An aging Vincent Price takes the lead in this early interpretation of Richard Matheson's dystopian source material, recently mined by Will Smith in I Am Legend. It's a dark, troubling picture that's far more bleak and unflinching than its contemporaries. I don't consider the '60s to be a terribly fertile period for such eerie, subdued science fiction / horror mashups, but despite a few off-putting slips this holds up admirably.

Price is miscast in the lead, awkwardly overplaying the emotionless, hollow aspects of the central character, even in flashbacks where it's completely inappropriate. He feels out of place as a doting, caring father - often speaking around his daughter like she isn't even in the room - and that tears away some of the natural sympathy of his plight later in the picture.

The creatures that constantly plague him are effectively spooky, so long as they keep their mouths closed. A certain ambiance is lost when the shuffling human monster outside the barricaded window knows your name and encourages you to "c'mon out" in the wee hours of the morning. This was a lesson well-learned by George A. Romero, who's admitted the monsters' portrayal in this film directly influenced his beasts in the seminal Night of the Living Dead a few years later.

As an exercise in world-building, this is a broad success. It's tangible, vivid and realistic. The plot flails around absurdly at times, though, and the finale is a mish-mashed mess that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. A strong effort that falls puzzlingly short in a number of different ways, it's remarkable in several others.