The Thing That Couldn't Die

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The Thing that Couldn't Die
Original film poster
Directed by	Will Cowan
Produced by	Will Cowan
Written by	David Duncan
Starring	William Reynolds Andra Martin Jeffrey Stone Carolyn Kearney Peggy Converse Robin Hughes James Anderson Charles Horvath
Cinematography	Russell Metty
Editing by	Edward Curtiss
Distributed by	Universal Studios
Release date(s)	1958
Running time	69 min.
IMDb profile

The Thing that Couldn't Die is a 1958 American black and white horror film from an original screenplay by David Duncan for Universal-International Pictures, produced and directed by Will Cowan.

[edit] Plot

A young woman with psychic powers, who lives on her disbelieving Aunt's remote dude ranch, discovers an ancient box while water-witching. While her boyfriend goes for an archaeologist, arguing the box should be kept intact for appraisal and opening by an expert, the Aunt's greedy ranch foreman convinces the slow-witted handyman to break it open it secretly, anticipating treasure. Instead, the box contains the intact head of a man executed for sorcery 400 years earlier - which comes awake and telepathically takes over the mentally vulnerable handyman. After murdering the foreman, the head has the handyman conceal it while arranging to have a coffin retrieved containing the sorcerer's body. Once joined, the sorcerer will be fully able to exercise his powers over all comers. The young woman is aware of the evil and is protected from the head's influence by an ancient cross she wears around her neck. But when her boyfriend removes it to try and convince her that she is only a victim of superstition and magical thinking, the head takes control of her mind and leaves the handyman to die in a hail of police bullets while being arrested for his foreman's murder. The young woman joins head to body and the sorcerer arises from his coffin but the boyfriend, aware of the error of his ways, takes the monster off guard with the cross, forces him back in the coffin and, by dropping the cross in with the body, brings about a total disintegration of the sorcerer's mortal remains.