THE UNDERTAKER AND HIS PALS

[Doug Bassett]

I caught this during the recent Mobius downtime and liked it a lot. I was just curious what others knew about the movie's history -- in particular, did the moviemakers ever do anything else?

doug

[Steve Phillips]

Back in the mid 80s, I helped to book 16mm films for my college movie theater. A friend and myself saw this title in the catalog and we promptly booked the print for a weekend midnight screening for just $35! Neither of us knew much about it, but we (and the mostly drunken audience) loved it. I remember the film company rep told us the print hadn't rented in years before we booked it!

[Paul Kazee]

I saw this at the Drive-In on a double-feature with I-Don't-Remember-What back when I was a kid. I spent the next 15 years taking every opportunity I could to tell people about this movie, that only I had seemed to have seen. I think it must have been the first intentionally funny "horror" movie I ever saw. And Politically Incorrect before there was a term for it ("light meat or dark meat?").

[Bob Withey]

I have a lot of film reference materials but there just doesn't seem to be much about THE UNDERTAKER AND HIS PALS. This is what I was able to find on the Internet Movie Database about this odd little film.

The director and writer was T.L.P. Swicegood (does that sound like a pseudonym or what?). He also produced and wrote ESCAPE FROM HELL ISLAND (1963) (aka MAN IN THE WATER), based on a novel by Robert Sheckley and starring/directed by Mark Stevens. Swicegood is also listed as a writer for the TV series THE UNTOUCHABLES. And that seems to be it for him.

Some of the other crew members pop up much more often in very familiar genre surroundings. Cinematographer Andrew Janczak performed similar chores on TERROR IN THE JUNGLE (1968) and everyone's favorite "alien carpet" epic THE CREEPING TERROR (1964).

Art Director Mike McCloskey also worked on PETS (1974), SINGLE ROOM FURNISHED (1968), A MAN CALLED DAGGER (1967), DAY OF THE NIGHTMARE (1965; available on Something Weird Video), and INVASION OF THE STAR CREATURES (1963; available on MGM DVD with INVASION OF THE BEE GIRLS). He was responsible for production design/special effects on Ted V. Mikels' THE DOLL SQUAD (1973), as well as BLOOD LEGACY (1971; production design), BRAIN OF BLOOD (1972; set decoration), and SPIDER BABY (1964; production assistant).

The special effects on UNDERTAKER were handled by Steve Karkus, whose credits include PARTS: THE CLONUS HORROR, THE BROTHERHOOD OF SATAN, and EASY RIDER(?).

Lead actor Ray Dannis also appeared in THE SEVERED ARM, THE CORPSE GRINDERS (appropriate enough, since this played on the same bill as UNDERTAKER), THE BLACK KLANSMAN, AGENT FOR H.A.R.M., and 3 NUTS IN SEARCH OF A BOLT. Rad Fulton, sometimes known as James Westmoreland, played Lt. Chris McCabe in the slasher DON'T ANSWER THE PHONE in 1980.

I only recently saw UNDERTAKER for the first time and found it to be truly goofy, reminiscent in some ways to Herschell Gordon Lewis's THE GRUESOME TWOSOME. I caught it via one of Brentwood's compilation sets and was quite taken with its colorful presentation. Most likely copped from VCI or Something Weird or the like?

[Kate Duffy]

Yeah! I saw this movie at a screening last year here in Philly along with BLOOD FEAST and another one I've forgotten--I found it to be quite goofy and fun, if not quite as excellent as its title made it seem. It would be interesting to learn more about it--maybe there'll be a DVD release sometime?

[Steve Phillips]

It's been on DVD for some time, from VCI, Brentwood and others.

[Mick Sheehy]

I love this movie! One of my favorites (of this type;the other being the Playgirl Killer). Have the T-shirt & the soundtrack ( if you call a 7" w/ 2 songs on it a soundtrack). I bought it from the "producer" himself Ted V. Mikels!