When looking to watch a horror film, one would like there to be some actual horror in the movie and The Living Idol which is categorized as such has very little of it within its running time. There is more romance in this picture than there is horror, yet while it is light on the subject matter, there is a little bit of it present and it comes more from the actions of one man thought to be like a parent than anything else.

Starring Steve Forrest as the hero of the film, the man is a reporter on assignment in Mexico when his friend Dr. Alfred Stoner as played by James Robertson Justice uncovers an ancient idol shaped like a jaguar. It is an artifact that affects Juanita, portrayed by the beautiful Liliane Montevecchi, quite badly and a plot line that continues throughout the movie. As for the title of the picture, it refers not to the statue that Stoner has discovered but what it represents, a living breathing jaguar and even should the worst happen, he means to save Juanita whom he fears has lost her soul. Factor in a little bit of love, a history lesson or two, some dancing, a death and a lot of melodrama and this becomes a fairly packed piece of cinema.

One could say that this picture ran on just a little bit too long with there being far too many scenes between anything of real note, directors René Cardona and Albert Lewin padding it out far more than was necessary. Some of it could have been left on the cutting room floor. Still, even so, there were moments where it became quite interesting such as Dr. Stoner’s lecture on jaguars and sacrifice and so forth towards the end of the film, a must as it would establish that final act where everything would come together. A bit of the drama could have been left to the wayside as there was more than most horror movies tend to have and when one adds in the fact that Forrest and Montevecchi did not seem to have the greatest chemistry, less might have equalled more.

Good to see were some lovely scenic shots of Mexico, all of it filmed in the brightest of colours and in widescreen which really lifted it from being an average B picture though its script and story could have been a touch stronger than it was. Despite some horror clocking in during the conclusion, it could have used more throughout to establish the peril that this jaguar god personified. More death, more terror and so forth would have really made this film stand out more than it did and instead, what the audience would get would be the hypothesis of Stoner about his ‘daughter’ her soul and the ancient god that had influence over her.

In all, fans of old-school horror might enjoy The Living Idol while the average person may just find it interminable.

2.5 out of 5