Wearing tight pants and a wig, mute puppeteer Marcel Marceau (as Malcolm Shanks) takes over an expired old man's practice of re-animating the dead. Naturally, he begins by bringing back the old man. This process turns out to be more lifelike on chickens than people. Marceau gets a lot of grief from his brother's ex-wife, Tsilla Chelton, and her alcoholic husband, husband Philippe Clay. Pretty blonde Cindy Eilbacher (as Celia) is Marceau's girlfriend. Understandably, the underage girl's birthday is a cause for celebration, so Marceau has a party. An uninvited gang appears, stealing Marceau's puppets and abducting Ms. Eilbacher...
This might have been a better film if director William Castle had settled upon a style. There are silent film "title cards" throughout, which are obviously there to accentuate the fact that Marceau is a mime playing a mute; but, other silent film techniques are unemployed. Incongruently, an obvious soundtrack seem the biggest strength. The visuals are tepid schlock horror. The more silent final segments, Eilbacher looking lovely in a sepia-tone and Marceau leading the cast in a bow, are most successful.
** Shanks (10/9/74) William Castle ~ Marcel Marceau, Cindy Eilbacher, Tsilla Chelton, Philippe Clay
This might have been a better film if director William Castle had settled upon a style. There are silent film "title cards" throughout, which are obviously there to accentuate the fact that Marceau is a mime playing a mute; but, other silent film techniques are unemployed. Incongruently, an obvious soundtrack seem the biggest strength. The visuals are tepid schlock horror. The more silent final segments, Eilbacher looking lovely in a sepia-tone and Marceau leading the cast in a bow, are most successful.
** Shanks (10/9/74) William Castle ~ Marcel Marceau, Cindy Eilbacher, Tsilla Chelton, Philippe Clay