Now, Scott brought up an interesting subgenre of B films that I don't believe I've seen discussed on the board before, here:
Disembodied Crawling Hand movies -- you know, where there's a hand crawling around with a life of its own, that seeks out and strangles people, etc.
My wife and I really love the Oliver Stone directed "The Hand", with Michael Caine. Back in the day, SCTV(Second City Television), with Catherine O'Hara, Dave Thomas, etc. etc. , did a brutal parody of this, focusing on the repeated Michael Caine line: "Are you looking at me because of my bloody hand!?!?!".
This was/is worth many minutes of great laughter, and I do hope they DVD it soon -- both the original film AND the SCTV parody of said.
* * * *
What other Crawling Hand films are there out there?
We own both the Raul Julia "Addams Family" movies, which have the wonderful Thing character, who is nothing more than a disembodied hand . . . What else?
peter johnson/denny crane
Well, Evil Dead II, of course.
On a similar topic, does anybody know that there is actually a condition/syndrome/whatever that causes people to lose control of one of their hands like that? I remember seeing a segment on it on some news magazine show when I was a kid. I don't remember much, but I remember a man saying he woke up in the middle of the night and found his left hand trying to gouge his own eye out.
Very creepy.
Post Edited (03-12-05 01:51)
Idle Hands, though not, I guess, a B-movie, but still nice none-theless.
The guy from Final Destination has his hand possessed and havoc ensues. Also has Seth Green and some other guy as members of the undead who happen to like Burritos. And it has Jessica Alba in it, which is quite a nice addition.
Zombies, possessed hand running about the place trying to kill people, a nice female lead and zombies. All in all not a bad combo. If I recall correctly the guy in charge of the hand movements was the same guy who did Thing from the Addams family movies. And the cheesy effects were pretty fun too. I quite enjoyed this teen-comedy/horror flick.
Can't think of the name but there is a Christopher Lee movie where a hand crawls after him. He even burns it at one point.
Ozzymandias wrote:
> Can't think of the name but there is a Christopher Lee movie
> where a hand crawls after him. He even burns it at one point.
That's the film you're thinking of.
Actually a film with that title....Surprised no one mentioned it.
Peter Lorre classic.....which I'm also surprised no one has mentioned!
Yes, of course -- Dr. Terrror's House of Horrors -- I was trying to remember that one --
Scott had mentioned The Crawling Hand in another thread, which is what prompted mine --
The Beast With 5 Fingers isn't so much a Crawling Hand movie as it is a Possessed Hand movie, is it? Now that can be another sub-sub-genre: Possessed Hand/Possessed Body Part movies!!
Yes, I remember the look of disgust on Christopher Lee's face as he tries to burn that nasty hand in Dr. Terror . . .
I can barely remember the name of that disassociative disease, but I know what you're talking about -- where body parts rebel against the "host".
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"Are you looking at me becasue of MY BLOODY HAND!?!?!?" -- really, if you haven't seen Caine do his thang in that Stone picture, you're missing a real pleasure --
peter johnso/denny crane
Body parts rebelling against the host? The Doctor Strangelove syndrome! Mein fuhrer! My hand does not what I wish for it to do!
There are actual cases throughout the world of reported "Dr. Strangelove syndrome" referred to having "anarchic" hands/feet/body parts that do not respond to their will. There is another, more scientific name to the disease, that I do not know. Some doctors attribute it to a traumatic incident in the frontal lobe that controls the motor skills. Like a short circuit in the brain that sometimes connects to the body again at random and against the will. Reminiscent of the movie Idle Hands, except there is no demonic possession. Maybe..... Hmmmmm....
-Scott H.
Not a movie, but I remember reading a comic book as a kid (one of those kinda like Twilight Zone or something) with a story about a concert pianist whose hands were 'possessed.' One was essentially good and the other evil. While playing a concert, he would whisper to them "you are going too fast" or "good job" etc. At the end, the evil one killed him. I always thought this would make a good film short, Outer Limits ep. or something.
The severed hand thing is very similar to the killer housecat thing, they jump up in someone's face and wrassle them to the ground, and you keep thinking, "how does it have the leverage to drag that guy down and kill him?" With the cat, I suppose at least it makes sense that it could jump. I think this sort of thing might work better if they'd play up the supernatural element a little, like with mummies.
mad love
waxwork
Oh yeah and the double feature about the small army of hands seperating themselves from various hosts. the Other story was about killer chattering teeth.
