The Devil's Hand

Vintage movie poster.

Today we'll go back to my drive-in classics reviews. The movie is "The Devil's Hand" a 1962 B&W thriller horror. 

Title screen.

An engaged man played by Robert Alda who's quit his job has a recurring dream about a dancing woman appearing in the sky. One night, he's drawn towards a doll shop, where he sees a doll that resembles the woman from the dream. He goes there the next day with his fiancé, and the man at the shop (Commissioner Gordon from Batman!) insists Alda dropped off a photo of the woman for his "portrait doll." They also see a doll that resembles his fiancé, and she thinks her fiancé was responsible. However, the shopkeeper is insistent that the doll is of another woman. I rather liked this weird start to the movie.

The witch.

Much of the movie revolves around a cult that worships the devil god Gamba or Gomba (it's pronounced both ways). It's a racially mixed group, with black and Asian couples in among the whites. It's also been infiltrated by someone taking photos.

The cult is in session.

In an interview with star Linda Christian in the book Screen Sirens Scream, she said she liked the original script better, which involved "clairvoyance and astrologers and numerologists." She had some bad things to say about the producers, which evidently was the reason behind her sister (also in this film) never doing another American film.

It could've been a nicer flick if it had an exploitation touch.

Director William J. Hole Jr. directed two other horror movies, Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (1959) and US footage only for La Cara del terror (1962)

Another promo poster.

Here's the catchy movie trailer.

I saw this in the 32 Drive-In Cult Classics box set released last year by Milkcreek entertainment. This movie is found on disc 4 of the collection. Picture and sound quality were very good, I was impressed with that, you know a low budget 1962 

movie remastered?

Luckily you don't need to buy the box set, you may watch the entire film online through Vintage Flix youtube's channel here.