Caltiki, the Immortal Monster

Caltiki, the Immortal Monster (1959)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Some hidden Mayan ruins are being searched by a group of archaeologists and before long they are battling a blob-like monster. They're able to destroy the thing but before long it is brought back to full strength and goes on a rampage.

CALTIKI, THE IMMORTAL MONSTER is a film that's best known for its director controversy. Riccardo Freda is the credited director but he says he had very little to actually do with it. Mario Bava did the cinematography and special effects and is now considered the co-director of the picture. It seems that when people discuss this movie it has more to do with the directors and not really the film itself.

For the most part this is a mildly entertaining "B" movie but it's certainly a long way from being one of the best that the genre has to offer. What impressed me the most about this movie is the fact that it looks wonderful and was done on such a low-budget. Bava certainly deserves a lot of credit because the opening alone makes you feel as if you're really in Mexico but it's all special effects. I was really impressed with the atmosphere and look of the film and how they were able to do it with such little money.

The look of the monster was also quite impressive but I'm not going to lie, it's nowhere near as great as what we saw in THE BLOB, which was obviously an influence on this film. What really hurts this film is the fact that the characters are all rather lame and I personally didn't care about any of them. Whenever the monster isn't on the screen the film really drags and I'd argue that the dialogue is rather boring and doesn't help things.

CALTIKI, THE IMMORTAL MONSTER certainly isn't a masterpiece or even a good movie but at the same time there are enough interesting moments to make it worth viewing. Fans of the genre will certainly enjoy what Bava was able to do with such a small budget.