Albert Band brings his
long list of B-movie credits into play for this United
Artists macabre tale about a man who thinks he may be affecting
people’s lives by using push pins. The viewer is sucked in right
from the opening credits with a statement suggesting that some men
(mankind) have the ability of great mental power over events. The old
“man as God” thing and that the dead are simply biding their time
underground. The movie seems like a lost episode of television’s,
“Night Gallery,” if shaved by some 15 minutes. It may have
elicited some talk around the office water cooler in that era. Do not
be misled by the studio's poster. There is nothing scary about this
film. It is spooky, ghost-believing science fiction at best. As is
typical of low-budget “horror” movies, the ending is
disappointing with the outcome as expected. However, there is
noteworthy cinematography and the award-winning composer, Gerald
Fried, sets the stage for a spooky tale with the use of harpsichord,
a frantic tempo, and dissonant chords.
Richard Boone is appointed
chairman of a committee that oversees a large cemetery. A
thirty-four-year-old Theodore Bikel, the caretaker, does his best old
man routine with a Scottish accent in one of the more obvious wigs
from makeup artist, Jack Pierce, who may have lost interest in the
film at some point. Bikel is not that convincing as a very old man
but he had a nice limp going there for a while. There is a map
resembling a Picasso sketch of the cemetery grounds on the office
wall. Black pins mark the filled graves and white pins indicate
unoccupied graves. Boone accidentally places two black pins where
they should not be and both persons mysteriously die in an automobile
accident. Surely a coincidence. Until it repeatedly happens either
through experimentation or challenges from doubters. Boone believes
he is cursed and he falls helplessly into a deep depression. His
acting skill shows restraint and does not go overboard with the
character’s emotions. He is quite creditable and improves the film.
The body count is up to
seven over Boone’s pin pushing spree. In an epiphany, he decides
that if black pins give him the power of death, white pins might give
him the power of life. He replaces all of the black pins with white
pins and discovers that those graves have been dug up with nothing in the plots. If you are still a believer at this point the climactic
finish may spoil it. Hokum has an equally powerful force over people.
I should mention that Bickel’s character is nuts.
Note: Some cinematography
effects are artistically done by Frederick Gately. The map causes
much distress for Boone and at one point appears to glow, consuming
the cemetery office and Boone. At one point, after being struck by
Bikel, an overhead light is swinging back and forth casting light and
shadows across the pins in the map creating a dizzying optical
illusion. At another point, Boone’s silhouette is superimposed on
the map as an animated graphic illustration, eliciting an out-of-body
experience for him. Watching this film may have the same effect.
