From Hell It Came
Brief Synopsis
After he's framed for murder and executed, a South Seas prince returns as a vengeful tree spirit.
Cast & Crew
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Tod Andrews
Dr. William Arnold
Tina Carver
Dr. Terry Mason
Linda Watkins
Mrs. [May] Kilgore
John Mcnamara
Prof. Clark
Gregg Palmer
Kimo
Robert Swan
Witch doctor Tano
Film Details
Genre
Horror/Science-Fiction
Horror
Release Date
Aug
25,
1957
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Milner Bros. Productions
Distribution Company
Allied Artists Pictures Corp.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 11m
Sound
Mono, Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Color
Black and White
Film Length
8 reels
Synopsis
On the remote Pacific atoll of Kalai, Kimo, the son of a former chief, is condemned to death by Chief Maranka and his witch doctor Tano. Kimo's crime is that he has befriended a team of U.S. scientists working on the island. Kimo has also been betrayed by his wife Kory, who assumes that, after Kimo's death, she will become Maranka's wife. After Kimo swears to return from the grave to avenge himself, a ceremonial dagger is driven through his heart and he is buried upright in a coffin fashioned from a tree trunk. Kimo's death is witnessed by Mrs. May Kilgore, the English widow of the local trading post operator. Meanwhile, scientists Prof. Clark and Dr. William Arnold are concerned about their relations with the natives. They are on the atoll to study the effects of radioactive fallout from a faraway atomic explosion carried to the atoll by a typhoon. Although the scientists have found only minor radiation, the natives are blaming them for several deaths, which the scientists believe were caused by a plague. Later, a female doctor, Terry Mason, arrives by helicopter to assist Bill in treating some of the natives who have experienced minor radiation burns. Terry and Bill are old friends, although Bill would like them to be more intimately involved. Norgu and Dori, two friends of Kimo, visit Bill and tell him that many of their friends blame the scientist for the death of Kimo's father, although it was Tano who gave the chief a poisoned medication. While on a walk one day, Bill and Terry visit the native cemetery where they see a tree stump breaking through the ground at Kimo's grave. The next day, Norgu informs the doctors that Kimo may be returning from the dead as a Tabonga, a tree monster with human features. When the scientific team goes to the grave, they discover that the stump has grown larger and now has a dagger embedded in it, and is oozing a green liquid. Further examination reveals that the stump is radioactive and that a human heartbeat can be heard within it. After reporting their findings, the scientists receive orders from their foundation's headquarters to dig up the stump and bring it to their laboratory for study. Maranka and Tano, meanwhile, intend to spread a substance over the roots so that they can control the Tabonga and order it to kill their enemies. Overhearing their plans, Kory, who has been spurned by Maranka in favor of Naomi, informs the scientists and seeks their protection. That night, Clark, Bill, Terry and Eddie, their assistant, dig up the stump, which is now considerably taller and is visibly breathing. At the laboratory, the monster's pulse weakens and, in an attempt to save it, Terry injects it with an experimental heart-stimulating drug, which should take effect within eight hours. The next morning, the doctors discover that the monster has revived, wrecked the laboratory, including their radio, and left. Kory is attacking her rival Naomi with a knife when the monster lumbers in and captures Kory, enabling Naomi to escape. The monster then wreaks his revenge on Kory by throwing her into quicksand. The monster next finds Maranka and strangles him. Tano and several natives prepare a concealed pit, into which the monster falls, and they set fire to him. The natives leave, assuming the monster is dead, but that night the smoky Tabonga emerges from the pit. The monster finds Tano, crushes him and stabs him to death. Meanwhile the three scientists, accompanied by Mrs. Kilgore, Eddie and two natives, are searching for the monster. Terry falls behind the group and is captured by the Tabonga, but her screams alert the others. The monster is about to throw Terry into the quicksand when gunshots distract it, causing it to drop Terry. Finally, Bill fires directly at the dagger, driving it deeper into the Tabonga's chest. The monster then topples into the quicksand and disappears. While Bill and Terry embrace, one of the natives expresses the hope that Clark and his team will stay on to treat his people.
