Womaneater (1958)

Country of Origin: UK
Year of Production: 1957
Running Times: 70 mins
Format: black and white     35mm
Ratio: 1.66:1
Sound: mono

CREDITS

PRODUCTION
Production Company: Fortress Film Productions Ltd
Producer: Guido Coen
Production Manager: Frank Bevis

SCRIPT
Script: Brandon Fleming

DIRECTION
Director: Charles Saunders
1st Assistant Director: Douglas Hermes

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Ernest Palmer
Camera Operator: Anthony Heller

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Editor: Seymour Logie

MUSIC
Music / Conductor: Edwin T. Astley

SOUND
Sound: Mickey Jay

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Make Up: Terry Terrington
Hair: Doris Pollard

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Herbert Smith

MISCELLANEOUS
Continuity: Vera Pavey

LOCATIONS
Studio: Twickenham Studios, Twickenham, Middlesex, England

CAST
George Coulouris (Dr James Moran)
Vera Day (Sally Norton)
Peter Wayn (Jack Venner)
Joyce Gregg (Mrs Margaret Santor)
Jimmy Vaughn (Tanga)
Robert MacKenzie (Lewis Carling)
Norman Claridge (Dr Patterson)
Marpessa Dawn (native-girl sacrifice)
Sara Leighton (Susan Curtis)
Edward Higgins (Police Sergeant Bolton)
Harry Ross (carnival owner)
Alexander Field (sharpshooting booth attendant)
Maxwell Foster (Inspector Brownlow)
Peter Lewiston (Detective Sergeant Freeman)
Roger Avon (desk constable)

PLOT SUMMARY

Mad scientist Dr James Moran returns from an expedition to the Amazon with a carniverous tree, nurturing it in his basement hothouse. The tentacled tree has very particular tastes and will consume only young women, which Moran is happy to supply it in return for the sap it produces which, he believes, will enable him to resurrect the dead.

CAPSULE REVIEW

Astonishingly awful in just about every respect, Womaneater is as crazed as they come but has a strange, twisted charm that might just make it bad enough to be a cult classic for many. Turgid direction from Charles Saunders and a poor performance from a clearly embarrassed Coulouris conspire to create one of the very worst British horror films ever, but it's hard not to warm to the silliness of it all and there's a perverse pleasure to be had from the idiotic central conceit.

AVAILABILITY

UK
Theatrical Distributors: Eros Film Distributors Ltd

USA
Theatrical Distributors: Columbia Pictures
DVD Distributors: Image Entertainment Inc (ID 8172 GODVD)

TIMELINE

1958
April
Day Unknown: UK - theatrical release

1959
July
Day Unknown: USA – theatrical release

2000
May
9: USA - DVD release (Image Entertainment Inc (ID 8172 GODVD))

2004
March
19: UK - shown at the Gothique Film Society

ALTERNATIVE TITLES

Woman Eater - US title

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

Monthly Film Bulletin June 1958, p.79 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

KEYWORDS

carnivorous plants, rejuvenation, trees

Last Updated: 1 January, 2009