Review of Hand of Death

Director Gene Nelson matches Ed Wood when it comes to utter ineptness, but with none of the Ed Wood charm. Clumsily filmed scenes, passersby watching the action without as much reaction. Hand of Death is about a scientist named Alex Marsh (John Alger) who does what any rational scientist does when he can't find a test subject, he uses himself as a guinea pig. What happens next is pretty predictable, Alger becomes a strange beast because of his experiment, leading his girlfriend Carol Wilson (played by Paula Raymond to a wooden perfection) left alone to cry and plead for Marsh to come to his senses and seek help. Hot on his trail is Tom Holland (played by Steve Dunne, who comes off more as a poorman's Dick Sargent than he does anything else). In Marsh's wake are several unsuspecting victims, including the kindly Dr. Ramsey, who makes the mistake of trying to help Dr. Marsh, and a cap driver who by his very dialogue seems more fitted for a 1930's gangster movie. And the less said about the dialogue the better. It's cheesy, even for a b movie like this and makes anything sound intelligent by comparison. You'll find yourself chuckling at parts that are supposed to be dramatic.

When the grand finale comes, Dr. Marsh as the killer creature is dispatched rather easily and his girlfriend Carol reacts with a rather emotionless generic scream. And we're left wit Dr. Marsh's body floating in the water as Carol, Tom, and the policemen for what ever reason, just walk away, leaving Dr. Marsh's body to possibly be washed out to sea.

Overall this is a cheesy move that could have been better served with a slightly longer running time and an entirely different cast. The best way to enjoy this film is to just have your own little riff session because there is plenty to make fun of in this little turkey. Enjoy!