The Vulture, Half Man...Half Bird...Very Radioactive

Oh to be nobility in England.  Living in damp but spacious castles...being referred to as Sir or Lady...and having ancestors that ruled the empire...what can top that?  Of course, having kick-a** ancestors means they probably ticked a few people off centuries ago.  When that happens, the obligatory curse follows, proving to be a bane in the lives of modern day heirs. Fortunately nuclear science was invented, and from America comes hope.  Today we take a peek at "The Vulture" from 1966.

Alas the Stroud family.  In 1749 they declared a Spaniard a satanist, buried him alive in unconsecrated land, and shoved his pet vulture in the coffin to die with him.  I know, we all have done that as part of college pranks, but in the eighteenth century, this was a big deal. Enter Ellen (Annette Carell). She just doesn't listen.  This reasonable woman ventured across a graveyard late one night and witnessed someone...or something...rise out of that Spaniard's grave.  The shock of it turns her hair white overnight and her account convinces the authorities she is completely mad...but is she? Now it is apparent, whatever came out of this grave is a flying monster that rips apart descendants of the Stroud family with razor sharp talons.

Trudy, the librarian look

An arrogant American, Eric (Robert Hutton) arrives.  He is a nuclear scientist and married to Stroud descendant, the lovely...well...kinda plain actually...Trudy (Diane Clare).  Upon hearing of the killings, Eric believes science...nuclear science...can explain the monster.  After familiarizing himself with the particulars of the curse, Eric plays detective.  Brian (Broderick Crawford), the family patriarch, doesn't believe in any curse, and this will cost him dearly when the bird-monster hauls him away for dissection. With the frumpy Trudy next in line to be picked apart, Eric enlists the help of a very weird and suspicious Professor Hans Koniglich (Akim Tamiroff).  As the bird thing gets more aggressive, and Trudy is lured into the open, our scientist better hurry...and beware who he trusts.

An over helpful professor

Will the stunning...okay, so she's only a five at best...Trudy be able to escape a centuries old curse? Is a curse the real culprit here, or is nuclear science to blame? Remember, one nuclear bomb can ruin your whole day.  Directed by Lawrence Huntington, "The Vulture" starts out as a very reserved horror film and then explodes into an ambitious horror/scifi hybrid.  Filmed in beautiful Cornwall, a destination I must visit someday, "The Vulture" is a neat scare.