Reviews

I won't argue with anyone who pronounces this film execrable, as is January Jones's performance, but please check her out, if you haven't already, in the AMC TV series 'Mad Men," starting later this month. She's excellent, as is the entire cast. I'll charitably assume she took on the "Taboo" role strictly for the money, and, realizing what a putrid mess it was going to be, turned in a minimal acting job to avoid starvation. Don't know if that's the case, but I (now) know for sure that she can act.

At first, watching "Taboo," I was convinced her flat delivery was a shrewd choice that would later give rise to some significant revelation about her character or the plot. No such luck. Hard to believe the director didn't suggest to her at least once that not changing expression for 17 successive scenes could cause lockjaw.

Ironically, her winning performance in "Mad Men" comes as a character who, at least in her early appearances, is very repressed, reserved, unsure of herself, and rather colorless, not unlike her "Taboo" role. But as the TV series progressed, she began to blossom into someone who questions her traditional early-60's whitebread Mom role. Can't wait to see where they take her character in the 2nd season.

To sum up, avoid "Taboo" like leprosy, but definitely check out "Mad Men."

With this cast and budget, should have been much more of a sustained laugh fest. Nevertheless, many of the lines and visuals are classics, and everyone aboard is such a pro that you can forgive the deader stretches. Marty Feldman does a lot with not much material, while Peter Cook's beyond-deadpan mutterings are frequently hilarious. Disappointing were Peter Boyle and Tommy Chong, the latter to the point of inducing nausea. Cheech Marin fares better, but only because his character is written with marginally more dimension. Loved David Bowie's cameo and Madeline Kahn's pluckiness. James Mason, however, looks vaguely uncomfortable (not to mention feeble) in his few scenes, which, sadly, do not contain any glittering gags.

All in all, you will definitely laugh, cringe, and yawn, but won't regret tuning in.

The only fault I can find with any of the other reviews here is that they understate the truly appalling quality of this movie, and don't even mention the puppy-swallowing!

But the most outrageous part is the score, which mixes everything from ragtime to mazerkas while remaining totally irrelevant to on screen events.

Lead (pronounced "led") actor(?) James Craig not only chews the scenery, he re-chews it more often than a cow with cud.

The monster looks like a carrot on steroids, but still manages to out-act the rest of the cast. And what's with the entirely pointless opening sequence involving a space launch?

There's no Dr. X, no revenge, no logic, and no reason to see this unless your head is in the vicinity of a gun.

As others have noted, an extremely talky flick, with dialog so florid you could pin it on a prom date. However, there are some nice touches to be found: the opening sequence is noirishly atmospheric and well-executed, so to speak. Paul Lukather's seething mien carries the film valiantly,although his and his sister's rage at the doctor's eminently logical and humane decision to graft good hands onto Paul's mangled stubs strains credulity. Also, watch for the ending shot, which emulates a famous religious painting nicely.

The deaths/killings are egregiously mild by today's standards, but, with the exception of a ludicrously spontaneous immolation, are effectively staged. The low-budget look is offset somewhat by inventive camera work that sustains a grim mood.

It's not made clear whether Lukather's character starts killing because he now plays piano like Whack-A-Mole, or because his new hands somehow carry with them the temperament of their previous thuggish owner.

Considering the dreck that was around in the early 60's, this is not bad stuff; with less gaseous dialog, it might have been memorable.

Silly but not without some unsettling moments. In its time and for its target audience, it was probably terrifying. Best viewed by nostalgists.

Most amusing for me was the resemblance of the "human" Baron to Sheldon Leonard, and it you know who that is, you were a kid when this movie came out and probably would have been cowering under your seat during the transformation scenes.

The atmosphere is aided considerably by the black and white photography, and achieves a consistent surreality that meshes well with the truly bizarre screenplay. Forrest J. Ackerman on acid might have penned something similar.

All in all, entertaining, and despite its shortcomings, capable of inciting some mild shudders. And where can I get one of those neat brain cases?