The Creeping Flesh

The Creeping Flesh is a 1973 British horror film. The film was directed by Freddie Francis, and stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, and Lorna Heilbron.

In a flashback, Hildern recounts his return in 1894 from an expedition to New Guinea where he has discovered an abnormally large humanoid skeleton. Paradoxically, the skeleton is far older than previously recovered specimens, but also much more advanced. Hildern hopes the discovery will earn him the prestigious Richter Prize. Hildern has little time to rejoice before receiving word that his wife, institutionalized for years, has finally died. This he learns from his brother James Hildern Christopher Lee who runs the asylum where Hilderns wife had been held in secret. While visiting the asylum, James tells his brother that he made a psychiatric study of Hilderns wife and plans to publish the findings in the hope of winning the Richter Prize. He also tells Hildern that he will no longer subsidize Hilderns expeditions.Returning home and to the skeleton, and with a new urgency to complete his research, Hildern discovers that the skeleton grows flesh when exposed to water. Hildern reviews myths of ancient peoples of the region where the skeleton was discovered, which tell of evil giants who will be roused by rain. Hildern theorizes that the skeleton is the remains of one of those evil beings, and would not have been discovered before for thousands of years of erosion revealed its resting place. By that time, the science of the regions inhabitants would have grown sophisticated enough to deal with the evil. Hildern makes a further conclusion if evil can live as an organism, then it can be biologically contained and eradicated like a disease. Using cells formed around the skeletons fleshy finger which Hildern removes he develops what he believes to be a serum against evil. Testing the serum on a monkey, Hildern notes positive results. ........

Source: Wikipedia