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I picked up a copy of this DVD at Best Buy. You can also buy it as part of a horror boxed set that includes DR. GIGGLES and a few other titles.
For a movie about a living, crawling severed hand to be effective, the hand needs to look real. Unfortunately, even though it (actually they - - several different mechanical hands were used in this movie) was created by Carlo Rambaldi, the hand looks fake. So, right off the bat we have "silliness" problems.
Michael Caine turns in a decent performance as a cartoonist whose hand gets severed in an automobile accident (a very bloody and unsettling scene). They can't find the hand to re-attach it, but it comes crawling back on its own to help Caine do away with his enemies.
I'd say this is a "middle of the road" psycholigical thriller . . . some of it works, some of it doesn't. Oliver Stone directed it, if you happen to be a fan. Co-starring Bruce McGill (D-Day from ANIMAL HOUSE) and Viveca Lindfors ("I want my cake, Bedelia!")
Been wanting to see this for years now and I believe I have seen parts of it on pay tv years ago a couple years after it came to theaters.
I faintly remember watching this on "The Movie Channel" back in like, 82 or 83 as a kid. I remember it seemed kinda far-fetched even from my youthful eyes at the time. Sounds like something worth watching again! A great topic for this site.
Something about it reminds me of the short story from Clive Barker called, "The Body Politic" where a guy's right hand becomes self aware, convinces the other hand to sever him so he can go and recruit more hands for his army to take over the world. Yeah they need to make a movie out of that if they haven't yet.
SCTV did a great parody of this titled 'MY BLOODY HAND' with Dave Thomas as Michael Caine.
REDNECK (John Candy) "We don't take kindly to your type, Bubba! We think you're from ENGLAND, Bubba!"
Your wish has been granted Mortal Envelope. The Body Politic was used in the Steven King/Clive Barker tv anthology Quicksilver Highway.
Always wanted to check this film out. Didn't realize that it was out on DVD now. I'll throw it in my Netflix.
I've been wanting to check out this DVD just to hear Oliver Stone's commentary track on it. It's supposed to be hilarious at times.
Quote from: Mortal Envelope on October 19, 2007, 02:57:51 PM
I faintly remember watching this on "The Movie Channel" back in like, 82 or 83 as a kid. I remember it seemed kinda far-fetched even from my youthful eyes at the time. Sounds like something worth watching again! A great topic for this site.
Something about it reminds me of the short story from Clive Barker called, "The Body Politic" where a guy's right hand becomes self aware, convinces the other hand to sever him so he can go and recruit more hands for his army to take over the world. Yeah they need to make a movie out of that if they haven't yet.
That's about the same time I saw it. I was 20. It was pretty cool!
Wouldn't it be nice if cable TV still was as good as it was in the early 80's?
As for Clive Barker...somebody should do a TALES from the CRYPT type series...out of the BOOKS of BLOOD-get some top notch talent involved-Romero,Argento,Yunza...wow. Sigh...it'll never happen... :bluesad: