Diabolik is on Volume XXXIX.
3 Likes
One of the more prominent names in the credits is Robert Bloch of Psycho fame, where he’s listed as a co-writer. According to him, his original script hewed relatively close to the source novel (which was more of an old school detective story). But the director had Anthony Marriott apply some “improvements” that resulted in the end product. I’m usually skeptical when such claims are made (especially if we don’t hear the other person’s side of the story), as it reeks of casting one’s own ineptitude onto a scapegoat. However, Mr. Bloch’s explanation lacks the shrillness common to such accounts, so I only take it with a grain of salt instead of the whole shaker. He also says that he had written the parts of Hargrove and Manfred for Christopher Lee and Boris Karloff respectively but casting them was well out of the film’s budget. This would certainly explain why Doris is so keen about getting into Hargrove’s pants.
Another thing the budget couldn’t cover was decent effects, as the bees in the shots of people being swarmed are obviously superimposed. As for the plot, it’s reminiscent of a murder mystery in the style of Agatha Christie. The problem comes about from how stories like that only work if you have a decent pool of suspects. Hargrove and Manfred are the only viable culprits, with the former being such a blatant red herring that the reveal of the latter as the perpetrator falls flat. Manfred’s long-winded villain monologue only serves to add some tedium.
6 Likes
Yet it is unavailable on The Gizmoplex. Paramount licensing is tricky. The last Diabolik (1968) Blu-Ray from Shout Factory in 2020 didn’t include the customary extra of the MST3K episode. That along with its absence on The Gizmoplex suggested the well had gone dry. These matters are complicated and not easily explained. You have to be a mind reader to figure it out. Thanks for the info.
1 Like
My favorite of the Season Nine British Trio!
It just works for me. It’s a fairly interesting story but it has all these little quirks that makes it an enjoyable riff target.
Makes me wish they would do more of these “Parlor Mysteries” (as a MST review site described this) where they try to get their audience to “play the game” but has silly characters, lame “red herrings”, drab settings and the like.
It’s a great “wind down” and/or late night option!
5 Likes
Would “The Beast Must Die” qualify?
2 Likes
And I have to give a shout-out to one of the best intro Host Segments ever: “Previously on the Satellite of Love”!
5 Likes
I’m not familiar with this but from what I could get from a quick search, I can see the “interactivity” with the mysterious premise.
1 Like
“Hello. I’m here for the movie. Am I late?”
1 Like
“I think he’s showing up for a Pink Floyd video.”
1 Like
“Maybe there was a time when Bowler hatted guys could open a movie.”
2 Likes
“What the hell?” “Okay. Start smooching movie. What the hell is this?”
1 Like
“So is there a credit that says Guy At The End?”
1 Like
"And the bees were sentenced to life imprisonment with no chance of parole.
3 Likes
The problem with it is that it raises our expectations and then almost nothing memorable happens in the movie.
I can’t say anything’s seriously wrong with the episode. Unless you count mis-gendering Tess the dog, just like they did poor Sparkle in Merlin’s Shop. But it never stays in my memory for more than half an hour after I’ve watched it. The blandness of it all is just overpowering.
5 Likes
“The flashback is as long as the movie should of been.”
3 Likes
Use your child as a battering ram!!
(Been a while, so I’m not sure if that is an actual riff in the episode or just one that the wife and I have added)
1 Like
“You said you were off the junk Nellie.”
1 Like
“Jerry Orbach in Hatari.”
1 Like
That has to be the most British-sounding studio name.
3 Likes