Interesteg What makes it different from others?

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

moonspinner55 Enjoyable low-budget horror schlock from Universal-International has Colleen Gray giving a juicy performance as the hard-drinking wife of doctor Phillip Terry, an endocrinologist who is tipped off by an ancient African woman to a youth potion utilizing orchid pollen and the secretions of the male pineal gland. Unfortunately, the male has to be killed to get the chemical from the gland--plus, the youthful effect is only temporary. First-half of the movie, with Gray, Terry and John van Dreelen traveling through the jungles of Africa, learning the secret of the potion before being told they will be killed in the morning, looks and sounds like a reel from a Tarzan adventure. Second portion, with Gray using the youth serum on herself and pretending to be her own niece, is far more entertaining (rather like a straight-faced precursor to "Death Becomes Her"). Pulled together quickly by the studio, "The Leech Woman" is better than it has any right to be, with a good cast and fine make-up effects helping to bolster its shaky structure. ** from ****

Michael O'Keefe In this Universal Sci-Fi drama, Dr. Paul Talbot (Phillip Terry) is an endocrinologist that spends most of his time with his experiments; ignoring his wife June (Coleen Gray), since she no longer is young and beautiful. A very old African woman Mala (Estelle Hemsley) enters his office claiming she is over a hundred years old and knows the way to reverse the aging process. Talbot convinces his wife to take a trip to Africa, not knowing she is to be the subject of an ultimate experiment. The safari to the dark continent proves to be more dangerous than the doctor could imagine.This movie is based on a story by Francis Rosenwald and Ben Pivar; directed by Edward Dein. Other players include: Grant Williams, John Van Dreelen, Gloria Talbott and features Kim Hamilton as the young Mala.

thestarkfist The Leech Woman is a depressing and turgid low budget melodrama. It reminds me of a lot of English movies in the fact that none of the characters have any redeeming qualities whatsoever. Mala lures Doctor Paul and June with a sample of the precious "naipe" and fully intends to kill them after granting June one last night of beauty. Dr. Paul is a smug, callous creep who cons his aging, alcoholic and mentally unstable wife into not divorcing him so he can use her as his guinea pig. June has absolutely no moral qualms about killing men to get their even more precious pineal juice; the secret ingredient that keeps her young and desirable. Neil, their lawyer, is engaged to Sally, Dr. Paul's nurse, but he's instantly ready to dump her after getting a load of the rejuvenated June. Sally thinks that it's entirely appropriate to pull a gun on June and threaten her with her life in order to hold on to a man who apparently feels no real commitment to their looming marriage. And of course the hired African guide is all set to settle in with the restored June until she reverts to an aged nutball, upon which he flees and abandons her in the jungle. Sounds like a bunch you'd want to waste 90 minutes of your life with, eh? About the "special effects". Nifty? Not! There are puffs of dry ice smoke and Ms. Gray's old age make-up is a nylon stocking pulled over her head that creates wrinkles where it is bunched up around her neck! Estelle Hemsley as the ancient Mala looks like she's had oatmeal sprayed all over her face. Only the MST3K version is really worth a look.

Seb I sat down to watch this movie expecting to see a woman with a big rubber leech head chasing people around but it turns out Leech Woman offers something slightly more sophisticated. The story is that a scientist and his estranged wife head off to Africa to search for the fabled elixir of hokum which turns women young again. Obviously these days it would be a waste of time because every second advert I see for toothpaste or shampoo offers time renewal, time protection and suchlike whatever that means.One thing I liked about this movie was the way that every single character is awful in some way. There's a good story though it is a bit slow to start with. Some viewers have moaned about the rather obvious stock footage but anyone who is a fan of movies of this era will recognise it as just par for the course on a quick cheapie like this.Give it a try, despite the tacky name it's quite a good story and worth a watch.