Regression therapy ain’t what it use to be.
Dorothy Chappel (Cathy Downs) and Dr. Ted Erickson from the Psychic Research Center (Lance Fuller) are walking along the beach when a dog runs up to them barking. The way the dog is acting it appears that it wants them to follow him. When they do they come upon a beach house. They see Dr. Carlo Lombardi (Chester Morris) come out of the house and walk away. When Ted enters the house he finds two dead bodies inside.
Lombardi is a carnival hypnotist. When the police speak to him he tells them that he predicted the murder. He says that using hypnosis he can regress a person back thousands of years recovering memories from past lives. He says that the spirit of these past lives can be brought forth taking physical form. He says the creature comes out of the sea commits murders and returns to the sea. A creature from the beginning of time.
Dorothy’s father Timothy Chappel (Tom Conway) is a business man. And he can smell money a mile away. He approaches Lombardi wanting to make a business deal. Lombardi agrees. Chappel has a party at his home. He has Lombardi perform for the guests. Lombardi brings Andrea Talbott (Marla English) to the party. He puts Andrea into a trance. He calls the monster. People at the party start to panic and scatter. Dr. Erickson goes outside to get some air. The monster comes out of the surf and sneaks up on Erickson. At that moment Andrea screams and becomes fully awake. The monster goes back into the surf.
As time goes on there are more murders. Lombardi becomes more obsessive of Andrea. Andrea falls in love with Erickson. Lombardi is hungry for more and more power and he uses the she-creature to get it.
“The She-Creature” was released in 1956 and was directed by Edward L Cahn. As far as the plot is concerned, it’s far fetched but I don’t care. The movie itself was decent for your basic low budget “B” movie. No more no less.
I’m not sure how I felt about the monster. I know it was a guy in a suit, that’s not the issue. The issue is was it a good suit? There really wasn’t a lot of monster in this monster movie. What I did see actually looked more like an insect than a sea creature. Paul Blaisdell played the sea creature. The suit he wore was reused in several other American International films, including “Voodoo Woman” (1957) and “Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow” (1959). There is a hot air balloon that resembles the She-Creature's head. It is fondly referred to as "Cuddles" by fellow balloon pilots.
The dog’s name is Spike. He was that same dog that played the title roll in the movie “Old Yeller” 1957.
Peter Lorre was slated to play the character Timothy Chappel. Allegedly he was so appalled by the script that he immediately fired his agent for trying to get him a part in the movie.