THE FLY (1958)

THE FLY (1958)

Tagline: For your own good we urge you not to see it alone!

(Sci-Fi, Horror, Science Gone Mad) [PG]

Note – This movie did not originally have an MPAA rating, but I am pretty sure it would have been a PG or even G. 

No, Helene and Andre believed in the sacredness of life. They wouldn't harm anything... not even a fly.

In this one, scientist Andre Delambre is secretly working on a device that will transport matter from one location to another. After painstakingly discovering how to do it with inanimate objects, he decides to try it on living things, including himself. The results are terrifying. Can his wife Helene save him before his ghastly affliction takes over his mind? 

First off, this is one of the very few sci-fi flicks from the ’50s that came out in full color and were actually filmed in full color. Many people including myself probably thought it was black and white due to the popularity of black and white TVs when we were growing up. As a side note, my first TV ever was a black and white 12” TV that had trim around the edges that resembled a red and white bandana pattern. THE FLY came out in theaters as a double feature with SPACE MASTER X-7. 

THE FLY was up for the American Film Institute’s 2001 list of 400 most Heart-Pounding movies. This makes total sense to me because they do a fantastic job of heightening the tension as the movie moves along. The score is well done as well as the cinematography. I did have issues with the pacing and the way the story was told. I didn’t love the “let's show the ending at the beginning” style storytelling or the fact that it seems like we wait for a day and a half to finally see THE FLY.  

The cast is pretty good overall. I really like David Hedison in this as Andre Delambre. Hedison is best known for his role as Felix in LICENSE TO KILL. Patricia Owens plays his wife Helene and is decent, but I just felt she was a bit off for this role casting-wise. She had a solid career in Hollywood though and is probably most famous for 1952’s GHOST SHIP and of course this movie. Vincent Price of course is perfect in his role as Francois Delambre. He’s essentially supposed to be Andre's brother but looks like he could be 30 years older (he was actually 16 years older at the time). Vincent Price is best known for his horror movies (if horror movies were a person, they would look like Vincent Price) like HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL and THEATER OF BLOOD, but he was involved in all kinds of things including THE 13 GHOSTS OF SCOOBY-DOO voicing Vincent VanGhoul which was a character drawn based on him. Vincent VanGhoul was such a popular character he also ended up being a mainstay for SCOOBY-DOO! MYSTERY INCORPORATED when the voice work was handed over to Maurice LaMarche. 

What was strong about this one is the story. It’s not something you would finish watching and have butterflies and unicorns flying around your head after seeing, because it’s a tragedy, but it’s still very solid and imaginative. I wasn’t crazy about the lead actress in this role and I do feel the movie took almost too long to finally get its landing gear off the ground, but it’s iconic in all other regards, from production value to effects and drawing its audience in slowly but surely. 

For me, this is a 5 out of 7. Even to this day, you will likely have to rent or buy it to actually see it unless you can find it on TV at a time that works for you.
 

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