Wait...didn't I just review another film about a psychic who hypnotizes women and makes them relive their past lives? Now that I think about it, I did! It was Roger Corman's The Undead (1957), a film which, while ridiculous, was sufficiently atmospheric and compelling. Edward L. Cahn's The She -Creature, on the other hand, while ridiculous, is neither. It is a clunky, drearily boring film. I'll be fair, though. The She-Creature has a somewhat interesting plot. Evil hypnotist (and really, is there any other kind of hypnotist) Carlo Lombardi travels the country with his assistant named Andrea. He puts on shows where he makes her regress to "past lives." However, while not performing, he hypnotizes her into murdering people Lombardi despises. He joins forces with Timothy Chappel, a local rich man, to create a scheme where they gain fame and attention by "predicting" Andrea's murders before they happen. I can actually imagine Hitchcock doing something interesting with this premise, particularly in his early Hollywood years during the 40s when he would occasionally make films that featured quasi-mystical elements and mental disorders like Rebecca (1940) and Spellbound (1945). But Cahn ruins this premise with excruciating acting, horrific cinematography, non-existent pacing, and one of the worst monster suits this side of Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961). Oh, did I mention that this was a monster movie? For whatever reason, when Lombardi hypnotizes Andrea in order for her to do his bidding, she transforms into a hideous creature. There really isn't anything redeeming about The She-Creature. At the very least Creature from the Haunted Sea was funny...intentionally...
3/10
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