Greetings from the darkness, my horror fiends! Once again ‘tis I, the Count, blogging at you from Macabre Manor, reporting to you all the dark and evil things I have seen recently. And this week’s movie is actually pretty sinister when you compare it to a certain film about tomatoes. Of course, bad breath is more sinister than a tomato But enough living in the past, let’s go back to 1964 and talk about the black and white thriller, The Last Man on Earth.
Made in 1964 and set in the swinging future of 1968, Dr. Robert Morgan is the sole survivor of a plague (no, not Covid), that has turned everyone else into a hybrid undead zombie/vampire. They don’t really make a clear distinction, but the popular zombie that we think of today wouldn’t be created until Night of the Living Dead which, coincidentally, came out in 1968! Morgan spends his days alone and lusting for undead blood! He goes out in the day light when the creatures sleep and kills as many as he can, then throws them in a burning pit. It’s actually pretty metal.
A big part of the film is taken up by flashbacks that show how the world slowly succumbs to the virus, through the lens of Morgan’s personal experience. The most astounding thing is Morgan’s world falling apart around him, and he still has the time and wherewithal to maintain his incredible mustache.
Amazing. Anyway. Morgan meets a dog. That doesn’t work out. After that he runs into a human woman. He convinces her to hang out with him because, what he really wants at the end of the day is what we all want: companionship. Well, let’s just say that, after Ruth, said human woman, gets to his place, chaos erupts and it leads us to the end to the end of the movie. Of course, you’ll have to watch to see what happens to this large cast. That’s a joke. There’s only two of them.
Speaking of cast, let’s address the mustache in the room. Robert Morgan is played by none other than the icon of horror, Vincent Price. I’m sure you knew that if you’ve heard of this movie, or were caught in his hypnotic stare up above with that picture. Price was a staple of classic horror movies, probably best known for his iconic voice. And I tell you what, that man had a voice for horror. He’s well known even to this day for narrating Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Even though he died in 1993, his laughter is still with us every Halloween as he describes the doomed mortals entangled in the Thriller.
But that’s just one song. He’s credited with over 100 films! I’m credited with over 100 restraining orders! I guess we’re not the same. I don’t know what movies to even credit him with here, because picking three or four is going to feel arbitrary. But hey, I’ll do it anyway! He was famous for the original the Fly, Witchfinder General, and dabbled in comedy horror with works like the Raven. He even appeared as the villainous Egghead in Adam West’s Batman tv show. And of course, he was the Creator in Edward Scissorhands, toward the end of his life. Literally this whole blog could be dedicated to the roles he played. But this won’t be the last time we see Vincent Price on It Came From the Screen! If only he knew how famous he’d really become, to make it all the way to my blog! To be fair, talking about him thirty years after his death, the man must have hit the mark.
Then there was actress Franca Bettoia who played Ruth. She is the woman that Price finds still alive and chases down in a field. You know, normal Vincent Price things. Bettoia was in other movies such as Desert Warrior, Sandakan to the Rescue and the highly acclaimed sequel Sandokan Against the Leopard of Sarawak. Just kidding, I know nothing about those movies. Classic Count, talking out of his hat.
And in addition to those two, there was Emma Daniell as Virginia Morgan, Robert’s wife, and Giacomo Rossi-Stuart as the feisty Ben Cortman who brought up the touchy subject of vampires, then had the bad taste to go and become one. He also had a personal grudge against Morgan for some reason, as he wanted nothing more than to kill the man. It felt a little unmerited. Ben, you jerk.
This movie was co-directed by Sidney Salkow and Ubaldo B. Ragona and had two writers credited to the script. One was William F. Leicester, but the other, who at least wrote part of it, was credited as Logan Swanson. Who is Logan Swanson, you may as yourself. And if you don’t ask yourself, I’ll ask for you! That’s a pen name for writer Richard Matheson. Sound familiar? He wrote The Shrinking Man and a little novel called I Am Legend, which, and I’m sorry for burying the lead on this one, was the basis for this very film! But I guess he wasn’t very happy with how the script was turning out, and wanted to be credited as Swanson. He also adapted several Poe stories for Roger Corman such as House of Usher, the Pit and the Pendulum, and The Raven. The man could write. That’s just a fraction of work, but I also don’t understand math.
As I alluded to earlier, this was a much more serious horror movie. It felt more real, more sinister, than most of the other movies I’ve looked at for this blog. It was a look at the last man on Earth and not only his loss, but his isolation. That was probably the most real, frightening part. Looking at how alone he was and wondering just how we would fare in his situation. Hint: I wouldn’t do well. I need constant attention on social media! Someone read my blog. Please?! It’s free! (For now; insert Vincent Price laughter).
Now, I’ve never read I Am Legend, so I wonder how it compares, but I found the writing to be pretty strong for the most part. And it must have been kind of a challenge, largely writing for one character. Something like a movie really plays off the interaction between characters. And good on Vincent Price for being able to act alone for so much of the movie. I hope that he didn’t hurt his back, carrying this film! But then again, doesn’t Vincent carry lots of his pictures? He’s like Atlas, the beefcake who holds the world.
This was a dark, brooding picture, and I found its use of black and white to be effective. I say that because there is a color version, but I can’t imagine it’s quite as good to watch. Sometimes things belong in black and white. It gives it a classic, timeless sort of feel, like the Twilight Zone. I always end up stuck on the Twilight Zone, it’s a serious problem.
This story would go on to see life as 1971’s The Omega Man and then 2007 film I Am Legend, with Will Smith,which more of you are probably familiar with. But you can’t beat the Vincent Price classic. Or maybe you can, it’s been a while since I’ve seen I Am Legend and I’ve never seen The Omega Man. Richard Matheson lived long enough to see all three versions. I wonder which one he preferred. *Thinking emoji*
Overall, I enjoyed watching this film. Well, as much as you can enjoy all consuming loneliness and watching a man’s decent into madness from both solitude and heart staking. But hey, I’ve definitely watched worse movies for the sake of this blog and lived to tell the tale. This movie makes me want to watch more Vincent Price movies (I have seen a handful, though, but now I want to take a dive into his films). The man could do it all. Horror. Horror comedy. Horror. The works.
That’s all for this week on It Came From the Screen! I hope that you enjoy this week and come back for more. And perhaps someday this will be the Last Blog on Earth!
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