The early 1960s saw actor Vincent Price making numerous films in the horror genre and becoming and icon in the process. Few will recall that it wasn’t until the early 50s that he made films like HOUSE OF WAX. But it was the Edgar Allan Poe films he made with director Roger Corman that cemented him in the halls of horror. And in between a few of those films he made an Italian produced feature shot in Italy based on a novel by author Richard Matheson. The movie was THE LAST MAN ON EARTH.
Price stars as Dr. Robert Morgan, the apparent sole survivor after a plague has killed off every other person on the planet. But this diseases has not just killed them, it has turned them all into vampire like creatures that avoid sunlight, fear mirrors and are avoid garlic. Morgan has holed up in his house using protective measures to keep them out at night. During the daylight hours he roams the city looking for their nest as he tries to eliminate them driving stakes through their hearts and then taking them to a landfill where their corpses are burned.
In flashbacks we see what transpired as Morgan and his fellow scientists tried to find a cure for this deadly virus. Eventually his daughter succumbs to the virus and when his wife calls for help they take her body to be burned with the others. This was the beginning of the burn pit we saw earlier. When Morgan’s wife dies he doesn’t want to face this again and buries her quietly. But she comes back that night and he is forced to kill her and deal with her body the way he should have to begin with.
Back to the present and one day Morgan finds a stray dog on the streets. Longing for some companionship he finally catches the dog and brings him home. Unfortunately he finds the dog has the plague as well and must kill it. But while burying the dog after something catches his eye. It’s a young woman, alive and well. He chases after her, catches her and shows him that he’s normal.
Taking her home he discovers that she is ill with the plague as well. Having determined that he has a natural immunity, he gives her a transfusion of his blood and saves her. But as she is recovering she confesses she has something to tell him that will change things.
I’ve seen this film numerous times and it’s always been fascinating to watch. Perhaps more so now after having spent a year in lockdown due to a mysterious plague of sorts with Covid-19. As this tale unfolds you begin to wonder what would have happened now if things had grown progressively worse. What would people have done if bodies would have had to be burned rather than buried? It causes some interesting things to consider.
This is the first adaptation of Matheson’s story and word was he wasn’t happy with it. That’s surprising as the other version drifted further away from his original story. Those were the Charlton Heston movie THE OMEGA MAN and the Wil Smith film I AM LEGEND. It would make an interesting nights viewing to watch all three back to back. Matheson was an amazing writer and this film proves that.
Kino Lorber is releasing the film for the first time on blu-ray and they’ve done an amazing job. The picture looks better than I’ve ever seen it before. In addition to that they are including a new audio commentary track by Richard Hartland Smith, an episode of TRAILERS FROM HELL featuring Joe Dante, “Richard Matheson: Storyteller” a documentary interview with Matheson, 2 TV spots, an alternate ending and the Italian trailer, the theatrical trailer and a collection of other trailers of Price films.
You may have seen this film before but not like this. If you
are a fan of the film, horror or Price, then by all means this one must be an
addition to your collection.
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