Bride of the Gorilla

"Raymond Burr stars as Barney Chavez, a plantation manager working deep in the South American jungle. Barney has a yen for the beautiful wife of his employer, and decides to murder the old man to have her for himself. Unfortunately for Barney, a native sorcerer witnesses the crime, and puts a curse on him that transforms him by night into a murderous gorilla," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis. In one of her best roles, witchy Giselle Werbisek is a hoot as the native sorcerer. "Bride of the Gorilla" is one of those classic "so-bad-it's-good" movies that is not truly awful because it's awfully entertaining. Burly Raymond Burr (later "Perry Mason") is perfectly wretched as a man discovering his "inner jungle" feelings due to the presence of pointed blonde Barbara Payton (as Dina). Understandably, Lon Chaney (as Taro) suspects lycanthropy may be involved. He should know. ***** Bride of the Gorilla (10/51) Curt Siodmak ~ Raymond Burr, Barbara Payton, Lon Chaney, Tom Conway

On man, driven by an evil desire. One man, a husband; standing in his way. One woman, an entity of tradition; working black magic to make the guilty pay..... The native police commissioner, a man torn by tradition and his civic duty (Played by Lon Chaney); is on the case. With the assistance of a doctor, the commissioner seeks a beast that walks like a man..... In the fashion of The Wolf Man, the killer transforms into a gorilla. The evil within, dominating his humanity; in a manifestation of his primitive beast- like rages..... Great gathering of talent, and an original story; that plays well with its surroundings. Bride of the Gorilla, is a good movie; and will be appreciated by fans of the Wolf Man and classic horror.

As a cheap time-passer, this isn't nearly as bad a film as the title suggests. You'd think that during the entire film, some guy would run around in a gorilla suit because of some evil curse or scientific mumbo-jumbo. However, exactly what happens to nasty old Raymond Burr in the film isn't so simple or tacky. It seems that an old witch DID place a spell on him but instead of him running amok in a cheesy gorilla suit, he was cursed to believe he was a gorilla and see himself as a gorilla while he actually was still quite human. This had the effect of both screwing up his life and convincing everyone around him that he needed to be institutionalized. The ending is cleverly done and it's not a bad plot idea as long as you are willing to sit back and enjoy the film without thinking or expecting great art. Oddly, perhaps Raymond Burr became a bit type-cast because of this film, as only three years later he appeared in the 3-D film GORILLA AT LARGE.

For being such an old movie, "Bride of the Gorilla" has good special effects that help make great scenes! In the film the jungle looks like a real, large, and living jungle, which really makes the movie. After watching this movie i really understood the "magic" of the jungle and how staying out there can make people go crazy! The beautiful Barbara Payton did a terrific job with her character, and the love she shows for her husband, even though he turns crazy, is the typical 1950's "love" relationship. This movie is good, but sad in the end. It's a definite MUST SEE!

Barney Chavez (Burr) is in-love with Mrs. Dina Van Gelder (Payton) but she is married to his employer. Chavez ends up killing the employer but is seen by a voodoo priestess who casts a spell, a curse, on him that turns him into a murderous Gorilla. Barney and Dina end up married but with lots of problems. Police Commissioner Taro (Chaney) is on the trail to find out the answers. The question is: Is Chavez' transformation into a Gorilla real or all in his mind. Raymond Burr is good in this role - convincing, Barbra Payton does well as a woman tormented, Lon Chaney Jr makes a good police commissioner - so the film is overall fun to watch. This film is not nearly as bad as the critics say it is - it's actually interesting. There are some intense moments and it's a good ending. If you like movies where one of the characters is transformed into a creature and film concerning voodoo then you might like 'Bride of the Gorilla'. 6.5/10

O.K., so this is not a critical classic. In fact, it's oddball, low-budget nonsense. But you have to admit, it's great fun to watch. It's so strange that it forces you to watch it to the very end, just so you can be sure you are not making an error about the preposterous plot you're seeing. It's campy madness and I'de recommend it to anyone interested in the obscure. You will find yourself wondering: How did they ever get Raymond Burr to take such a role?