I Eat Your Skin (1964)

‘He wants to make you goat without horns.’

A playboy writer travels to a Caribbean island to do research for a novel with his agent and his agent’s wife. When they get there, they find a scientist researching a cure for cancer and a plague of zombies…

Originally filmed as ‘Zombie’ then re-titled ‘Zombie Bloodbath’ this was filmed in 1964 by director Del Tenney but failed to get any kind of a release. Six years later, distributor Jerry Gross picked it up and re-titled it again (just as inaccurately) because he was looking for a support feature to play with his release ‘I Drink Your Blood’ (1970). It’s a bit of a mystery as to why the film didn’t get an original release because although it’s not very good, it’s certainly a lot better than ‘The Horror of Party Beach’ (1964), which Tenney also unleashed that year and did go on general release.

Our lead is William Joyce and his performance as the aggressive alpha male is not exactly subtle. Why Heather Hewitt should fall for him is a bit of a mystery but then he does have his shirt off most of the time. She’s the scientist’s beautiful daughter and the main target (for vague reasons) of the local voodoo cult. It does make me wonder why scientists never have ugly daughters, despite what they look like themselves (memo to self: get to know more scientists). Plot wise this is predictable and bares a certain resemblance to ‘Isle of the Snake People’ (1968); one of the four movies Boris Karloff made in Mexico before he died. But, of course this was made first, just released later.

Poached eyeballs were on the breakfast menu that morning…

The movie manages to attain basic levels of competency in every department; but it is just 80 minutes of relentless mediocrity. The zombie makeup is unconvincing but certainly memorable and the identity of the main villain of the piece should come as a surprise to nobody. Joyce’s toy pistol seems unimpaired by an extended drag through a river and the exploding aeroplane scene is a bit silly. Also, the story never makes complete sense. Why do the natives let the scientist experiment on them when they’re obviously a bit narked about the whole thing?

It’s an agreeable time passer; especially if you suspend your critical faculties and spend as much time as possible staring at Miss Hewitt.

Buy ‘I Eat Your Skin’ here