The Leech Woman

An all but forgotten Universal Pictures production from the early 1960s, “The Leech Woman” puts an unusual spin on the fountain of youth theme, infusing it with a sci-fi horror aftertaste. The eccentric Dein, who in the earlier “Curse of the Undead” (1959) pulled off the arduous task of making the first vampire western in history, goes on another genre-bending spree here, jumping from drama to exotic adventure before finally settling into a noir.

And his cynical, disillusioned characters seem to have stepped right out of a classic noir. We find a host of Machiavellian individuals capable of doing anything to achieve their aims: Dr. Talbot, a flippant misogynist (“Old women always give me the creeps“) with no qualms about using his own wife as a guinea pig; the crude Garvay, an inveterate worshipper of the almighty dollar; the hysterical Sally, ready and willing to kill to satisfy her jealousy; the alcoholic June, so obsessed with the inexorable passing of time that she becomes a full-fledged serial killer.

It’s a world of miserable human beings dominated by profound gender stereotypes revealed by preposterous dialogue that maintains that women’s qualities and merits are solely attributable to their physical appearance (“For a man, old age has rewards. If he is wise, his gray hairs bring dignity and he’s treated with honor and respect. But for the aged woman there is nothing!“).

Little or nothing falls into the camp of true science fiction here, since the secret to eternal youth boils down to a couple of vague references to the supposed preservative powers found in the pollen of a rare African orchid species and the miraculous effects obtained by mixing it with hormones (melatonin?) secreted by the pineal gland (near the brain), which has inspired great fascination since the time of Descartes.

Visually interesting, the film avails itself of Bud Westmore’s excellent makeup.