Movie #2: The Last Man on Earth (1964)
Dr.Robert Morgan (Vincent Price) a former scientist that finds himself ..you guessed it the last man on earth. Every day is a fight for survival against vampire like creatures that were infected by a mysterious disease. Its now up to Morgan to battle the blood thirsty fiends and find a cure.
Two things struck me about this film. 1) How bleak the it is. Hands down this might be Vincent's darkest film, maybe only second to "The Witchfinder General" I`d even go so far to say it has moments that are truly disturbing. For example Prices daughter is stricken with this disease, goes blind and cry's in terror for her mother who she can no long see. Military men in gas masks are shown throwing bodies in a mass grave they call "the pit" one of those people, his own daughter. Heavy stuff, considering his films are normally fun horror romps. I respect Mr.Price for taking material that was more serious and dark. 2) How much this film reminded me of "Night of the Living Dead" George A.Romeos seminal film made four years after this. Romeo often cites "Carnival of Souls" as a direct influence but when you watch the scenes of the vampire type creatures they act very much like zombies in their slow movement and mindless robotic behaviors. Also you cant help but think Night when the vamp creatures attack the house Price is living in. At one point his character even describes them as very much like a modern day zombie. Was this film inspiration for his zombie classic? Maybe so, even on a subconscious level. Not nearly as fun or satisfying as say "House on Haunted Hill" or "The Tingler" but its nice to see Vincent change it up with this morbidly bleak take on the Richard Matheson classic story "I am Legend" 1954. It also features one of his finest performances on film.
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