Linbeymusol Wonderful character development!

Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Edgar Soberon Torchia I had read negative reviews about this film all these years and also that director Michael Reeves was "horrified by the outrageously comical final car chase scene shot by the second unit", but, as a matter of fact, all the film has a comedy tone and funny elements, even in its creepiest moments (as when the she-beast throws away the sickle she has used to kill, and it falls on top of a hammer, forming the communist symbol). The story takes place in Transylvania, so there are constant jokes (in the Cold War style) about the backwardness and inefficiency of the Romanian authorities, capitalist characters make fun of communist characters and vice versa, and it goes on like that until the happy ending with lovers reunited (and a final little joke, delivered by Barbara Steele). As a matter of fact, this treatment makes the film seem better than it is, although it is not as bad as some claim. Steele spent only one day with the production (a day in which she was used to very good advantage), so most of the action is left to a very young and thin Ian Ogilvy (he was only 23), New Zealander John Karlsen as a descendant of Dr. Van Helsing, Mel Welles chewing the scenery, and the ugliest witch you will ever see in a movie (called Vardella, by the way, but apparently Martha Reeves never heard about this).

Wizard-8 Horror fans who think they are in for a treat seeing that this Barbara Steele-starring movie is another Italian production - just like the acclaimed "Black Sunday" - will be in for a big disappointment. Steele is hardly in the movie, for one thing. But even if she were in more of the movie, it probably wouldn't have helped much. This is a real sluggish affair. It's slow-moving, and there is precious little that could be considered "horror". What little horror there is happens to be really badly directed, so much so that I'm sure even audiences in 1966 weren't spooked. It doesn't help that the horror is complimented by a surprising amount of comic relief material, which isn't the least bit funny. Even at a mere 78 minutes in length, this movie is quite tough to sit through.

Wuchak I was interested in "The She Beast" because it was Michael Reeves first solo effort as director/writer, released in 1966. Most people reading this know that he went on to work with Vincent Price on 1968's "Witchfinder General" (aka "Conqueror Worm") before he died of an accidental overdose in early '69 at the too-young age of 25."The She Beast" is about a hideous witch in modern Transylvania who is resurrected via the drowning of man's wife (Barbara Steele). The husband teams up with a ghoul-slayer to destroy the witch and, if possible, resurrect his wife.This is a decent spooky mid-60s flick for the Fall season -- nothing great or even really good, but decent. What particularly works is the hideousness of the witch. On the downside there's an attempt at slapstick comedy with the police chase that doesn't fit. Regardless the film is worthwhile for Reeves' fans.GRADE: C+

Jonathon Dabell Much has been made of young film-maker Michael Reeves, especially what great heights he might have achieved in his career had he not died so tragically young (25 to be precise). Most of this mouth-watering yet unfulfilled expectation hinges upon the brilliance of his third and final film, the Vincent Price classic Witchfinder General. Having said that, Reeves' second film – The Sorcerers, starring Boris Karloff and Catherine Lacey - is also an adeptly crafted bloodcurdler, greatly admired by critics and genre addicts alike. Since he attained such an esteemed reputation in his brief lifetime, one would assume that Reeves' first film must also be a cracker… perhaps not up to the heights of his 2nd and 3rd films, but certainly a superior offering showcasing the young director's budding brilliance and mastery. A good, interesting little debut at the very least, surely? Wrong! The She-Beast is a largely terrible horror entry, very muddled in conception and clumsily put together, with almost none of what would become the director's trademark skilfulness and artistry. If he'd died after this film it's unlikely anyone would have remembered him at all.In modern-day Transylvania, elderly recluse Von Helsing (John Karlsen) lives in a cave where he spends half his time drinking himself into a stupor and the other half re-reading accounts of legendary past events in the neighbourhood. He is particularly interested in one terrible incident from 200 years previous, the capture and drowning of a local witch in the neighbouring lake. At the point of death, the witch placed a curse on the entire village and promised that one day she'd return and have her vengeance. Back in the present, British couple Veronica (Barbara Steele) and Philip (Ian Ogilvy) end up in the village whilst on a tour of eastern Europe. Following a bust-up with a drunken innkeeper, they make a hurried getaway but, as they pass the lake, a mysterious force affects the steering on their car and they crash into the water. To Philip's horror, his wife doesn't make it out of the lake… instead, her unconscious body is possessed by the long-dormant spirit of the witch, transforming Veronica from an attractive young woman into a hideous monster with murderous vengeance on its mind. Philip and Von Helsing race against time to find a way to exorcise Veronica and return her to her natural state before she is lost forever.There's nothing fundamentally wrong with the plot other than a reliance on derivative ingredients – witch's curses, village mobs, the possession of a pretty young innocent, etc. (all things that have been over-used in terror pictures of its era). At the very least, however, The She-Beast should have enough mileage in it to be a semi-enjoyable horror movie in the familiar old style. Unfortunately, it simply doesn't work… it is awkwardly structured, woodenly acted, wildly overplotted and – worst of all – massively disorganised in terms of style and purpose. Disparate elements are thrown in for no good reason, such as touches of political commentary about the nature of eastern bloc existence and ill-fitting flashes of comedy (including a truly bizarre Keystone Cops-style car chase near the climax). These jumbled elements simply bring a sense of confusion and incohesion to the film, distracting the audience from what ought to be the central storyline. It wouldn't matter if they worked, if they added a worthwhile extra dimension to the film, but they don't… meaning that, as a result, everything comes across as muddled and incoherent. A couple of effective jumps remain, plus the odd memorable scene amid the chaos, but overall The She-Beast is a huge let-down from its wunderkind director.