Project X (USA, 1968) 97 min color DIR-PROD: William Castle. SCR: Edmund Morris, based on The Artificial Man and Psychogeist by L.P. Davies. MUSIC: Nathan Van Cleave. DOP: Harold E. Stine. CAST: Christopher George, Greta Baldwin, Henry Jones, Monte Markham, Harold Gould, Philip Pine. (Olive Films)
Fans of William Castle fans may be interested in the releases of two of his later films for Paramount, out on disc thanks to Olive Films. Unseen for decades, Project X and The Spirit is Willing are interesting curios: if not among his best films, they at least give insight into his career after he had given up promoting his work with gimmicks.
Project X is a slightly muddled science fiction thriller (set in the year 2118) about American spy Hagen Arnold (Christopher George) who is thawed from a cryogenic state for information he contains about a weapon that the Communists are devising. Because this valuable information is lodged so deeply in his subconscious, the scientists realize that it is best to dislodge it by instilling fear in their subject. Therefore, they create a bogus environment of a 20th century gangster hideout in the hopes that the supposed paranoia will get the truth out of Arnold (who is an expert in the tempestuous history of the 1960s).
The centerpiece of this futuristic caper is an animated dream sequence designed by Hanna Barbera, in which the scientists view the thoughts being acted out by Arnold’s subconscious. It is here that producer-director Castle seems most interested in the material. The solarized images, in purple and red pastel colours, create a psychedelic experience that no doubt would have delighted the turned-on audience of the day. (It is also neat how a once-thought-lost person re-emerges in Arnold’s dreams.)
But even when the movie is grounded in its real world, it still feels very much like a cartoon, with its thin characterizations. However, even though the film is seldom more than mildly diverting, largely due to the weak script by Edmund Morris (based upon Leslie P. Davies’ novel), and Castle’s often-disinterested direction, it is amusing to watch for its production design.
One wonders if the art department was inspired by Paramount’s own Star Trek TV series, with the blue and magenta gels, groovy cucaloris cutouts, clear plastic helmets and great-looking miniskirts. As a result, this futuristic tale has an intriguing retro feel.
This movie is otherwise only mildly interesting. It’s worth a look all the same if you’re a William Castle fan, but it won’t make you forget the works of his heyday in the late 1950s and early 60s.
Originally published in Vol. #1, Issue 25.
Greg Woods
Greg Woods has been a film enthusiast since his teens, and began his writing "career" at the same time- prolific in capsule reviews of everything he had watched, first on index cards, then those hardcover dollar store black journals, then an old Mac IIsi. He founded The Eclectic Screening Room in 2001, as a portal to share his film love with the world, and find some like-minded enthusiasts along the way. In addition to having worked in the film industry for over two decades, he has been a co-programmer of films at Trash Palace, and a programmer/co-founder of the Toronto Film Noir Syndicate. He has also written for Broken Pencil, CU-Confidential, Micro-Film, and is currently working on his first novel. His secret desire is for someone to interview him for a podcast or a DVD extra.