[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959)

One of the lesser known Hammer horror films but one i really like. More melodrama than outright horror as it's Barre Lyndon stage play origins means it is rather talky. (One scene of chatter lasts a good eight minutes) However this means that the horror when it does take place is all the more thrilling.

Anton Diffring, best known for his sadistic Nazi roles in films such as Where Eagles Dare takes the lead with Christopher Lee in a main supporting role. It really should have been the other way round but for whatever reason in 1959 Lee wasn't seen by Hammer producers as a leading man, more their go-to monster guy. However even with Diffring and Lee present it's the lovely Hazel Court who steals the film from under their noses with a performance of grace and beauty.

The film springs one or two surprises which i won't mention here and looks superb with it's use of colour. It's tempting to say it looks Bava-esq, but as this was pre colour Bava maybe it was he who took inspiration from Hammer.

Recommended but with caution, because it isn't the most horrific of horrors.