cinema history class: hunchback of the morgue

Session: Paul Naschy: Monster Man of Spain, Week 3
Movie: Hunchback of the Morgue (1973)
Directed by Carlos Aured
As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL

Plot:
Gotho is a hunchback, distraught over the death of his lover -- the only person who was ever kind to him. He supplies body parts to a mad scientist in the vain hope that his love -- the only person who was ever kind to him -- can be brought back to life. Hilarity ensues.

Reaction:
After two weeks in which a travelling party is somehow stranded with the monster in a dwelling off the beaten track, I was under the impression that we'd be seeing four weeks of that same basic outline. So, leave it to Keith to throw us a curveball. Instead, this is kind of a variation of a theme that's been visited and revisited many times over.

But this does have a few nice touches that make it stand out. For starters, this time the focus is the assistant, rather than the mad scientist. Also interesting was the fact that we don't actually see the monster until the very end. That ensures that this movie isn't really about the monster, but about the process of building it -- a process in which Gotho is both villain and victim. It also helps keep the suspense high. We keep hearing the screams from the monster and can't help but wonder what it looks like.

It should also be noted that this movie also gave new meaning to the phrase "flaming rats."

Ratings:
Me: 8
Dave: 9.8
Joe: 10
Sean: 3 out of 4