On B List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
Back Door to Hell (1964)
Rate:
3
Viewed:
3/25
3/25:
The only reason Back Door to Hell gets any look is Jack Nicholson.
Easy Rider hasn't come around yet, so that makes it five years. Anything this
early is a curio because how can anyone had missed him? Well, Jack Nicholson doesn't look fully polished here and
thus needs more seasoning. Instead, it's Conrad Maga who steals the show as Paco, but that's not saying much
because Jimmie Rodgers keeps diverting his face from the camera. Both never saw their careers go anywhere afterwards.
Because of the bare-bones plot, Back Door to Hell doesn't feel like a movie but a TV episode. The action
is always weak and never daring, and nothing dramatic is shown. Then again, what do I expect when it was made
for eighty grand? At least, it's only 69 minutes long. Of what I've seen, I'm reminded of
Ambush Bay which is far better and more developed in all aspects.
All in all, Back Door to Hell is a nothingburger.