She Demons (1958)

Better than its reputation would suggest, 4 July 2005

A small group of people become shipwrecked on a seemingly deserted island. When one member of their group is attacked by a hideous looking female, the others realize they are not alone. Following the sound of a drum, the groups stumbles upon a Nazi encampment where all sorts of experiments are performed on several caged females. The group is discovered and must fight for their lives if they aren't to become the next Nazi casualties.

I found She Demons much better than its reputation would suggest. I can obviously see the problems with the movie, but much of it is enjoyable in a corny, cheesy, 50s sort of way. Any movie with Nazis on a tropical island in 1958 has to have some fun, goof-ball moments. And the production values are above average for a 50s B-quickie like this. Many of the stage-bound sets overcome their limited budgets.

And then there's the cast. The survivors are as unlikely a group as you'll see. First, there's the rich, spoiled beauty played by Irish McCalla. She has a way of delivering lines as I would imagine a living statue might - very little real emotion. Second is our hero played by Tod Griffin. A more buffoonish lead I've never seen. He's one of those guys you see in older movies who insists on pulling up his pants to his armpits. He also is fond of spouting some incredibly silly dialogue. Finally, Victor Sen Yung is the flunky. He was annoying as Charlie Chan's Number 1 son and is equally annoying here. He has the same delivery and tries out some of the same lame jokes.

One scene in She Demons warrants special mention. When our group of castaways comes across the Nazi doctor, they naturally ask about his fiendish plan. What follows is the usual Mad Scientist Reveals His Whole Plan Scene. But this one is more detailed that most. His response has to be the longest explanation a mad genius ever gave in a movie. It goes on and on and on... I found it to be quite a hoot.

If you're a fan of silly 50s horror/sci-fi movies, you might find a thing or two to enjoy here.

5/10