hrkepler 'The Undead' is weird and sometimes confusing horror thriller that mixes reincarnation with time travel. Prostitute Diana Love (Pamela Duncan) is put into hypnotic trance by psychic Quintus Ratcliff (Val Dufor) and sent back into her previous life as Helen who is about to beheaded as witch in the dark ages at the night of Witch Sabbath. The premise is exciting enough and the ridiculous dialogue is well acted like usually in Corman's movies. The sets built out of plywood and Styrofoam are seemingly fake. Even the winged creatures that real witch Livia (Allisson Hayes) and her evil Imp are changing themselves are reused from Corman's earlier film 'It Conquered the World'. That is how cheep he made his movies.While watching Roger Corman's movies, I occasionally think about the ideas used in his movies and what if he didn't need to rush his productions, but could allow to develop the screenplays and had a bigger budgets to use? Of course they might not be such an outrageous pieces of entertainment anymore as one immediately understands that all his inventiveness was direct result of small budgets. Oh well, one can dream sometimes.'The Undead' is undeservedly overlooked and even forgotten horror film that again is rather interesting compared to other such productions from that era.Again, I have to admit the world(cinema) would be much poorer without Roger Corman and his company of writers/actors.

bkoganbing I saw The Undead many years ago and sad to say before writing this review I got to see it again as part of Mystery Science Theater. No doubt Roger Corman did a whole lot of Thanksgiving specials especially in his early career. But I always rather liked this paradoxical film about hypnotism and travel. And of course a scientist's curiosity which backfires on him in a most peculiar way.Pamela Duncan is the subject of hypnosis therapy by doctors Maurice Manson and Val Dufour. She's a hooker, but when we first meet her she's under and regresses back to a life in the first millenia AD where she's been condemned to be a witch and scheduled to die. Her mind goes back to that past and she escapes the headman's ax. Which creates a paradox because if her past life doesn't die it puts her future lives in jeopardy. Knight Richard Garland who's earnest, but a little thick loves the past Duncan and wants to do the knight errant thing and save her. Real witch Allison Hayes has a thing for Garland and doesn't stand a chance while she lives.Fascinated by the paradox and the drama Dufour regresses himself through hypnosis to see how it all unfolds and meets none other than a medieval Satan himself played by Richard Devon. He also is watching the drama unfold in fact he recognizes Dufour for who he is and states plainly that he is the critic and let the play continue.No doubt Roger Corman was influenced by all the publicity of the Bridey Murphy controversy and the book and film that was made about it. Of course this is shot on a dental floss budget and it shows in spots, but only rarely.I waited for years to see this again and review it and despite the MST snide comments during the film I still enjoyed it though Citizen Kane it ain't.

drystyx This is a horror movie which seems to be unpretentious, and yet has some inventive quality about it.It's hard to say who the central character is, because while there are two main characters, many of them share the spotlight. A woman is hypnotized into reliving her past.To say more will "spoil" the film, I think, because there are many subplots going on here, along with the two chief plots.While it definitely goes for "unpretentious camp", particularly with the imp and the beautiful evil witch, there is more than meets the eye in the story. Devon purposely hams it up as the Devil, because we've seen Devon do some great acting work in movies like "The Comancheros", and here he just has a blast. In fact, the movie looks like a "Monster Mash" type of blast for the supporting cast.A few things ruined what could have been great. While a certain character was asking for a come uppance, the fact that she was an unarmed woman killed by the leading man was too much for any heterosexual male to enjoy. Women will like it, though, and most movies by Corman and his breed are made for women.Mixed feelings, but not a bad flick. It helps when everyone seems to be having a good time. It makes the film more of a joy to watch.

dain_bramaged_926 I'm a huge MST3K fan, and I love watching the show to see just how bad the movies they're making fun of can get. However, when I saw this one the other day, I was surprised that it had even been picked for an episode! It wasn't at all the usual rubbish that is usually shown on MST3K.The acting was quite good, the dialog was well done, and sometimes touching. Even the cinematography was pretty good. There were a few very badly done special effects in the film, but it didn't make too big a difference.I thought that the ending of the movie was very good, and I really felt for the main character, who had to decide between her own life and the lives of others yet to come.SURE, it was a corny fifties witchcraft film. SURE there were times when the plot made little to no sense, but really it was fine, and I wouldn't mind watching the original version some time.