A mythological creature with the face and hands of a man but the body of a giant killing bird is the titled monster here, a murderous ghoul which rose out of its grave, allegedly buried alive centuries ago and seeking revenge on the descendants of those who put it in its living grave, later transferred into a church cemetery. The braggardly brave Annette Carell boasts she has no fear of walking through a church cemetery at night, yet cowers immediately when she spots a wobbly tombstone that all of a sudden seems to take flight. Instantly, her hair turns white, and she ends up in a psychiatric ward where she must repeat to everybody who inquires exactly what she saw that night. A legend has it that through the underworld power of black magic, the corpse of the entombed has been given the power to turn into this creature and will not rest until all the descendants of the guilty are wiped off the face of the earth, and this includes sweet Diane Clare and her uncles Broderick Crawford and Gordon Sterne. How those two uncles could be lifted up by any creature is a comical mystery in itself, but the real unintentional laughs to go the "wise man" played by Akim Tamiroff who looks like both Raymond Burr and Orson Welles stuffed into three of Dracula's capes, walking with the aide of two canes and just generally creepy every time he is on screen. There's also a curse spouting mad man (Edward Carrick) who appears throughout the film ordering everybody (including Clare's husband, Robert Hutton) who pretends to know more about this curse than he obviously does, becoming one of the biggest "red herrings" in cinema.
Unfortunately, a full view of the alleged vulture is never shown, and the explanations given of how a man, through the use of the electrodes and various other powers, can turn themselves into another type of creature, becomes just a little too talky at times. The Cornish scenery is stunning, however, especially the old castle in the middle of the city, adds a true historical viewpoint to the film. This isn't quite a horror film, but more of a mystery thriller with horrific elements that when they do occur become somewhat outlandish. In spite of the presence of the commanding Crawford, it will be Tamiroff whom you can't forget in this film, playing a character that would have been right at home in either "The Exorcist" or "The Omen".
Unfortunately, a full view of the alleged vulture is never shown, and the explanations given of how a man, through the use of the electrodes and various other powers, can turn themselves into another type of creature, becomes just a little too talky at times. The Cornish scenery is stunning, however, especially the old castle in the middle of the city, adds a true historical viewpoint to the film. This isn't quite a horror film, but more of a mystery thriller with horrific elements that when they do occur become somewhat outlandish. In spite of the presence of the commanding Crawford, it will be Tamiroff whom you can't forget in this film, playing a character that would have been right at home in either "The Exorcist" or "The Omen".