Bride of the Gorilla

Written and directed by Curt Siodmak, writer of such films as The Wolf Man (1941), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), and Son of Dracula (1943), all three which also starred Lon Chaney, Jr., come together to bring us this bargain basement entry into the occult horror drama genre that was popular in the late 30's and 40's.

Bride of the Gorilla starts out with promise, but soon gets mired in too much melodrama for my tastes. The story goes an older plantation owner dies through the actions of one of his hired hands, Barney Chavez (Raymond Burr), as the hired hand covets the man's younger wife, Dina (Barbara Peyton). Commissioner Taro (Lon Chaney, Jr.) investigates, but due to lack of evidence, can't bring a case against Barney. Where modern law fails, the law of the jungle takes over as an elderly servant woman, who witnessed the death of her boss, and who is also somewhat of a voodoo witch of sorts, extracts poison from the leaves of a rare plant and secretly feeds it to Barney, causing him to turn into a gorilla at times, mostly during the night.

I thought Raymond Burr did alright, when he wasn't chewing up the scenery with his sometimes over the top performance, and Barbara Peyton also played her character serviceably well, even thought she seemed a bit dense at times, I supposed due to a love for Barney that I couldn't quite fathom, as he was quite the jerk. Lon Cheney, Jr. seemed out of place and miscast as police commissioner Taro, a man of the jungle with a college education who often, through his often-awkward dialogue, struggled with his modern, educated side, and his more primal jungle upbringing. The dialogue was a bit disjointed at some points, and the use of stock footage a bit too liberal, as it really only served to take me out of the story due to the fact it was so obvious. And then there was the gorilla suit...for the time, I guess it worked, but I couldn't help think of it looking like one used in a Three Stooges short. We really didn't get to see it a lot, but when we did, it didn't really convey a sense of danger or suspense, but more of a guy in a fake gorilla suit.

I did like the scenery, as it helped achieve the feel of being in the jungle, surrounded and trapped within a living, breathing entity, and Barbara Payton certainly was attractive to look at whenever she appeared on the screen. It's unfortunate her career was cut short at the age of 39 due to a combination of heart and liver failure, as her personal life spiraled out of control due to abusive relationships and addiction to alcohol. She did manage to put out a tell all biography of her life in 1963 titled, "I Am Not Ashamed" that detailed her struggles and misery of her life as a Hollywood screen actress.

Mercifully, the movie lasts only 66 minutes, as the end brings about no great surprises. The print here is pretty good, but it does have a number of noticeable flaws as the picture loses a frame here and there. There is a trailer at the very end of the movie, but nothing else in the way of special features. I wasn't expecting a masterpiece here by any means, but I was hoping for a little more given all the talent involved.