'The Return of the Fly' is a surprisingly effective sequel with some neat twists and turns; it also has some laughable special effects and so comes very close to the 'camp' category. What that means is that it can be enjoyed on two levels- as a decent low-budget sci-fi horror flick and also as an unintentional laugh-getter. Not an easy trick to pull off, but 'Return of the Fly' somehow manages. Edward Bernds, better known for directing dozens of Three Stooges shorts, directed here and also wrote the screenplay. A quick check of his other screen credits indicates 'Return of the Fly' was probably the peak of his cinematic career. It appears not much was expected of the film as he was given a budget of $225,000 to work with. In comparison, this is roughly half of what a typical Abbott & Costello movie cost. At first, it appears the story follows the 'Frankenstein' formula; another scientist takes up where the last left off, vowing to complete a failed experiment but THIS TIME won't make the same mistakes. Uh huh. In this case, it is the scientist's son, Phillipe, who takes up his father's mantle and determines to make his disintegrator/integrator a success. In case you don't remember, this device is like an early version of Star Trek's transporter. But his assistant, Alan, turns out to be a con man who is only interested in stealing the machine's secrets and selling them to the highest bidder on the international disintegrator/integrator market. His partner-in-crime (played by Dan Seymour, one of the greatest bad actors of all time) negotiates the price, which we never learn but assume is more than the budget of the picture. Vincent Price is back from the original 'Fly;' twenty or so years have passed but Price appears not to have aged a day. The adult Phillipe really does resemble his father (played by David Hedison) and when he suffers the same fate, his fly-head seems three times as large as the one in the original. I'm sure it isn't really (maybe it's the suit Phillippe is wearing), but it appears quite unwieldy at times, as when he runs through the wood or has to climb over gates or through windows. But the strangest visual moment has to be when evil Alan knocks out a nosy police inspector and puts him in the device after a guinea pig has already gone halfway through the process, so what reappears finally is the inspector with white furry hands and feet. And guess what the guinea pig has. 'The Return of the Fly' moves along at a good clip and it is the added intrigue of the disloyal Alan that keeps it from being a stale remake of the original. One can forgive certain excesses, such as one five minute stretch where it seems the disintegrator/integrator is activated about fifteen times. Every time it is, Phillipe, Alan, and Vincent Price's Francois raise their goggles to their eyes to shield them from the blinding light, then lower them afterward. Up and down. Up and down. I began to suspect I was watching the same footage over and over.
Review of Return of the Fly
