"RETURN OF THE FLY".......GO BUG YOURSELF........

Return Of The Fly (1959)     We're inclined to like this movie just for its title alone........

               Praise the Movie Godz Of Shlock.......it more than lives up to the exploitation dopiness promised in its title.......

               In this day and age, everyone's used to (and demands) that franchise sequels deliver bigger and better thrills 'n spills........and cost a hell of a lot more than the original......

                Welcome to Back-In-The-Day sequel-making........when follow-ups to successful films were slapped together fast, generally starred lesser talents .......and most important, were incredibly cheaper looking than whatever first film inspired them........

                 So one year after the surprise, stunning success of "The Fly", 20th Century Fox decides almost everything will be spared in bringing a sequel to the screen......

                  No more Color By Deluxe, but the film's Grade C-minus director Edward Bernds still has access to the studio's Cinemascope lens for his black-and-white footage.......and even gets Vincent Price to reprise his rare good-guy role from the first film......

                   One of many efficient, low budget studio toilers, Bernds' filmography veers wildly from slapstick comedy (The Bowery Boys, The Three Stooges) to memorable (if nothing else) science fiction like "The Queen Of Outer Space" and "World Without End"........

                     So whether he directed Moe, Larry and Curly slappin' each other silly or spacemen battling giant spiders, Bernds certainly knew how to show you a good time........

                     You can scoff all you want at the general cheapness of the film.......but "Return Of The Fly" buzzes into your head with the same force as its predecessor.........with its startling, eye-popping re-invention of the Fly itself......

                    The first film enveloped David Hedison with a fairly subdued, modest replica of an insectoid face.........coasting on the idea that just the sight of a guy who sort of looked like a bug would be gruesome enough for audiences.....

                    But not "Return Of The Fly".......sitting atop Brett Halsey's neck is a massive. bulbous full representation of a real fly's head.......complete with compound eyes the size of the spotlights at Hollywood premieres........

                     Laugh all you want now, but take our word for it, 1959 audiences screamed their heads off at the sight that big-ass Fly Guy staggering around........not to mention the other juicy parts, such as Halsey's actual head superimposed on a fly.....and some other poor sucker who gets his atoms scrambled with a hamster......

                    For a quickie-knockoff, it's fast and furiously cheesy and still fun to watch.  3 Guilty Pleasure stars (***).........we only wish the studio had allowed  Edward Bernds to blend his two primary genres and make "The 3 Stooges Meet The Fly"........