Bride Of The Gorilla!

Bride of the Gorilla sounds for all the world like the cheesiest movie you can imagine, but surprisingly it's filled with restrained intelligent characterizations in a yarn which is at least as much  psychological thriller as old-fashioned monster flick. With both the writer (Curt Siodmak) and the star (Lon Chaney Jr.) of Universal's The Wolfman on board you'd expect just that -- a monster movie in the classic mold. But it ain't so.

At the center of the story is Raymond Burr who dominates the screen as a callous even villainous bloke who wants what he wants and that includes the wife of his employer Barbara Payton. He engineers the death of said boss and in a whirlwind has everything his heart desires. But old curses come to be and he finds himself drawn inexorably to the jungle just outside his door. Slowly he becomes less interested in the civilized world and more fascinated with the savage one.

Lon Chaney is the local sheriff of sorts and sees this transformation. Along with Tom Conway, the local doctor they watch the drama unfold as love gives way to compulsion and murder. Does Raymond Burr really become a gorilla, a savage animal or is it all in his mind? Siodmak, who also directed this flick is having his cake and eating it too, keeping the truth of Burr's situation uncertain. It's the story of the Wolfman minus the confirmation of the supernatural.

Watch this movie and make your own judgment  about whether a man becomes a beast or if he's always been one all along. It 's the only way to decide.

Rip Off