A
reporter named Gregory (Jean Sorel) is found comatose in the bushes. He's still conscious, but his heartbeat is too
faint to detect. Presumed dead, the
mortician prepares Gregory’s body for an autopsy. He tries to get everyone's attention to stop
the autopsy while wracking his brain to remember how he wound up in this
predicament.
The old “I'm not dead” yet cliché has been used by everyone from Edgar Allen Poe to Stephen King. Director Aldo (Who Saw Her Die?) Lado is neither. Maybe that’s because Poe and King’s tales were short stories. The morgue scenes are mildly amusing and sometimes effective, but the mystery surrounding his appearance on the autopsy table just isn't interesting enough to sustain a feature length movie.
This is one of those thrillers that basically save all the horror for the final reel. Even then, it's kind of a bust. The big reveal is okay I suppose, but the autopsy finale is a big letdown.
Mario
(Man Hunt) Adorf is pretty good as Sorel’s buddy, but it’s Barbara Bach who
leaves the biggest impression as his luscious girlfriend. Unfortunately, she disappears much too quick
and her presence is sorely missed. Sorel
doesn’t have much charisma or anything, but he does sport a wicked head of
hair. In fact, his hair looks better
when he’s dead than most men do when they’re alive.
AKA: Paralyzed.
AKA: The Short Night of the
Butterflies.
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