Doctor Death

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

John Considine does a cut-rate Vincent Price impersonation as the flamboyant Dr. Death, a thousand-year-old magician who has mastered he art of transferring souls from one body to another and thereby manages to perpetuate himself by jumping from one body to the next (which actually makes him more of a "Seeker of Bodies"). Apparently the Doc is a kindred spirit to the Alien, since his blood is a highly-corrosive acid that can strip flesh from bone, thus ensuring his personal safety. This is "Z"-grade fare that plays somewhat like a Herschell Gordon Lewis film, but without enough silliness to keep things amusing. The only point of interest keeping this film in circulation (mainly via late-night-cable) is the presence of sad-looking former Stooge Moe Howard in his last role as a perverted old man. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: All
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (Alternate Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Encoding: NTSC
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV, Color
• Features:
  • Audio Commentary with Star John Considine - TV Spot
  • Doctor Death Commands: An Interview with Star Considine
  • Remembering Eddie Saeta: An Interview with His Son, Steve Saeta

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Eddie Saeta

• Producer:

  Eddie Saeta

• Screenwriter:

  Sal Ponti

• Cinematographer:

  Kent Wakeford, Emil Oster

• Composer (Music Score):

  Dick LaSalle

• Editor:

  Tony di Marco

• Art Director:

  Ed Graves

• Costume Designer:

  Thomas S. Dawson

• First Assistant Director:

  Irby Smith

REVIEW:

• This early-1970's horror quickie is memorably odd but not very good. The big culprit behind the film's problems is Sal Ponti's script, which suffers from a meandering plot, illogical character motivations and an overabundance of comic relief that dilutes the film's mood. Eddie Saeta's direction is competent but uninspired: the film looks nice (one of the cinematographers was Kent Wakeford, who also shot Mean Streets for Martin Scorcese) but it plods along without ever building momentum. In terms of acting, Barry Coe makes a rather dull and inexpressive leading man while most of the other players blend into the woodwork. The most interesting thing about the supporting cast is probably the appearance by Moe Howard of the Three Stooges in his final role. The only ace that Dr. Death: Seeker Of Souls has up its sleeve is John Considine's performance as the title character. He infuses his villainous role with a mixture of menacing charisma and sly wit that makes his character fun to watch. Sadly, his performance isn't enough to carry this curio and as a result Dr. Death: Seeker Of Souls is best left to genre completists. ~ Donald Guarisco, Rovi