Caltiki

Caltiki, The Immortal Monster (1959) is one of the holy grails of '50s science fiction. Marking the uncredited directing debut of Mario Bava (Blood and Black Lace), the film has been almost impossible to find on home video outside of imports or grey market dubs. But now Arrow Video has stepped up to the plate with a Blu-ray / DVD combo that blows away any previous presentation and adds a pair of audio commentaries to explain what all the fuss what about.

In actuality, Caltiki is a bit of a bore. But then again, so are most of the Sputnik-era monster movies it's emulating. Modeled after the success of Hammer Films' The Quatermass Xperiment, here we have a team of scientists on an archeological dig in Mexico who awaken a flesh-eating, radioactive blob. It turns out this same blob was responsible for the mysterious disappearance of the entire Mayan civilization. And it's got its eyes (or sensory organs of some sort) set on Rome next!

Director Riccardo Freda punishes us with one expository dialogue scene after another, merely swapping backgrounds from time to time. There's a bit more sexual tension, one horrendously out-of-place native dance sequence, and a few instances of shocking gore. Otherwise, Caltiki would probably deserve of its terminal anonymity if not for the obvious contribution of Mario Bava, who handled all the special effects as well as the opening sequence.

Beginning with a hand rising slowly from behind a mountain of rock as a man stumbles into a dramatically backlit jungle of matte paintings and erupting volcanoes, Caltiki announces the arrival of a director to be reckoned with. Bava's playful use of the medium stands out from the rest of the film's by-the-numbers monotony and culminates with a model-crushing climax of primordial goo gone wild.

One of very few Italian science-fiction entries (Antonio Margheriti's War of the Planets trilogy popped up in the '60s), the film also lifts elements from X - The Unknown and The Blob with a bit of a jungle-voodoo vibe thrown in for the heck of it. The characters are all largely forgettable except for Max (Gerard Herter) who has his vital juices infected with Caltiki's radioactive venom, which slowly drives him into a state of lustful insanity.

Freda and Bava's previous collaboration, I Vampiri (1957) is a much more polished film, but shares Caltiki's penchant for gothic contrivances and visual trickery despite the differing genres. And it's that cinematic evolution that's the most fascinating aspect of Caltiki as a whole. Even as a bit of middling '50s sci-fi tomfoolery, Bava manages to elevate the material well above expectations...something he would go on to do the rest of his career.

Arrow's two-disc set does more than provide a new 2K restoration, it provides critical perspective. Both Tim Lucas and Troy Howarth contribute their own commentary tracks that break down the film on every level. With a short 76-minute running time, Bava fans will have an easy time going through this one at least twice to learn everything they can. Kim Newman also provides a 20-minute sit-down interview covering Caltiki's place in the sci-fi pantheon. Archival extras (from the previous NoShame release) include more interviews and an alternate U.S. title sequence. The first pressing also comes with an illustrated collector's booklet featuring liner notes.