Cast
Tod Andrews
Dr. William Arnold
Tina Carver
Dr. Terry Mason
Linda Watkins
Mrs. [May] Kilgore
John Mcnamara
Prof. Clark
Gregg Palmer
Kimo
Robert Swan
Witch doctor Tano
Baynes Barron
Chief Maranka
Suzanne Ridgway
Kory
Mark Sheeler
Eddie
Lee Rhodes
Norgu
Grace Mathews
Orchid
Tani Marsh
Naomi
Chester Hayes
Maku
Lenmana Guerin
Dori
Crew
Brydon Baker
Director of Photography
Richard Bernstein
Associate Producer
Richard Bernstein
Screenwriter
Richard Bernstein
From a story by
Darrell Calker
Music Composition and Conducting
Jerado De Cordovier
Hat Designer
Frank Delmar
Wardrobe
James H. Donnelly
Special Effects
Rudi Feld
Art Director
M. E. Gibsone
Script Supervisor
Johnny Greenwald
Assistant Director
Carla Hadley
Hairstylist
Charles Hannawalt
Key grip
Morris Hoffman
Set Decoration
Wilbur Kinnett
Chief Electrician
Molly Malkin
Assistant to prod
Jack Milner
Film Editor
Jack Milner
Producer
Jack Milner
From a story by
Ted Mossman
Props
Byron Roberts
Prod Supervisor
Byron Roberts
Associate Producer
Harry Thomas
Makeup Artist
Frank Webster Sr.
Recording
Photo Collections
1 Photo
From Hell It Came - Lobby Card
Here is a Lobby Card for From Hell It Came (1957). Lobby Cards were 11" x 14" posters that came in sets of 8. As the name implies, they were most often displayed in movie theater lobbies, to advertise current or coming attractions.
Film Details
Genre
Horror/Science-Fiction
Horror
Release Date
Aug
25,
1957
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Milner Bros. Productions
Distribution Company
Allied Artists Pictures Corp.
Country
United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 11m
Sound
Mono, Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Color
Black and White
Film Length
8 reels
Articles
From Hell It Came
After he's framed for murder and executed, a South Seas prince returns as a vengeful tree spirit.
From Hell It Came
After he's framed for murder and executed, a South Seas prince returns as a vengeful tree spirit.
Quotes
Terry, will you stop being a doctor first and a woman second?!- Dr. Arnold
You better lay off that stuff, Professor. You'll wake up in the morning with a hangover, but the drums will still be here.- Dr. Arnold
The drums don't bother me, Doc. As a matter of fact, they have a nice anthropological beat.- Prof. Clark
Well, maybe we ought to record it, get it on the hit parade!- Dr. Arnold
He's afraid of losing his patients to modern medicine. He wants to keep them steeped in their centuries-old superstitions. They worship him like some kind of high priest!- Prof. Clark
Back in the States they don't regard doctors that way. Sometimes they don't even pay their bills!- Dr. Arnold
Trivia
Inspired one of the most infamous movie reviews of all time: "And to hell it can go!"
Notes
From Hell It Came has the following written foreword: "In Haiti, a corpse walks, as a Zombi! In primitive India, the dead return as animals! On certain Pacific atolls, a warrior treacherously murdered, May turn into a tree! Or so it is said by the Shamans. Our story occurs on a savage island where a prince is killed unjustly. The victim is buried upright in a hollow tree trunk. The legends says that 'the tree walked to avenge its wrongs!'"
Copyright registration materials add director Dan Milner to the "Story" credits, but the extent of his contribution to the completed screenplay has not been determined. Suzanne Ridgway, who plays "Kory," is listed as "Suzan Ridgway" in the ending cast list. Hollywood Reporter news items and production charts add Jerado De Cordovier, Kaz Oran, Neil Fletcher, Joey Ray and Ewing Mitchell to the cast, but their appearance in the completed film has not been confirmed.
Although her onscreen credit reads "introducing" actress Linda Watkins (1908-1976), as noted in the Variety review, Watkins was "a vet thesp of both stage and screen; she just hasn't been in pix for some years." Watkins appeared in a number of films in the early 1930s, ending with the 1934 release Playthings of Desire (see AFI Catalog of Feature Films, 1931-40). Subsequent to her role in From Hell It Came, the actress made several more films, and appeared in numerous television programs.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States Summer August 1957
Released in United States Summer August 1957
