Creature with the Blue Hand (1967) User Reviews

enjoyable krimi, not especially horrific

[FieCrier · 7/10 · 26 April 2006]

The DVD I watched had both the Bloody Dead and the original Creature with the Blue Hand versions on it; I watched the latter. Presumably the latter isn't exactly the original since it has English language titles and dialogue. Additionally, during the opening credits there are twelve gunshots and twelve bloody stains that appear on the screen. In The Video Watchdog Book, it's mentioned that krimis begin with that and the letters E D G A R W A L L A C E appearing out of the blood. However, those letters don't emerge on the version on the DVD, though they're clearly arranged that way.

Dave (Kinski) is committed after being found criminally insane for the murder of the family gardener. He later escapes, and people are murdered by a figure dressed in black wielding an iron blue glove with retractable knives. His twin brother, two other brothers, mother and sister are all concerned about his escape. The police investigate. Lots of secret passages and a sinister doctor is in charge of the asylum.

Enjoyable, but the ending seemed sort of contrived. Still, I'd like to see more krimis and even read some Edgar Wallace.

Creature with the Blue Hand

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 14 April 2009]

Klaus Kinski is the allure for this Krimi, another solid thriller with multiple twists and suspicious suspects, from director Alfred Vohrer concerning a series of murders associated with a wealthy family, & how they are in connection with an insane asylum whose psychiatric director is operating under the orders of a mastermind after an inheritance. The film opens with Kinski's character, Dave Emerson, who is sentenced to life at an asylum for the murder of his gardener(..a murder he insists passionately he didn't commit), and is released by someone who shortly afterward kills a nurse as he's fleeing the scene. Dave's twin brother, Richard, mysteriously vanishes upon his arrival at the family mansion..Scotland Yard detectives, Inspector Craig(Harald Leipnitz)and Sir John(Siegfried Schürenberg)discover Dave's attempt to assume Richard's identity, but work with him to identify a killer, donning a black cloak and hood(..with a hole cut out to see through), using a armor plated arm with sharp steel claws that extend(..the blue hand, designed from blueprints drawn up by Dave who is a successful sculptor of mannequins among other things). The "creature with the blue hand" seems to be targeting Dave's family members, his brothers are killed and sister Myrna(Diana Körner)only escapes near death twice. Soon the asylum director, Dr. Albert Mangrove(Carl Lange), a colorful villain with a monocle, has Myrna kidnapped, often talking over the phone with his boss behind an operation to retrieve a fortune left to the Emerson family by their deceased patriarch, attempting to force her signature on a document, with her refusal being possible death..attempts to frighten her into signing include being thrown in a prison with dangerously violent lunatics and a padded cell containing a plastic cage housing an army of rats(..also part of the punishment includes the release of multiple snakes). Working with Dave, who temporarily takes Richard's place as he oddly remains out of the picture, Craig will attempt to uncover the killer and mastermind behind the kidnapping of Myrna.

As any good Krimi film, there is an extremely convoluted plot yielding lots of suspects and red herrings, and some intriguing twists which reveal the complex scheme as it unfolds with our detective, Craig, getting to the bottom of the mystery..who would want the Emerson kids dead and how is Mangrove involved? There's another neat disguise and weapon for the killer, the intimidating armored arm with claws that often are buried deep into the chests of victims. You have any number of suspects who could be behind the murders such as Lady Emerson herself, a sneaky butler who is always spying on people in the mansion, the family's lawyer, and even Kinski's two brothers themselves. The film does take away doubt that Dave's behind the scheme as he works closely with Craig, but what about his brother Richard? Lange's sinister Mangrove is as much a memorable villain as the "creature with the blue hand", with his methods for disposing of those who get in his way such as a nurse attempting to expose his corruption or his torturous methods towards Myrna, trying to get her written signature. The monocle and his unflinching willingness to harm people certainly craft Mangrove as a slimy, cruel heavy wielding a lot of power thanks to his position and authority. Through his position as a director of an asylum(..and the authority to pronounce people insane even if they aren't), he indeed has methods at his disposal for dealing with folks others want out of the way. Thankfully Schürenberg's nincompoop Sir John doesn't figure prominently in this particular Krimi, a goofy source of comedy often standing in the way of the more reliable detective(..Craig in this case)with a firm grasp on how to solve the difficult case in front of him. While Kinski has two roles(..although, Richard isn't involved in the movie that much, except in terms of the central plot), he is more of a supporting character assisting Craig in catching the culprits behind the highly complex scheme to get at an inheritance. The mansion has a nifty secret passageway which offers the killer a method of travel(..and this method of travel figures into how Dave was set up for the murder), and the asylum is established as a repellent and unnerving place where you certainly don't want to wind up. The story-line keeps you honest all the way to it's wacky conclusion..fans might tell you that the Krimi genre is much like Scooby Doo mysteries as those responsible are unmasked as the detective gathers the remaining suspects, unveiling the mastermind to our amusement.

