Return of the Fly (1959) – Review

With the Return of the Fly, 20th Century Fox had the unenviable task of following a groundbreaking entry in science fiction horror film that had captured pathos and horror in a new way, unfortunately, it was with a sequel that tried and failed to capture the same level of suspense, depth, and innovation that made its predecessor a cinematic milestone.

Directed by Edward Bernds this sequel picks up where the original left off, following the legacy of the ill-fated scientist Andre Delambre and his experiments with teleportation. André Delambre’s son, Philippe (Brett Halsey), is now determined to continue his father’s work, even after learning from his uncle François Delambre (Vincent Price) of the tragic and horrific consequences that resulted in his father committing suicide, after being turned into some sort of fly/man hybrid. Phillippe is so single-minded in his desire to follow in his father’s footsteps that he even blackmails his uncle into funding his experiments, threatening to sell his shares of the family business to anyone willing to buy them.

“Come on, what are the odds of the same thing happening to me?”

Needless to say, the odds are not in his favour as he hires Alan Hinds (David Frankham) as an assistant, because not only does he turn out to be an industrial spy, hoping to sell the secrets of teleportation to the highest bidder with the aid of fence Max Barthold (Dan Seymour), who works out of a local funeral home. When Alan’s criminality is revealed he’s the one who turns Philippe into The Fly by tossing both Philippe and a fly into the disintegrator-integrator. And why would Alan do such a thing? Well, he knows Phillippe has a horrible aversion to flies so integrating him with such an insect would be the ultimate dick move. Of course, this movie isn’t all criminal subterfuge and mad science because what good is a monster movie without a female to scream in horror at the creature of the day? In that role we have Cecile Bonnard (Danielle De Metz) as Philippe’s childhood sweetheart, sadly, she’s barely given any screen time and thus the tragic love story that was the backbone of the original film is completely missing here.

Beauty and the Beast this is not.

Stray Observations:

• This sequel takes place twenty years after the original but Francois Delambre, once again played by Vincent Price, looks as if he’s hardly aged a day. More mad science, you say?
• The film is set in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, yet all the public signage is in English, and like in the previous film, hardly anyone speaks with a French accent.
• We get the old science fiction chestnut of “He ventured into areas of knowledge where man was not meant to go.” All we needed was Vincent Price to rant about “God’s domain” to make it complete.
• Phillipe tells Alan that they have to “Go back into town and get my father’s papers out of the old lab” but in the original film, we saw André Delambre burning all of his notes and records of the experiment.
• Their first experiment with a live subject resulted in a “giant” guinea pig, and while they call this a failure all I could think of was “Didn’t they just solve world hunger?”
• When André Delambre had his teleportation accident he ended up with the head and one arm of a fly, that his son would end up with the basically same combination, with only an added fly leg for variety’s sake, is beyond coincidental.
• Phillipe in killer fly mode heads over to the morgue and kills Max Barthold, but other than earlier seeing Alan walk out of the funeral home he had no reason to believe Max was involved.
• François posits the question “What if Phillipe does not have the mind of a human, but the murderous brain of a fly?” While that is an interesting question I’m fairly certain flies do not have murderous brains.

Murder is kind of a human thing.

If one were to look up the word “contrived” in the dictionary I wouldn’t be too surprised to find a reference to this sequel in the notes. There is nothing organic or natural about the script for Edward Bernds’ Return of the Fly, instead of building upon the intriguing concept of the original film the sequel opts for a nearly identical storyline. It revisits the idea of a scientist experimenting with teleportation, leading to disastrous consequences but with little innovation or fresh perspective. This choice results in a predictable and unengaging plot that fails to capture the imagination as its predecessor did. Much of the film’s running time is spent in the laboratory setting and despite it being the “scene of the crime” and the impetus to this film’s monster, not much interesting happens there, well, other than the moment when Alan kills a police investigator and integrates him with a guinea pig.

Basically, Alan is kind of a dick.

The film’s characters are also notably one-dimensional and unmemorable. The protagonist, Philippe Delambre, played by an almost comatose Brett Halsey, lacks the depth and charisma that made David Hedison’s portrayal of the doomed scientist in the original so compelling. The supporting cast fares no better, with most of them coming off as uninspired and forgettable, even Vincent Price seems somewhat lethargic in this outing. Moreover, the special effects in Return of the Fly are a far cry from the groundbreaking work found in the first film. While the original The Fly was known for its impressive practical effects and iconic sequences, this sequel relies on cheap and unconvincing visual effects that are more likely to elicit unintentional laughter than genuine horror or awe. The transformation sequences, in particular, lack the realism and impact that made the original so memorable and the giant fly head in this film is more goofy-looking than it is scary, and the less said about the little fly with Philippe’s head the better.

“I’m ready for my close-up Mister DeMille.”

In addition to its technical and storytelling shortcomings, Return of the Fly also fails to capture the thematic depth of the original. While The Fly explored themes of scientific ambition, ethics, and the consequences of tampering with nature, the sequel fails to delve into these themes with the same level of sophistication, instead, we get a more straightforward and superficial approach, missing an opportunity to deliver a thought-provoking narrative, and while Vincent Price’s presence is a welcome one, even his talent cannot salvage a film that is ultimately marred by its lack of ambition and creativity.

Despite its flaws, Return of the Fly does deliver a decent dose of old-school sci-fi chills and thrills. Cinematographer Brydon Baker does his best to create mood and tension – made a little easier as for this outing the filmmakers went for black and white photography versus the lush colour of the original and the haunting music provided by composers Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter was able to create a nice sense of dread.

To be fair, this particular look did become iconic.

In conclusion, Return of the Fly is a somewhat serviceable sequel that will most likely appeal to fans of 1950s sci-fi horror and Vincent Price enthusiasts, and while it doesn’t reach the heights of its predecessor, and has its share of flaws, it offers a decent dose of nostalgic entertainment. If you can overlook its shortcomings and appreciate it as a product of its time, you may find it to be a quirky and fun addition to the classic sci-fi horror genre.