A strong late outing for Universal in a low budget, short length shocker that makes the best use of its running time and doesn't outstay its welcome. John Carradine plays the usual mad scientist looking to create a race of supermen through the implanting of genes. His work leading him to implant human genes from the sister in the film of Evelyn Ankers into a gorilla captured in Africa. This turns the gorilla into a form of human, the sultry looking Acquametta who brings a feral presence to the role and remains silent throughout. She has a power over other animals and works calming the animals in the lion and tiger act at the circus which forms the central location for much of the film. When she witnesses an embrace her gorilla genes destroy her human injections and she reverts slowly to murderous, spine snapping gorilla form.
With so much plot the film cracks along at a fast pace starting with lions loose on the docks when a cage breaks and speeding through in just an hour. Carradine brings his usual chilling conviction to the role which seems relevant in this new era of real genetic modification and the questions it raises. Evelyn Ankers and Milburn Stone are fine foil and while Acquanetta can't act this doesn't detract from a role that actually demands awkwardness and stilted delivery. The circus scenes are taken from an earlier film and are well integrated, looking fairly impressive for the time although looking cruel by todays standards it is interesting to see how the people of the era found absolutely nothing wrong with caging wild animals. A good little film that seems a cut above similar films like Lugosi's The Apeman of the time. Two follow ups followed but can't quite equal the inspired but underplayed madness of this film. 8/10.
Special Thanks to Mark Coyle for this Movie Review.