Overall, "The Creeping Flesh" is an exquisitely entertaining and very creepy addition to the filmography of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, and no lover of British Gothic Horror should miss it. Highly recommended!