The Hand (1960) by #HenryCass
w/ #DerekBond #RonaldLeighHunt 

In Burma, British soldiers refuse to divulge military information and have their hands chopped off. Years later,. a mad killer terrorizes London by cutting off the hands of his victims.

“From War-Torn Burma to the Asphalt Jungles of the Big City His Revenge Was the Crime of the Century!”

#Horror #Crime
#NotQuiteClassicCinema
#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

The Hand (1960) is not the typical sort of movie I used to see on Not Quite Classic Theatre. It’s almost more of a film noir, or crime drama, than a horror film. However, the hand-chopping action earns it a place as at least a horror adjacent movie.

I first saw The Hand (1960) some years ago, and I think I expected it to be about a severed hand that terrorizes people. I may have been getting it confused with Oliver Stone’s notorious The Hand (1981), although that movie isn’t quite about that either. I actually love Oliver Stone’s psychological horror film – much more so than its reputation might predict. The Hand (1960), directed by Henry Cast, also impressed me in its own way.

When I pulled it off the shelf to take another look at it last week, I was once again thinking that it was about a disembodied hand on a rampage. The cover art even seemed to imply that. But as I prepared to slip it into the DVD player, something in my memory told me that I might be wrong… and a quick glance at the description reminded me that it was actually about a series of grisly crimes in post World War II London, England.

I guess it would have to do.

Once again, I enjoyed this film-noir-ish oddity. At barely over an hour long, it’s a pretty easy watch. And I love film-noir almost as much as horror. It’s no masterpiece, but it has some gripping moments, and enough mysterious goings on to keep a person interested. Truth be told, I probably would have preferred to see a disembodied hand taking revenge instead of a regular maniac, but that’s just me.

Henry Cass also made Blood of the Vampire (1958), which is a more typical horror film of the period. He mostly made crime films and comedies, however. 

The Hand (1960) is another offbeat example of #NotQuiteClassicCinema. It’s not quite a monster movie, or a horror film, although it feels like it should be. It is most certainly a B-movie, and I discovered it as part of a Drive-In Movie collection, so why not include it in an all night movie marathon on some #FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn?

#FridayNightAtTheHomeDriveIn

The Hand (1960) by #HenryCass

A mad killer terrorizes London by cutting off the hands of his victims.

“From War-Torn Burma to the Asphalt Jungles of the Big City His Revenge Was the Crime of the Century!”#Horror #Crime#NotQuiteClassicCinema pic.twitter.com/Bz6Sxooroa

— Angus Kohm (@AngusKohm) June 24, 2023

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