901-The Projected Man

Film Year:  1966
Genre:  Horror, Science Fiction
Director:  Ian Curteis, John Croydon
Starring:  Bryant Haliday, Mary Peach, Norman Wooland, Ronald Allen, Derek Farr
MST Season:  9

The Movie

Devil Doll's Bryant Haliday stars as one in a series of MST movie monsters named "Paul" (see also:  Werewolf and Track of the Moon Beast), a scientist named Dr. Paul Steiner who is desperate to prove his teleportation "projection" device can work.  Since he has not seen The Fly, he insists on proving himself by using the device on himself, turning him into a mutilated man who can electrocute people with his touch.  He then goes on a revenge rampage to kill all he blames for his condition.

Given the fact that the film reportedly had a low budget and troubled production, I'd say Projected Man doesn't come off that bad.  It's mostly coherent and competent, and easy to watch too.  There are little production details not exactly measuring up, such as Haliday's monster makeover, which is a rubber mask that never quite looks that real and forces Haliday to slur his lines because he can't speak properly through it.  But the point that's he's hideously disfigured comes across fine, as the film takes a sort of Phantom of the Opera route and hides his face behind a cloth throughout most of the film, but the poor guy looks as if he still had to wear that shit underneath it.

The problem with The Projected Man is that it's not overly exciting.  I mean, we've already seen this story before and done better.  It's The Fly.  Just no flies.  Acting is fairly stiff, though nobody is overtly horrible, it's just nobody really grabs your attention either (despite excessive scenes of a pretty actress in underwear).  It's a movie that will allow you to sit and watch a familiar story play out if you're in the mood to let it tell that story you've already heard, only worse.  All things considered The Projected Man is fine for those who don't demand original content from every film they watch, but it probably won't win over many fans either.

The Episode

I'm assuming that Public Pearl fundraiser paid off in the eighth season climax, and Pearl put those funds to help get everyone back to their proper time and place.  That's right folks, the "Chase through time and space" arc of MST's Sci-Fi Channel run is over and we are now parked in neutral for the next two seasons above glorious Castle Forrester, an ancient castle of, you guessed it, Forrester family heritage.  Pearl promptly moves in...because free house!  And thus the ninth official season of Mystery Science Theater 3000 begins, and to celebrate we start off an unofficial British Horror Invasion of the theater with The Projected Man (which will later grace us with The Deadly Bees and Gorgo).

Entering the theater gives us an ominous sense of what's to come, as we're given a shot of a projector with credits running over it, while the crew throws quips at it that run a line in between clever and silly.  It's not horrible, but a tad dry, and leaves the viewer with the hope that the episode to follow will kick in once the movie does.  But the tone mostly stays consistent, as the film feels longer than it should be and as equally as dry as the credits, while the riffing never shifts out of that clever to silly range that will either make you smile or groan, depending on the moment.  It would be disingenuous to say that the episode isn't funny, as there is plenty that gave me a belly laugh, however The Projected Man is a long series of hot and cold water leading to a lukewarm experience.

"If you go in there, someone is going to get killed!"

"Any suggestions?"

"I'd like for it to be you!"

The host segments could stand to be better too, as our introduction to Castle Forrester really isn't that memorable, despite the best efforts of our crew.  Pearl's segments here seem clever in concept but so-so in execution.  I like the idea of her being "haunted" into playing an organ, but it really doesn't land in execution.  Her discovery of logs of previous "Mystery Science Theater" experiments throughout the ages is a bit better, but feels as if it needs more to blossom.  Some of the more enjoyable segments happen on the Satellite of Love, as trio take inspiration from the movie to use a projecting machine to destroy Mike's beloved possessions and Crow accidentally kills Mike with the "touch of death" (which actually leads to a decently funny conclusion in the theater).  But all is not sunshine on the SOL, as the biggest groaner of the episode is where Mike and the Bots call a character from the movie named Lembach and convince him to "stay," leading them to parade about "Lembach is staying!" for a while.  It's a reference to a passing line in the movie that they're obsessed with for some reason, and it's really not that funny.

The Projected Man might very well be one of the weaker season premieres in the show's history, though I'd say it's worth watching at least once for the average MSTie.  There are some funny lines offering great laughs and while the episode can be weighted by a dull movie, the highlights are worth staying for.  It's a bit of a disappointment after the late eighth season winning streak, however.

Average

The DVD

The Projected Man projected itself onto Shout Factory's Volume XXX box set, with solid audio and video.  The special features include one of Ballyhoo and Shout's briefest making of features (less than four minutes), Shock to the System:  Creating the Projected Man.  Tom Weaver narrates this small look into the tight but troubled production of the film.  Also included is a theatrical trailer.