DR. BLOOD’S COFFIN (1961)
Article #414 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 5-3-2002
Posting date: 9-26-2002
Dr. Peter Blood is performing strange experiments in a secret laboratory hidden in an abandoned mine.
Just how long can you watch someone crawling on the ground before you start to get bored? How many conversations about the timidity of scientists who are afraid to test the limits of knowledge can you listen to before you nod off into slumberland? How many times can you see a doctor and a nurse try to have a romantic relationship that goes nowhere and brings the plot to a standstill before you start paying attention to the dustballs under the TV set? And how long are you willing to squint at hard-to-see scenes in abandoned mines before you abandon the effort yourself? And finally, just how long are you willing to sit through all this interminable jabber before the movie sees its way through to finally give you a very mildly exciting but badly-edited action sequence at the end? These are not questions that should be asked, nor do I recommend film directors to search for the answers to them. At the risk of repeating a cliche (something this movie does with almost aggressive regularity), there are some things man should leave alone.
