Friday, January 16, 2015

Zotz!

A professor of ancient languages discovers an amulet dedicated to a forgotten god.  The artifact has a variety of powers, but the most notable is the ability to kill anyone with a single word.  A classic Mythos story?  No, it's the plot of an obscure fantasy comedy from the early 60s.

CoastCon Fan has a look at the William Castle film "Zotz!".  One of the gimmicks of the original theatrical run was a surprisingly well done reproduction of the magical amulet that drives the story. 


at

8 comments:

  1. RavenJanuary 16, 2015 at 11:50 AM

    I had one of these plastic amulets as a souvenir from the original theatrical run -- and, being the 9-year-old child of two scientists, immediately put it to the test -- but must report that (alas) it failed to function as depicted in the film.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousJanuary 16, 2015 at 3:53 PM

    I forget how I came across this on the IMDb, but they consider it a comedy, and not the dark, Lovecraftian story it could be...

    ReplyDelete
  3. PropnomiconJanuary 17, 2015 at 3:46 AM

    @ Raven

    Sometimes science sucks. Heh.

    @ gndn

    I'd love to see both versions of the story.

    ReplyDelete
  4. CoastConFanJanuary 17, 2015 at 4:39 AM

    A quick update -- I just found out that ZotZ! is on YouTube as well as the trailer. I'm getting sloppy in my old age.

    The theatrical trailer on YouTube: http://youtu.be/3df9PGETpMs

    The film itself on YouTube in 9 sections: http://youtu.be/uMYMA8ELcfE

    ReplyDelete
  5. PropnomiconJanuary 18, 2015 at 5:19 AM

    @ CoastConFan

    Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  6. PlagueJanuary 18, 2015 at 12:42 PM

    Just watched this movie a few weeks ago.
    Definitely treated as a comedy- but the whole thing feels "off" that way considering the coins powers.
    Good cast too.

    ReplyDelete
  7. tokenmanJuly 23, 2017 at 3:42 PM

    When I was a kid age 11 I saw Zotz at a theater in West Los Angeles. The story really stuck in my mind, partly because the admission booth gave a plastic Zotz coin to each kid (not sure if adults got them). I still have mine in perfect condition 54 years later. I once saw a hardback copy of the book in a Loveland book store, but price was sky high. I have looked, but never found this film listed on demand or Netflix or premium cable channels. Too bad, because just watching the trailer shows how good the story was.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Nick CampbellOctober 31, 2023 at 1:26 AM

    The movie Zotz can be viewed for free at Youtube. It's a great print.

    ReplyDelete