Very enjoyable krimi

[bensonmum2 · 7/10 · 13 August 2006]

I'm still relatively new to these krimis, but I rate Creature with the Blue Hand as one of the best I've seen so far. It's the story of man named Dave Emerson (Klaus Kinski) who has been committed to an asylum for murdering his family's gardener. Dave escapes and makes his way home (which is conveniently located a stones throw from the asylum) and attempts to convince anyone who will listen that he's innocent. But it's difficult for his family and Scotland Yard to believe Dave as the bodies begin to pile-up?

There's certainly plenty to enjoy in Creature with the Blue Hand – a crazy twin brother, a devilishly sinister medieval glove with retractable spikes, secret passageways, a mad doctor, and enough suspense to keep most fans happy. Creature with the Blue Hand is successful in creating that one ingredient necessary for a film of this type – atmosphere. The film has a nice pace to it and never seems to drag. The acting is hit or miss at best. Kinski gives a nice, restrained performance. The sets are amazing and far exceed the film's obviously limited budget. Even though the film is set in modern times, the sets would have been perfect for a period piece.

The DVD I watched also features an American cut of the film, re-titled The Bloody Dead. This version contains 15 or so minutes of added gore scenes filmed some 20 years after the original movie was made. I haven't watched it yet and, based on everything I've read, I probably never will.

A lot better than I remembered when I fell asleep as a teenager watching it

[rixrex · 10 October 2006]

Yes, that is right, I was trying to stay up late to watch this on the old Sammy Terry Terror Theater on Indianapolis/Bloomington channel 4, and fell asleep after about 15 mins. Therefore my recollection of it was as a boring movie, when in reality I was just tired. So I found a tape of it for $2 at the local swap meet and thought I'd give it a try since I liked all sorts of European giallo-styled films. What a great treat! Plenty of nice scary moments interspersed with humor and action. Not boring at all. Good performances all around, Kinski is superb. Now I know where Wes Craven got the knife-hand idea for Freddy K. One of the best things about these European horror films is that they actually have lengthy moments of suspense and dialog that aren't obscured by stupid, loud, obnoxious rock and pop music influenced noise like modern US horror films. They actually have soundtracks that enhance the mood rather than try to shock you with loud sudden blasts.

Who would keep a poisonous snake in a safe?

[Coventry · 7/10 · 19 December 2020]

Life is short and you only live it once! That was my principal motivation to purchase a 33-DVD box set entitled "The Edgar Wallace Collection". Most of them are obscure and unknown euro-exploitation movies, but they all look deliciously sinister and entertaining. I'm watching them randomly, via a sort of bingo-system, and I was lucky enough to draw one starring my all-time favorite actor; - Klaus Kinski! Apparently, that wasn't too difficult. Kinski stars in approximately one-third of these films.

I am slightly familiar with the oeuvre of novelist Edgar Wallace, and can safely state that ("Creature with) the Blue Hand" is a prototypic work. It's a convoluted murder-whodunit, set in grim décors like spooky insane asylums and gothic family mansions full of secret passageways. Kinski plays a double role, identical twin brothers Dave & Richard Emerson, of which Dave is falsely accused of murder and submitted to an asylum. Someone unknown helps him escape, and simultaneously more members from the noble Emerson clan are brutally murdered by a killer who uses a blue gauntlet with sharp spikes. For once, Kinski doesn't portray the most diabolical character of the bunch. That honor goes to Carl Lange, who plays the sadist head warden of the asylum. He wears a monocle and keeps poisonous snakes in a safe in his office! Siegfried Schürenberg, in his familiar role as Sir John of Scotland Yard, ensures the obligatory comic-relief.

Klaus Kinsi is menacingly fun to watch, as usual.

[Zbigniew_Krycsiwiki · 6/10 · 16 July 2013]

(Blood splattered everywhere in the first scene, mopped up by the janitors?) Kinski escapes from an asylum and hides out at his family's nearby estate, and assumes the identity of his twin brother, just as a series of murders begin, committed by a man in a black cloak with an iron glove and razor fingers.

How is that, for contrived and convoluted? And quick: this was filmed in February and March 1967, and released already in West Germany in April 1967!

Almost the entire film is bound to the family estate, a setting which allows for plenty of surreal images and vivid colours and soft photography and cracks of lightning in the night, and a few well done stalking scenes, but also limits the film, and makes it feel like a photographed stage-play. A slow moving and somewhat dull stage-play, with an abrupt and dodgy ending.

Die blaue Hand

[Spookara · 7/10 · 9 December 2019]

Good acting and an exciting story with a good tempo. However, it shows the cliché, scary mental sanctuary.

