Curse of the Swamp Creature

Curse of the Swamp Creature (1966) starring John Agar, Francine York

Synopsis of Curse of the Swamp Creature

In Curse of the Swamp Creature, a trio of criminals trick an oil surveyor into bringing them along on his trip to a swamp land. Where a mad scientist is trying to create a lizard/human hybrid to prove an evolutionary theory. By using unsuspecting victims as guinea pigs.  And throw into the mix a voodoo cult, that decides to get revenge on the mad scientist for treating them so badly.

Review of Curse of the Swamp Creature

Well, Curse of the Swamp Creature is probably not the worst movie ever made.  Probably.  But it’s clearly a contender.  The acting is wooden throughout – with the possible exceptions of John Agar and Bill Thurman. The “frightening” creature is only shown for the final six minutes of the film …. Which is a good thing, since it looks so completely silly.  And the plot’s more than a little convaluted, at least at first.  There’s not much to commend it, except as something to mock while you’re watching it. I rate it only 1 star out of 5.

Cast of characters

• Barry Rogers (John Agar, Tarantula). The oil surveyor, tricked into taking along two criminals with him. They plan to rob him of the location of the oil deposit
• Simond Trent (Jeff Alexander, Zontar) – a mad scientist working hidden in the swamp – in a nice suburban home. He hopes to prove that he can reverse evolution by transplanting gills and scales onto a human. Really. He treats his wife, co-workers, and pretty much everyone else like dirt.
• Pat Trent (Francine York, Space Probe Taurus) – lovely wife of the mad scientist, desperate to escape.
• Brenda Simmons (Shirley McLine, Attack of the Eye Creatures) – the scheming criminal mastermind. She uses her beauty to rob Driscoll West, pretend to be Mrs. West, hit on John Agar …. And then become the mad doctor’s last victim.
• Ritchie (Cal Duggan, Mars Needs Women) – the not-very-bright muscle of the criminal gang. Who’s stupid enough to think that he can rape a young lady in the mad scientist’s home. He deserves his death in quicksand and is not mourned.
• Tracker (Bill McGhee, Don’t Look in the Basement) – the guide through the swamp; a nice enough fellow.
• Rabbit Simms (Charles McLine, The Yesterday Machine)
• Frenchie (Roger Ready, Night Fright) – the crooked motel operator. He helps Brenda with her plot at the hotel. And oddly enough, pays no penalty for his criminal actions.
• Driscoll West (Bill Thurman, Close Encounters of the Third Kind). The oil surveyor, who beats Ritchie when he finds him going through his papers. Only for Ritchie to kill him when his back is turned.
• Tom (Tony Huston, The Hellcats) – the mad scientist’s surgical assistant, who becomes one of his victims