The She Creature
Encyclopedia
The She Creature is a 1956
American black-and-white
horror
film
produced by American International Pictures
from a script by Lou Rusoff (brother-in-law of AIP executive Samuel Z. Arkoff
), produced by Alex Gordon
and directed by Edward L. Cahn. The film was later featured in an episode of Cinema Insomnia
, as well as in the movie-mocking television show Mystery Science Theater 3000
.
), whose experiments in hypnotic regression take his unwitting female subject (Marla English
) to a past life as a prehistoric humanoid form of sea-life. He uses the physical manifestation of the prehistoric creature to commit murders. The hypnotist's motives are never explicitly described, and the murders happen, apparently, either for revenge or notoriety.
1956 in film
The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
American black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
horror
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
produced by American International Pictures
American International Pictures
American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...
from a script by Lou Rusoff (brother-in-law of AIP executive Samuel Z. Arkoff
Samuel Z. Arkoff
Samuel Zachary Arkoff was an American producer of B movies.-Life and career:Born in Fort Dodge, Iowa to a Russian Jewish family, Arkoff first studied to be a lawyer. Along with business partner James H. Nicholson and producer-director Roger Corman, he produced eighteen films...
), produced by Alex Gordon
Alex Gordon (writer-producer)
Alex Gordon was a British writer and film producer.He produced eighteen films, including the American International Pictures films Day the World Ended and The She Creature...
and directed by Edward L. Cahn. The film was later featured in an episode of Cinema Insomnia
Cinema Insomnia
Cinema Insomnia is a nationally syndicated American television series presented by horror host Mr. Lobo.- Format :Typically, Mr. Lobo opens each episode by promising to screen a well-known horror or science fiction classic ; however budgetary limitations, acts of God or other circumstances...
, as well as in the movie-mocking television show Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
.
Plot
The plot concerns an oily carnival hypnotist (Chester MorrisChester Morris
Chester Morris was an American actor, who starred in the Boston Blackie detective series of the 1940s.-Career:...
), whose experiments in hypnotic regression take his unwitting female subject (Marla English
Marla English
Marla English is a motion picture actress from San Diego, California who made movies in the 1950s.English was originally signed to a contract by Paramount Pictures after winning a San Diego beauty pageant...
) to a past life as a prehistoric humanoid form of sea-life. He uses the physical manifestation of the prehistoric creature to commit murders. The hypnotist's motives are never explicitly described, and the murders happen, apparently, either for revenge or notoriety.