Breezy greatest hits film by Vohrer

[dopefishie · 6/10 · 3 August 2021]

Creature with the Blue Hand AKA: The Bloody Dead is a fun, breezy film. It's short and sweet and gets right down to business. If you've seen any of Vohrer's other films, you'll find that this is basically his greatest hits album. Creepy mansion with secret passages? Check. Creepy asylum run by a powerful, corrupt man? Check. Creepy truck driven by villain in creepy fog at night? Check. Creepy visually impaired character? Check. And the list goes on. It's fun and doesn't take itself seriously. I liked the soundtrack too!

On the other hand, it felt a bit too formulaic. Some of the scenes were so contrived as to be almost like a parody.

Suckers!! :=8P

[MooCowMo · 1/10 · 26 April 1999]

Yes, those of you expecting a moovie called The Bloody Dead - you've been ripped off. Instead, you got a re-edited version of a German late 60's horror film called "The Blue Hand", starring a very young Klaus Kinski, with some cheesy 70's American zombie bits edited in and re-released. The original Blue Hand is muddled and cowfusing as it is, poorly dubbed and featuring bad fx; the added scenes are even worse, amateurishly acted, obviously fake, and basically pointless. The two films cowbined create a very poor, boring, hopeless mess. Klaus Kinski, the German John Caradine, plays two roles (sort of!), although it's never very sure who or what role he is in at any one time. Kinski fans may want to see this only to see him at one of his earliest mooments, but true horror buffs will be bored stiff. MooCow says don't even bother. :=8P

A typical "krimi" with color to recommend it

[melvelvit-1 · 6/10 · 9 September 2015]

Although they have a few things in common, I've always preferred the Italian Giallo to the German Krimi which is probably why I'm a bit underwhelmed by many entries. Most krimi were made before the London Mod scene changed a generation's fashion, music, and decor (something the giallo took full advantage of) and were usually filmed in black & white with very little style and even less sex. CREATURE WITH THE BLUE HAND was a typical entry; a convoluted Edgar Wallace murder mystery (which is no bad thing, reely) made at the tail end of the cycle with color to recommend it.

Lord Emerson's lunatic twin (Klaus Kinski in a dual role) escapes from a nearby insane asylum and makes his way back home to gloomy Grayson Hall as a series of murders begin to plague both the estate and the asylum. The weapon of choice this time is a piece of ancestral armor, a blue steel glove with razor-sharp blades for fingers a la Freddy Krueger. Jumps scares and red herrings abound and a jazzy, inappropriate soundtrack makes the film feel like an episode of MANNIX at times but I will say one thing- there's always a decent body count in any given krimi. Characters drop like flies and no one cares -least of all the viewer- since the complicated plot's always in perpetual motion, leaving no time for character development.

Years later, additional scenes were filmed on the same sets and a re- edited version was released on the U.S. drive-in circuit as THE BLOODY DEAD. It's an extra on my DVD but I can't say I'm all that interested.

Spare yourself!!!!!

[braindamaged119 · 1/10 · 16 April 2002]

I bought this film for $9.99 at my local mall because I was intrigued by the scenes depicted on the back of the box, which made it look like a zombie film (I'm a sucker for those). Needless to say, I was absolutely horrified after I watched the film. Not that the film was scary, mind you, but because it was so dreadfully AWFUL! You should probably be warned that the zombie scenes featured in the film came from a different movie, and said movie has absolutely NOTHING to do with the rest of the film, which is a German film starring Klaus Kinski named "Die Blaue Hand" (The Blue Hand). Well, I no longer own the tape, and I have made it my personal mission to turn you good people away from this film and others like it. On a scale of 1-10, this is undoubtedly a 1!.

2 Kinski's are better than one

[QueenoftheGoons · 8/10 · 25 May 2021]

One of his betters though it still don't beat Schizoid or Venom. You get 2 Kinski's for the price of one. The classic one bad brother and one good. Kinski in an asylum? Perfect for the schizophrenic nymphomaniac actor. He's always a favorite goon to watch.

