Captive Wild Woman (1943) – Review

If turning a man into a wolf could bring big box office returns then a movie about a gorilla being turned into a woman must have seemed like the logical next step, at least that is what I assume was in the minds of the execs over at Universal Pictures when they released their first of Cheela, the Ape Woman movies.

From the opening scenes of director Edward Dmytryk’s Captive Wild Woman one could assume this movie was about circus animal trainer Fred Mason (Milburn Stone) returning from overseas with his new menagerie of animals and a desire to create an act that would combine both species of big cats, that is not the case. while those plot elements do make up a large portion of the film the key “subplot” is what the film’s title alludes to.  This film centres around a brilliant but deranged scientist, Dr. Sigmund Walters (John Carradine), who becomes obsessed with the idea of using glandular transfusions to alter animals and human beings to create a race of superhumans. These plots converge when Mason’s fiancée Beth Colman (Evelyn Ankers) takes her sister Dorothy (Martha MacVicar), who seems to be suffering from unexplained weight loss, to see Dr. Walters at his sanitarium. This is perfect timing for Walters as his animal experiments haven’t been going well and Dorothy will be his next guinea pig. Walters’ assistant Nurse Strand (Fay Helm) isn’t keen on the idea of human experimentation and she doesn’t buy his “for the betterment of mankind” schtick and threatens to go to the police. That is, of course, one of things you don’t say to a mad scientists, so things go as expected and poor Miss Strand finds herself donating part of her brain to the experiment.

“I’ll have you know, I went to school with Josef Mengele.”

But what exactly is this experiment? It seems that his failures stemmed from the use of small animals such as guinea pigs, rabbits and frogs, so to solve this problem Walters enlists the aid of a disgruntled former circus employee to steal Cheela, a female ape that Mason had captured while in Africa and has spent a good amount of time training. Obviously, an intelligent gorilla would make for a perfect subject and before you can “The Island of Doctor Moreau” he transplants glandular material from Dorothy into Cheela as well as a portion of Nurse Strand’s brain to supposedly stabilize the patient’s mental acuity. The experiment is a success and the result is a sultry and exotic young woman who remembers nothing of her previous existence as a gorilla. Walters names her Paula Dupree (Acquanetta) and quickly takes her on a road trip to visit the circus to see if she remembers any of her prior life as an ape. While watching Mason practice his animal act an accident occurs and Paula rushes into the cage and saves him from the ferocious felines, who display an unnatural fear of her and retreat from her presence. But it’s not only the big cats that need to fear Paula as it’s quickly made apparent that she has feelings for Mason and Beth could be in for some trouble.

Beware the stare of Acquanetta.

Stray Observations:

• One of Fred Mason’s lions is a killer, having killed four natives and mangled a handler during transportation, but instead of getting rid of the dangerous feline, he relishes the challenge, which makes Fred an irresponsible idiot and a poor hero.
• If you work for a scientist who considers murder a necessary side effect for the benefit of science maybe you don’t call him a warped mind and threaten to call the police, that kind of thing ends with your brain in an ape.
• The use of only a partial brain transplant was apparently to eliminate any possible implication that a human soul might transfer into an animal and violate religious doctrine. You’ve got to love how ridiculous production codes were at the time.
• The film is only an hour long yet still relied heavily on borrowed footage from the 1933 circus movie The Big Cage, but not only was footage borrowed from that film it also lifted its entire subplot of Mason wanting to do an act that combined both lions and tigers.
• A jealous Cheela climbs through Beth’s window planning to kill her but attacks and brutally murders another woman instead, I guess gorilla women are easily distracted.
• Beth frees Cheela before the mad doctor can operate on her and Dorothy, the enraged gorilla kills Dr. Walters and then runs off to save Mason from some enraged lions and tigers.

It takes a killer ape to counter mad science.

Despite the film’s limited resources, Captive Wild Woman manages to captivate us through an engaging narrative and impressive makeup effects. The creature transformation scenes, considering the era’s technological constraints, are surprisingly well-executed and hold up reasonably well even by today’s standards. Acquanetta’s portrayal of the ape woman Cheela is suitably feral and mysterious, carrying the weight of the film on her shoulders, unfortunately, screen time as the “ape woman” adds up to only a few minutes and may disappoint fans of the genre. The film also suffers from some of the common pitfalls of B-movies as the pacing can feel sluggish at times, with certain scenes overstaying their welcome. Additionally, the dialogue and character development are rather simplistic, with some performances leaning toward melodramatic acting styles. While this is expected from a film of this genre, it may be a hindrance for viewers seeking a more sophisticated viewing experience.

The men in this movie are either mad, egotistical, dumb, or all of the above.

John Carradine, in his first starring role, delivers a captivating performance as the obsessive Dr. Walters and his portrayal is convincingly unhinged, embodying the classic mad scientist archetype with zeal and intensity and this part would set him on a path to star in many Universal Horror Films. Acquanetta, known for her exotic beauty, brings an enigmatic quality to her role as Paula Dupree/Cheela, and while her character lacks depth and development, Acquanetta’s screen presence and unique persona make her a mesmerizing presence onscreen.

Note: The effects for Acquanetta’s transformation were created by Universal’s legendary make-up Jack Pierce and hold up well against those found in The Wolf Man.

In conclusion, Captive Wild Woman remains a noteworthy entry in the horror genre of the 1940s. Its captivating story, engaging performances, and effective use of suspense make it a solid choice for fans of classic horror movies, not to mention it’s always nice to see stuntman Ray “Crash” Corrigan in a gorilla suit, and while Captive Wild Woman may not have the same impact as contemporary films, it is a valuable addition to the genre’s history and a testament to the creative ingenuity of its time.