THE MAN WHO TURNED TO STONE (1957)

THE MAN WHO TURNED TO STONE (1957)

Tagline: Human or inhuman? No woman is safe...!

(Horror, Sci-Fi, Un-rolling Stones)[G]

Note: the MPAA did not give this movie a rating. It would likely have been a G. When this movie came out in theaters it was a double feature with ZOMBIES OF MORA TAU. 

Just the same, I’d bet you a box of Girl Scout cookies that somebody died last night.

In this one we are taken to a women’s prison where every time the inmates hear a woman come in screaming, someone dies. The prisoners are told that the deaths at the prison are suicides or various other reasons. As the disappearances mount, at the urging of Tracy one of the prisoners, Carol Adams starts to dig into what is really going on with the help of psychiatrist Dr. Jess Rogers. It doesn’t take long before it’s discovered that bizarre electrical treatments done by the scientists at the prison are causing the deaths, all in the name of keeping them from turning to stone. 

First off, this storyline is pretty ripped from vampire-like films only without the traditional vampires. This movie is taking itself pretty seriously and because of that, we actually get some pretty outstanding performances. The score is very good and something is definitely wrong with Eric. This movie is well-lit and also moves along at a pretty brisk pace. There are also some scenes where you can hear a heat beat in the background and in this and it really adds to the overall atmosphere of the film. 

Acting-wise, William Hudson as Dr. Jess Rogers stands out the most because his performance in this is so drastically different from his character in ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT WOMAN. We also get a brief but well-acted appearance from Tina Carver as Big Marge Collins. She was also pretty decent in FROM HELL IT CAME. Jean Willes is very good as Tracy and actually has the best line in the movie. Willes was also in the sci-fi classic INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. We also get Charlotte Austin who plays Carol Adams and is the leading lady in this. Austin was also in one of the more obscure sci-fi flicks of the 1950s FRANKENSTEIN 1970. As far as I can tell, she is also still around as of the writing of this review but wrapped up her acting career in 1962.

This thing is definitely a case of science gone made and an addiction to trying to live forever in a mortal body. I love it when my mad scientists have boxes with a bunch of lights on them that don’t seem to be plugged into anything. I love it when they are not leaving their work even if it means certain death! This thing is just overall pretty good but it is not without its issues.

One thing I have noticed about several 1950s movies now is when they give you a bit of “couple” or lead male and female, and get the story going, they usually drop the female for the second half of the movie either completely or form almost everything when it comes to dialog. In some of these films, she is either not even on screen or she is and she’s just freaking passed out or something. I am not complaining about the damsel in distress situation, just that it feels like they could have given some of the leading ladies more dialog and purpose in the film. Clearly, not all 1950s sci-fi suffers from this problem, but this movie does (which is why I am bringing it up). 

I have to give this one a 4 out of 7. A few more lines of explanation as to what is going on and the motives behind it outside of diary entries would have helped this one, but it’s still a pretty solid sci-fi movie with bits of horror that I would watch again.

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF SAM KATZMAN PRODUCTIONS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

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