This could have been a lot better

[Horst_In_Translation · 4/10 · 28 April 2016]

"Die Blaue Hand" or "Creature with the Blue Hand" or "The Bloody Dead" (really?) is another German Edgar Wallace movie from almost 50 years ago. The director is once again Alfred Vohrer and he made many of these films based on the crime novel author. But there is one major difference compared to most other of these films. This one here has a real star in it, even if Klaus Kinski was not really that famous yet in the late 1960s. And they also took the right approach of making this almost 100% drama. Other Wallace films have many comedic moments and they frequently do not take themselves seriously at all. Not so this one. And I think it was the right creative decision they made. Kinski is not for comedy. However, what they made of Kinski in terms of quality and quantity is underwhelming. It starts off nicely with him getting lots of screen time early on, but he quickly disappears and in the second half he is almost non-existent. Also, when I said quality, I do believe that the way the character was written was not on par with Kinski's skill set. So it was definitely a missed chance. Another somewhat known actress in here is Ilse Steppat, who plays one of the major supporting characters. She also was not too famous at this point, but the fact that she played a villain in a Bond movie shortly before her death elevated her popularity a lot. Also just like with Kinski, I felt she was underused. The actors in here were certainly fine. I also enjoyed the faces where I did not know the name. But the story really isn't. This is never scary, this is never edge-of-seat material. And the final plot twist is really ridiculous in a bad way unfortunately. I give it a thumbs down. Not recommended. The potential here was absolutely not fulfilled. Luckily, the film stays easily under the 90 minute mark.

This is not about a lonely smurf...

[evilskip · 4 September 1999]

Thankfully I haven't seen the re edited hatchet job that was released as The Bloody Dead that was culled from this movie. The ads on the video release did tout it as before Freddy in the Nightmare On Elm Street series.But this is another from the German krimis based on the works of Edgar Wallace.

What we have here is the old good twin/evil twin plot that has been done to death.Two brothers (played by the ever intense Klaus Kinski)are the center of a plot. One was convicted of murder and locked in the squirrel farm over his protestations of innocence.Conveniently the asylum is in the neighborhood of the family estate.

Freed by an unknown benefactor the twin flees to the family basement. Then a series of brutal killing via a spiked glove begin.Confusion abounds as the brothers bounce back and forth in cases of mistaken identity.As usual there is a fortune to be inherited as well, secret police agents and a mad doctor(is there any other kind?).

This by no means a great movie.It just happens to be rather unremarkable and somewhat predictable if you've seen enough movies in this genre.Hey, somebody has to sit through it so you don't have to.

See it only if you don't want to think strenuously.

Double Klaus

[BandSAboutMovies · 5/10 · 1 March 2023]

Based on the Edgar Wallace novel The Blue Hand and part of a long-running series of krimi adaptations by Rialto Film, this was bought by New World Pictures and issued as a double feature in the U. S. with Beast of the Yellow Night. Man, how good was life then?

Klaus Kinski plays Dave Emerson, who chokes out a nurse and escapes from a mental hospital before running to the castle of his twin brother Richard - also Kinski - as a black robed killer roams the grounds and kills people with his astounding blue claw with razorblades on the fingers, like something out of a giallo. For example, oh, Death Walks at Midnight. Or A Nightmare On Elm Street, which came 17 years after this.

Director Alfred Vohrer keeps things moving and it all looks gorgeous if indebted to Mario Bava. That said, aren't all movies made after him? There's also an incredible insane asylum sequence, featuring rooms filled with mice, rats and one female patient who just strips all day and night. This is the kind of movie world where you just want to live inside it, except that, yeah, there's a killer on the loose and the cops are as always ineffectual.

Coming out just three years before giallo would surpass the krimi while using many of the same ideas from Edgar Wallace, this film reminds me that I need to get deeper into watching these German detective movies.

Creature With the Blue Hand later re-edited in 1987 with new gore inserts by producer Sam Sherman for his company Independent International - wow, I love that so much - and released to home video as The Bloody Dead. The extra scenes - almost ten minutes of new footage - was directed by Warren F. Disbrow and his father Warren Disbrow Sr.

Some Weird Murder Mystery Horror Stuff

[gavin6942 · 7 October 2011]

Scotland Yard is after a homicidal maniac called The Blue Hand, which is what he uses to kill his victims.

Klaus Kinski stars, so you already know this is going to be weird. There is the use of very vibrant, distinct colors, almost like early Argento but less polished. There is wild music which is more comical than suspenseful. And there is a weapon that looks like a medieval version of Freddy Krueger's glove.

I feel like if this film was touched up and given a decent transfer from a company that cares (like Dark Sky), it would have some potential. But it would still be accidentally humorous and hard to categorize. I would not mind if it was in the original German either.

Fingers Of Death...

[azathothpwiggins · 23 June 2022]

CREATURE WITH THE BLUE HAND is a suspenseful thriller full of mystery. Klaus Kinski plays a dual role as twins, one of whom might be a homicidal maniac. The titular killer actually has a blue hand to dispatch his victims. It comes complete with finger-knives!

This movie also contains an insane asylum, a castle with secret passages, and inhuman torture by both rats and snakes! Kinski is his usual, amazing self. He devours these sort of roles like so much candy!

WARNING: This film was rereleased under the title THE BLOODY DEAD, which includes a few added, non sequitur sequences of gory violence having nothing to do with the actual story. This unnecessary footage is tacky, silly, and insulting to anyone with a functioning brain...