''The Vulture'' is a 1967 horror film directed by

Lawrence Huntington Lawrence Huntington (1900–1968) was a British film director, screenwriter and producer. Huntington was born in London on 9 March 1900, he directed more than thirty films following his debut feature ''After Many Years'' (1930). He later worked ...

and starring Robert Hutton, Akim Tamiroff, Broderick Crawford, and

Diane Clare Diane Clare (born Diane Dirsztay; 8 July 1938 – 21 June 2013) was an English film and television actress. Career Clare started acting at a very young age playing uncredited baby parts in films such as ''The Ghosts of Berkeley Square'' and ' ...

Plot

One stormy night in Cornwall, schoolteacher Ellen West becomes hysterical when she sees a gigantic bird with a human face fly out of the open grave of Francis Real, an 18th-century seaman. Real, buried alive with a huge, murderous bird he had found in the South Pacific, had sworn vengeance on all descendants of Squire Stroud, the man who ordered his interment; nevertheless, Brian Stroud, the present squire, is unconcerned by the prophecy of doom. American scientist Eric Lutyens, husband of Brian's niece Trudy, is troubled when he finds the mutilated body of a sheep in what appears to be a vulture's nest. He visits Professor Koniglich, a scientist friend of Brian's who believes himself to be a descendant of Real, and correctly surmises that Koniglich had attempted to disintegrate his own body in the grave and reassemble it through nuclear energy; unfortunately, the professor had failed to consider the bird buried there, and a mutation resulted. Before Eric can warn the Strouds, Brian and his brother Edward are found dead on a cliffside, and Trudy is carried away to the same site by the bird after she is lured to Koniglich's house. At the cliff, Eric finds his wife threatened by the beast with Koniglich's head and screams at her to use the gun he had given her. Trudy shoots the bird and it crashes to its death on the rocks below; Eric then weights it with an anchor, tows it out to sea, and sinks it.

Cast

* Robert Hutton as Dr. Eric Lutens * Akim Tamiroff as Prof. Hans Koniglich/the Vulture * Broderick Crawford as Brian F. Stroud *

as Trudy Lutens *

Philip Friend Philip Wyndham Friend (20 February 1915 in Horsham, Sussex – 1 September 1987 in Chiddingfold, Surrey) was a British film and television actor. Career Britain Friend went to Bradfield College where he became interested in acting. He began ...

as The Vicar *

Patrick Holt Patrick Holt (31 January 1912 – 12 October 1993) was an English film and television actor. Biography Born Patrick G. Parsons in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, Holt spent some of his childhood in India with his uncle, after which he was sen ...

as Jarvis * Annette Carell as Ellen West * Edward Caddick as Melcher, the Sexton * Gordon Sterne as Edward Stroud * Keith McConnell as Superintendent Wendell * Margaret Robinson as the Nurse

Production

The script was based on an original story by Huntington which was first known as ''Manutara''. He sold it to producer Jack O. Lamont who managed to get some financing from Paramount provided American names were cast in the leads. The remainder of the £50,000 budget was raised from Britain's Homeric Films and

NFFC Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Trent ...

along with Canada's Ihod Productions.

Reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

awarded the film one out of four stars, writing " Ridiculous casting makes this one a laugh riot." On his website ''Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings'', Dave Sindelar called it "ludicrous", criticizing the film's monster, backstory, and what he called a"budget-strapped threadbare look".

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vulture 1967 films Films directed by Lawrence Huntington 1967 horror films Paramount Pictures films Horror films about birds Giant monster films American monster movies British monster movies Canadian monster movies English-language Canadian films British black-and-white films American black-and-white films Canadian black-and-white films Films scored by Eric Spear 1960s English-language films 1960s American films 1960s Canadian films 1960s British films