A researcher named Quintus (Garland) hypnotizes a streetwalker called Diana (Duncan) in an attempt to record her past-life experiences as a condemned witch named Helene in the Dark Ages. After numerous attempts by Quintus to influence her, Diana's consciousness decides not to alter the course of history and resigns herself to her fate.
Features the memorable character Digger Smolken, as well as the easliy-duped knight Pendragon, the scheming witch Lydia, Satan himself, and Billy Barty as an imp.
Information
Features an infamous quote, spoken by Quintus towards the end of the film: "STAY!"
Filmed in a converted supermarket, and completed in six days.
Inspired by the interest during the 1950s in reincarnation (as was the film The She Creature), especially the book The Search for Bridey Murphy by Morey Bernstein, which was itself filmed in 1956. But by the time The Undead was being made, the popularity of reincarnation was starting to dwindle. Therefore, Roger Corman decided that they needed to change things and added the time travel elements of Quintus and a title change.
The "bats" that the imp and witch continually change into were left over from the Corman movie It Conquered the World.
If you look closely, the interior set for Scroop's tavern, The Gabriel's Horn, is the same as the Red Dog Saloon from Roger Corman's Gunslinger.
The Episode
Host Segments
Mike tries to explain the season's plot
PrologueMike attempts to bring the viewing audience up to speed on the show's current plot. The Bots, though, keep asking for more context, for what led up to what he wants to explain. Mike ends up bitterly recalling a temp job he once had.
Segment 1The Observers send everyone intelligence tests to determine their fates. Pearl Forrester gets frustrated by a question about the Periodic Table of Elements and refuses to finish the test, claiming that it is culturally biased. Professor Bobo is less intelligent than most mollusks, leading him to prove his intellect by stacking boxes. Crow sleeps through the test, Mike is still stuck in the past, Gypsy does moderately well, and Tom Servo turns out to be smarter than Observer. His brain gets to go to the Enrichment Chamber.
Servo joins the Observers
Segment 2 As a result of his test scores, Servo is invited to join the Observers. He ends up getting chased and expelled after he forgets to fill out his non-existent forms, can't read Pearl's mind, and steals all the spoons.
Segment 3Lydia, the witch from the movie, appears by accident. She can't control her powers, but tries to conquer the Satellite anyway. She ends up stuck in the form of a bottle of bleach.
Segment 4 Mike finds his copy of Digger Smolkin's cover album. Smolkin takes popular songs and replaces the words with "rat", "corpse", "filth", and other death references. He has a nice "straight" cover of "Greensleeves".
Bridget Jones as Lydia
Final Segment Crow is a creepy imp while Mike helps Tom expresses his outrage over the fact that Leonard Maltin rated The Undead three stars. Meanwhile, Bobo makes a nice sandwich with rye, lettuce, tomato, a little mayonnaise, and, courtesy of the Enrichment Chamber, Observer's Brain.
Stinger The Observers offer you their brains...again.
Other Notes
Mike's album cover spells Digger's last name as "Smolken". IMDB.com (which was not as prevalent or complete at the time of the episode's production as it later became) spells the name "Smolkin". The character's name is not provided in the film's credits.
"Rivendell...", "I have to help Strider move a couch", "Bought some land on the edge of Mordor, it's really coming back"
All references to the Lord of the Rings series of novels; Rivendell is a part of the Elvish realm, "Strider" was the alias used by Aragorn during his time as a wandering ranger, Mordor being the location of Mount Doom and the base of operations of the dark Lord Sauron.
"Rob!", "Rob, I'm telling Alan what you're doing!"
References to the bald and bespectacled Mel Cooley character (played by actor Richard Deacon) from The Dick Van Dyke Show, whom the character resembles.
Mike purposely misquotes the Gordon Lightfoot song, "Sundown".
Memorable Quotes
[A fire is being used as a background for the opening credits.]
Crow: Fire in the projection room! Guess we can't watch the movie!
[Crow darts toward the exit but is restrained by Mike.]
[The movie opens with a flamboyant Satan speaking to the viewers.]
Mike: Satan, the Prince of Cabaret.
. . .
Mike: This guy was never in heaven, he was cast out of community theater!
[Quintus is hypnotizing Diana. A bust of Benjamin Franklin looks over his shoulder.]
Quintus: We breathe as one. We are one.
Servo [as Franklin]: You know, early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
Quintus: When I touch you…
Crow [as Quintus]: I think about myself. No, no, no, wait.
Quintus: …we will be one.
Servo [as Quintus]: We'll be me, for convenience' sake.
[As Smolkin the gravedigger slouches around.]
Servo: Smolkin's naked sometimes, Mike.
Mike: [cringing] Ohh. Damn you, Servo!
[A knight demands to look inside a coffin in a coach being pulled by a gravedigger.]
Servo [as Knight]: Towest thy vehicle to the curb and showeth me thy driver's license and registration. Did thou knowest how fast thou was driving?
[Satan explains to Quintus how he cannot return to his own time.]
Satan: Thy voyage to this age was down a long, long road…
Crow [as Satan]: Route 666!
Satan: …that tied Diana to Helen. It was a road from living mind to living mind.
Mike [as Satan]: …to sleeping audience.
. . .
Satan: Here you are fixed! Make of a local life what comfort, sport, and joy thou may.
Servo: [singing to "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen"] O-ho, tidings of comfort, sport, and joy!
Mike: There. Sure glad I don't look stupid in this.
[Quintus sets upon and subdues an unprepared knight.]
Mike [as Knight]: [in stilted "medieval" grammar that parodies the knight's own dialogue] Me help! Attacked I am being! Hitting me stop you must! God dear! Bleeding am I! Break my leg think I did you!
Mike: I've never known more about what isn't going on in a movie.
