Reincarnation mumbo jumbo with Steve Forrest (Twilight Zone episode,
“The Parallel”) and Dina Merrill as couple in Kenya for six months, preparing
for a book on their exploits, encountering tribesman who relocate them to a
lion pit containing a gorilla (basic man in gorilla costume). Forrest realizes
the gorilla hates him, full of rage in its eyes, just wanting to flay him.
Merrill, on the other hand, feels the gorilla is just aggressive and needs to
be freed. Forrest decides to rope trap the gorilla and bring him to a scientist’s
(Fernando Lamas) institute to be studied with Merrill vehemently objecting to
such treatment. Forrest and Lamas go on and on about possible reasons the
gorilla hates him so and the conversation (this is also the case with Merrill,
who wants to stay with the gorilla they named N’Gi, by its cage on the creature’s
first night away from its natural habitat) steers towards reincarnation and how
both Forrest and the gorilla were once similar primates possibly fighting over
a girl…that the blood has passed down through the ages and now visits them to
this very time. Eventually Merrill stupidly opens the cage to retrieve taken
jewelry and the gorilla gets out, pursuing Forrest, rampaging through the institute,
knocking over crates, artifacts, and scientific items used for research and
development. Despite being shot by Forrest’s gun numerous times in sensitive,
endangering locations, N’Gi nonetheless doesn’t let up until it can satiate its
lust for his blood. Merrill just tries to keep away and safe which is no sure
thing, either. Whatever your thoughts are on reincarnation perhaps dictates
your feelings on this episode. Many of today’s generations might definitely
agree with Merrill’s assessment of men: that they are not needed on the planet,
and that animal life should endure without trouble from them. N’Gi will not
stay down or die until it gets its hands on Forrest, doing so despite bullet
after bullet fired into its torso. A thunderstorm outside the institute is used
to give the episode a dark foreboding while the gorilla on the prowl is
supposed to add suspense. I just didn’t care much for this one, although some
might consider it intense enough. Whether or not you can see the gorilla as a
creature instead of a stuntman in a costume might determine the value of the
episode. 2/5
“How to Cure the Common Vampire” feels like a minor tale cut
short before it can ever start. A party of vampire hunters locate a count in a
coffin in a castle (overlooking an ocean from a cliff, seemingly a clip lifted
right from a Corman feature), pull out a stake and mallet and contemplate
killing the vampire. It ends. Worthless. 0/5.
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