+

poster of The Leech Woman
Rating: 4.6/10 by 34 users

The Leech Woman (1960)

An endocrinologist in a dysfunctional marriage with an aging, alcoholic wife journeys to Africa seeking a drug that will restore youth.

Directing:
  • Edward Dein
Writing:
  • Ben Pivar
  • Francis Rosenwald
  • David Duncan
Stars:
Release Date: Sun, May 01, 1960

Rating: 4.6/10 by 34 users

Alternative Title:

Country:
United States of America
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 17 minutes
Budget: $0
Revenue: $0

Plot Keyword: suicide, africa, dynamite, expedition, tribe, alcoholism, eternal youth, dysfunctional marriage, murder, jungle, doctor, quicksand, female villain, hormone therapy
Subtitle   Wallpaper   Watch Trailer    

Coleen Gray
June Talbot
Phillip Terry
Dr. Paul Talbot
Gloria Talbott
Sally Howard
John van Dreelen
David Garvay (listed as "Bertram" in end credits but called "David" in the film)
Kim Hamilton
Young Malla

John Chard

Old women always give me the creeps! What do you expect from a film called The Leech Woman? It is by definition one of those sci-fi "B" movies strung together as a support feature that played whilst theatre patrons were still necking, chatting and eating etc. Plot follows in the tradition of something like The Wasp Woman (1959), that plays on the theme of a woman striving to stay young as the advent of time catches up with her. Cue bonkers science, where here it involves a trek to the jungles of Africa to unearth the secret of eternal youth. Naturally things get very bent out of shape and pain and misery are sure to follow. Thematically it has mixed messages, on one hand it dares to say, unappealingly so, that a woman is only viable for love and happiness by being young and beautiful. On the other hand it is possibly having caustic observations on the dangers of vanity? The makers intentions are not clear so really the viewers are left to their own devices on that one. It's never scary and some of the latex effects work is poor and befitting the minuscule budget. While the first half hour feels awfully padded out. But all things considered it's not a bottom feeder of the genre, and actually would make a nice companion piece with The Wasp Woman. 5/10


My Favorite

Welcome back!

Support Us

Like Movienade?

Please buy us a coffee

scan qr code