Ancient doctors prey on the living in a girls' reformatory to escape a petrifying fate.
THE MAN WHO TURNED TO STONE
Their youth keeps him alive. Their deaths keep the secret buried.
A social worker investigating unusual deaths at a girls’ detention home uncovers a hidden laboratory where centuries-old scientists steal the inmates’ life force to keep themselves alive.
Quick Answer
The Man Who Turned to Stone is a 1957 American horror and science fiction film directed by László Kardos about social workers who uncover a group of immortal doctors draining young women's vitality at a detention home.
Programmer's Pick
Petrification anxiety, mad science, and a dash of girls-in-peril reform school drama—this is B-horror with a mineralized heart. The film's blend of immortality-obsessed doctors and institutional menace delivers a uniquely chilling drive-in experience.
— SassyFlix Programmer
Overview
Details & Specs
- Director
- László Kardos
- Writer
- Bernard Gordon
- Release
- 1957
- Runtime
- 1h 11m
- Country
- United States of America
- Language
- English
- Genres
- Horror, Science Fiction
Why This Matters
This film was released as part of a double bill with Zombies of Mora Tau, reflecting the era's practice of pairing genre films for theatrical exhibition, and features a screenplay by Bernard Gordon, who wrote under the pen name Raymond T. Marcus.
Cast & Crew
View all →Why Cult
A cabal of doctors has been extending their lives for a century by draining the vitality from others—alchemy meets exploitation.
The action unfolds in a detention home for girls, blending the uneasy atmosphere of institutional horror with social commentary.
The doctors' punishment for missing their transfusions? Slowly turning to stone, a body-horror twist that's as literal as it is unsettling.
A classic example of 1950s psychotronic cinema—quick, cheap, and not afraid to get weird with its science.
Scene Gallery
Threat File
Questions from the Vault
When was The Man Who Turned to Stone released? +
The Man Who Turned to Stone was released in 1957.
Who directed The Man Who Turned to Stone? +
The film was directed by László Kardos.
How long is The Man Who Turned to Stone? +
The Man Who Turned to Stone has a runtime of 71 minutes.
What genre is The Man Who Turned to Stone? +
The Man Who Turned to Stone is a horror and science fiction film.
Where can I watch The Man Who Turned to Stone? +
You can watch The Man Who Turned to Stone on SassyFlix.
How do the doctors at the La Salle Detention Home extend their lives? +
They drain the vitality from young women, using transfusions to prolong their existence and avoid petrification.
What happens if the doctors don't get their life-extending transfusions? +
Without regular transfusions, the doctors begin to slowly turn to stone.
Trailers & Clips