"The Body Politic" from "Quicksilver Highway"?
ulthar wrote:
> Not a movie, but I remember reading a comic book as a kid (one
> of those kinda like Twilight Zone or something) with a story
> about a concert pianist whose hands were 'possessed.' One was
> essentially good and the other evil. While playing a concert,
> he would whisper to them "you are going too fast" or "good job"
> etc. At the end, the evil one killed him. I always thought
> this would make a good film short, Outer Limits ep. or
> something.
>
That's what you're trying to recall....MAD LOVE was a remake of an earlietr silent called HANDS OF ORLAC, which was remade again in the 50's.
Either way, technically.....the story has nothing to do with a disembodied hand.
Post Edited (03-12-05 21:45)
peter johnson wrote:
> The Beast With 5 Fingers isn't so much a Crawling Hand movie as
> it is a Possessed Hand movie, is it?
Then you've never seen it, because it IS about a crawling, disembodied hand (spoilers withheld, of course).
Okay, I think I must be mixing up Beast With 5 Fingers with Hands of Orlac/Mad Love, then --
I guess it was the screaming cockatoo that was mixed into the boat scene in Citizen Kane from Mad Love --
So many films! So many hands!!
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And then there's the 5000 Fingers of Dr. T --
peter johnson/denny crane
And let us not forget "Blood from the Mummy's Tomb" with its crawling hand.
If one could come up with a reasonable premise, it might be time to do another crawling hand movie. Special effects have advanced to the point that you could really do a great crawling hand.
Two other films that come to mind are AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS (1973) and INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN (1957).
AND NOW THE SCREAMINGS STARTS is a very good horror film from England with possible the best crawling hand sequences in film, but I haven't see all of Micheal Caines THE HAND yet, so I'm not sure about it being the best.
Now, you see, this is why I love this board:
I have never even HEARD of Now the Screaming Starts before!!
Know nothing about it, but now must seek it out & watch it . . . along with the 3 dozen or so so-far unwatched films this site has turned me on to --
Hey! I do try to keep up: I saw Army of The Dead for the first time in '04, based on the conversations on the board here --
peter johnson/denny crane
Is "Beast with FIve Fingers" the one that has the classic blooper that used to get shown on "Night Flight" and other places? It's where Peter Lorre is shown trying to nail the hand to a stair bannister. As he hammers away, very into the scene, growling and snarling, the hand (a rubber prop) bounces off the bannister and falls out of the shot. A winded Lorre stares at where the hand seems to have fallen and says "There, you bastard!" Just before the clip ends you sees Lorre begin to laugh and hear the crew crack up as well. I may have that blooper on tape somewhere IIRC.
kriegerg69 wrote:
>
> Either way, technically.....the story has nothing to do with a
> disembodied hand.[/b]
>
Yes, that's why it was a response to the 'possessed body part' sub-thread. :)
Peter Johnson you will certainly be satisfied with your viewing of AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS. Caught it on AMC last fall. Good film.
Another good English film that I liked with a forgotten title DEMONS OF THE MIND (1972). It dosn't have a crawling hand, but when I was thinking about AND NOW THE SCREAMING STARTS it came immediately to mind. Both films are very good in my opinion.
Post Edited (03-14-05 20:28)
Best thing about being a disembodies hand : Only need one glove in the winter. You can save cash by digging in the "Seperated pairs" bin at the laundrymat.
Worst thing : Lack of leverage.
I mean it....you can't do diddly with out leverage! Choke someone, maby, if the fingers are long enough. Shoot? Depends on the caliber. Try a 44. and your armless self is going by-by into the next room!
Now button pushing, okey, i'll give ya that. Computer work...now we're talkin!
But unless you can borrow Freddy Kruger's metal fingers, you are just a cat toy waiting to get cat scrach feaver!
And another thing....how come other body parts get dissed so?
If a hand can strangle, a foot can kick....although i hate to think of a disembidied Johnson going rogue!
Terror of the Terrible Crawling Toe....................Never before had the earth known such horror !
Yea, maybe they should start using other body parts as movie headliners.
ulthar wrote:
> kriegerg69 wrote:
> > Either way, technically.....the story has nothing to do with
> a
> > disembodied hand.[/b]
>
> Yes, that's why it was a response to the 'possessed body part'
> sub-thread. :)
TYPO (or not enough coffee!)....I meant to say the story has nothing to do with a POSSESSED hand. BEAST WITH FIVE FINGERS deals with a disembodied hand.
My Christ in Heaven!! It's the Elbow that Devoured Brooklyn!!
peter johnson/denny crane
A little O.T., but what Peter says holds for me, too. What I like about this site is that it has gotten me to see films I might never have seen.