mark.waltz Not quite the classic that I expected, I found myself rather bored at times with this inventive but often painfully slow moving science fiction/horror film. It surrounds the flashback to Patricia Owens explaining to brother in law Vincent Price why she killed her husband, an act she claims was not murder. His death, in a metal crusher, leads to her being put under observation for being insane, and that leads her to tell her story to Price and police inspector Herbert Marshall. Through flashbacks, the experiments of he'd husband, David Hedison, are examined, and his alterations lead to a strange transformation that is shockingly ugly, but takes nearly a third of the film to be revealed. When it does out of nowhere come out, more questions come up than answers. Why this has a cult following is not surprising, but the fact that the mystery takes this long to get off the ground makes the film painfully slow at times. There are a few sequences that have gotten classic scene status, but those don't come until the film's climax. That means that Price and Marshall are off screen for much of the film, turning their parts into near cameos. Veteran Disney villain Betty Lou Gerson plays Owen's stern nurse, with veteran character actress Kathleen Freeman the confused maid trying to help Owens find the white headed fly. Charles Herbert plays Hedison and Owen's son, unaware of what is going on concerning his father. The conclusion, one of the famous scenes, comes out of nowhere, and really in retrospect of all that's happened, seems to be totally out of place, and changes the whole mood of the film up until then. This is a real curiosity to me, more because I don't understand how this got a cult following.

LeonLouisRicci It was Not Only Youngsters who were Terrified by this Slick Fifties Sci-Fi-Horror Film, The New York Times (no less) Called this the Scariest Movie Since The Thing (1951). Legendary in Status and One of those that Stands Apart from Most of the Era's Cheapies, it is a Technicolor, Cinemascope Production with Some Attention to Detail.The Cast is Lead by Second Tier Actors Al (David) Hedison and the Beautiful Kathy Owens and Backed Up by Vincent Price and Herbert Marshall. But the Real Star of the Movie is an Insect or to be More Accurate the Two Cross-Gens, The Fly (two legged) and The Fly (six legged).It is a Great Looking Movie with a Good Mad-Lab and the Makeup for Both Flys is so Horrifying (for the time) that the Film Remained in the Consciousness of Baby Boomers who saw it at the Theatre or Drive-In, for Years and it is One of those that, as Adults, is Touted as "Scared me to death.", "Had nightmares for years.", and Other such Hyperbole.Viewed Today it is So Familiar and has been such an Icon of the Cinema Fantastique, that Most Modern Fans have Seen it or have Seen Parts of it, or have been Aware of the Shock Ending and Often Referenced Final Scenes that it is Probably Not going to have the Impact that it Obviously had in 1958.Overall, a Must See for Fans of Sci-Fi and Horror, Classic Cinema, the 1950's, Cult Movies, Bug Movies, Vincent Price, and Anyone who Loves the Joy of Fantastic Cinema.Note...David Cronenberg remade this in 1986 and is a modern wonder in its own right and is one of the Director's best, and best known Movies.

thekesslerboy A highly entertaining sci-fi horror and, overall, a wee bit better than Cronenberg's 80's The Fly, which was also a fine film.For both film's, the horror is in the concept: the genes of a fly contaminate the genes of a human by accident when an inventor does a 'beam me up, Scotty' / Tomorrow People transportation (ask your crumblies if you're under 45). Any hope that this might be reversed - with or without the fly - seems forlorn, to them and us. But love can conquer this, right? Yes, but only to a point, the point being where hope ends and hopelessness begins.Vincent Price is a nice guy and, for me, does that far more believably than his usual Dr Nasty roles.This 50's sci-fi horror classic is, like many films of that era, engrossing, pacey and flawless.

AaronCapenBanner David Hedison stars as scientist and inventor Andre Delambre, who has created a teleporting machine capable of transmitting matter from place to place in enclosed cubicles. After one experiment with the cat goes wrong(poor Dandelion!) he tries again with himself, only a tiny housefly is in there with him, causing them to switch heads and an arm! His wife Helene, along with son Phillipe, try to help him, as does his brother Francois(played by Vincent Price) by locating the fly, which has flown away, in order to reverse the process, but it sadly doesn't work out... Popular thriller has some effective makeup, and a legendary climax, which is still disturbing, but is otherwise far too slow to overcome the ludicrous central premise. The cat scene is equally disturbing to me! Followed by two sequels, then later remade.