Caltiki, the Immortal Monster

Poor in budget but rich in stimulating ideas, “Caltiki – The Immortal Monster” constitutes one of the most interesting and original works directed by Riccardo Freda (credited as “Robert Hamton”), who avails himself of Mario Bava’s essential collaboration (the latter’s special effects made with bovine tripe are memorable) to unleash an unrelenting mix of adventure, horror, and science fiction.

After the first half hour spent in an adventure vein set smack-dab in the middle of an improbable Mexican jungle, the plot dives into bio-sci-fi territory, and then bids adieu in the guise of a disaster film.

Skillfully shot and rich with surprising narrative twists (it was an early adopter, to say the least, of the found-footage gimmick in the cave), the film is shrouded in a pall of gloom reminiscent of the morbid ambiences typical of H. P. Lovecraft’s short stories. Cast: John Merivale is a basically mediocre protagonist. Gérard Herter turns in a more convincing performance as the acidic Max Gunther, whose terrible destiny is similar to that of the astronaut in “The Quatermass Xperiment” (1955).

The film was clearly influenced by other American and British sci-fi pictures of the 1950s, with some more or less explicit references to works such as “X the Unknown” (1956) and “The Blob” (1958).