This film has decent plot--one that is very reminiscent of several other movies and TV shows. However, the budget is quite low, the film is too talky and slow, some of the acting pretty crappy and the overall effects is very sad, as it was one of the last films of Boris Karloff. Why he chose to make several ultra-low budget Mexican films at this late stage of his life is beyond me--did he need the money THAT badly?!
Imagine a film that is like a combination of the "Twilight Zone" episode "The Masks" (where a dying old man brings all his awful relatives to his home--as he's dying) as well as the Dr. Phibes films with all the life-sized automatons. Karloff also has a bunch of despicable relatives who only show up to his summons because they want his money after he dies. When he dies soon after their arrival, it looks great for these greedy relatives until one-by-one, they are killed off by Karloff's goofy automatons. If Karloff really dead? Will any of these jerks escape? Does anyone really care since it was all handled so poorly? The only thing more that I'd reveal is that at least it does end on a rather unusual note!
The bottom line is that this cheesy film sat on the shelf for years after it was made--a sure sign that the film was a turkey. Not surprisingly, the DVD release has an ugly dark print, no special features and is pretty dull with little to recommend it. I've seen a lot worse, but considering this was one of Karloff's swan songs, it's a darn shame--he deserved better than this.
Imagine a film that is like a combination of the "Twilight Zone" episode "The Masks" (where a dying old man brings all his awful relatives to his home--as he's dying) as well as the Dr. Phibes films with all the life-sized automatons. Karloff also has a bunch of despicable relatives who only show up to his summons because they want his money after he dies. When he dies soon after their arrival, it looks great for these greedy relatives until one-by-one, they are killed off by Karloff's goofy automatons. If Karloff really dead? Will any of these jerks escape? Does anyone really care since it was all handled so poorly? The only thing more that I'd reveal is that at least it does end on a rather unusual note!
The bottom line is that this cheesy film sat on the shelf for years after it was made--a sure sign that the film was a turkey. Not surprisingly, the DVD release has an ugly dark print, no special features and is pretty dull with little to recommend it. I've seen a lot worse, but considering this was one of Karloff's swan songs, it's a darn shame--he deserved better than this.