Science is the one truth in today’s world, now more than ever. It is these scientists in the medical world today that are struggling to help society battle this latest virus that is causing havoc around the world. But as we all know, sometimes these geniuses can lose their way down the path of discovery, maybe stumbling across some secret that they deem is important, sometimes at the cost of others. This cost could be the lives of others, or maybe just their sanity!
The mad scientist is one of the great archetypes in the horror genre. These are the geniuses that somehow have lost their way on the path of creating something for the good of mankind. Or, perhaps driven mad by the desire or need to go beyond what others have done before, causing them to lose sight of their own humanity and not caring about anything else but reaching their goal. Or maybe they were mad right from the beginning, wanting to develop something to help them rule the world. No matter how they got there, whether by accident or choice, they are right up there with vampires, werewolves, mummies, and the other famous monsters.
In the beginning of the film genre, it was Victor Frankenstein taking those steps without thinking past what he was doing. Or Dr. Jekyll wanting to unleash the inner-self of man through chemicals. To the many doctors and scientist after them, meddling in things that man shouldn’t know, or just right out playing God, these are the ones we’re going to celebrate this month.
So your mission for this month is to find and watch two Horror Movies that you haven’t seen that deal with some sort of Mad Scientist. Someone that is creating an evilness that is harming mankind, even if by accident. If you haven’t delved too much in the films of the ’30s and ’40s, that is a perfect place to start since there are dozens of these types of movies. Once you get into the ’60s and ’70s, there are also plenty of madmen of science out there, creating all new breeds of monsters for humanity to do battle with. So I don’t think you should have too many issues finding a couple of titles you haven’t seen before.
You have until 11:59pm on April 30th to watch these films and then post your answers in the comments section below. Good Luck.
kitleyskrypt.com 
Hi Jon and fellow Krypticons. It took me until the fourth month of this dubious year 2020 to be finally able to join in. And I seem to have written slightly more than I anticipated about these two mad scientist ventures. So, without further ado…
BATTLE OF THE WORLDS (1961)
The original Italian title for this one is ‘Il pianeta degli uomini spenti’ which freely translates to ‘Planet of extinct men’ which also kind of gives away a little too much plot info we’re not supposed to know yet from the start. But who cares? As this really is just another minor Italian psychedelic sci-fi cheesefest from the ’60s, right? We may all appreciate Antonio Margheriti (aka Anthony Dawson) well enough for his ’70s gialli & spaghetti westerns and ’80s cannibal and other crazy horror action sci-fi hybrids, but this could arguably be one of his earlier efforts much easier to dismiss. At the very least, worth it for the giggles. The sparse miniature spaceship battles and outerspace set pieces, admittedly very dated, do look like rudimentary pioneer work, trying to pull new stuff off in front of the camera lens. Including visual effects like animated ray cannon beams and crude yet imaginative composite shots. And the totally spaced out music and sound effects you get as a bonus.
Clearly American distributors unrespectfully re-baptized it as ‘Battle of the Worlds’ in an attempt to cash in on the hugely successful ‘The War of the Worlds’ (1959). Not that any aliens actually make it to earth to pose enough of a threat to wager a full on war, for that matter. We pretty much don’t get to see any aliens at all, save for some headscratching otherworldly sights near the end that leave you trying to figure out what exactly it was you’ve just seen. Nonetheless, ‘Battle of the Worlds’ did turn out a forerunner of sorts with a plot element that hints at remnants of a more advanced alien race, not unlike the ones that later resurfaced in Mario Bava’s ‘Planet of the Vampires’ (which on its terms may have inspired a bit of Ridley Scott’s ‘Alien’). And no, it has nothing to do with picking up an outerspace distress signal, but all the more with a space crew entering uncharted planetary grounds. We also get to see some alien decor set pieces along the lines of interiors that feel somewhat akin to things we’d get to see about 20 years later in Roger Corman’s ‘Galaxy of Terror’. In that regards, Battle of the world’ does feature some creative set designs for an early ’60s movie, although you’ll only get to see them during the last 10 minutes of the movie.
Among the cast, it’s rather the one and only Claude Rains who steals the show as Prof. Benson, who gleefully gets to utter the best dialogues while at it. He plays our required mad scientist, who actually starts out as a quite normal scientist. Albeit with a well-pronounced aversion toward humanity and a profound interest to the greater good of science. To such a misanthropic extent, that he has a “formula where his heart should have been.” So, fear not, near the end he does loose his marbles when becoming quite megalomanic as the self-proclaimed ‘savior of mankind by means of science’ while ultimately opting out to obtain some sort of ‘knowledge of the ultimate scientific truth’ instead, and thus foolishly stubborn accomplishes to perish along with it.
A product of the late ’50s / early ’60s era, ‘Battle of the Worlds’ does come with some pondering dialogue about the state of our planet and humankind, which finally does try to wrap things up with a positive conclusion (and a cute little friendly touch of sadness, given who we get to see again in the very last shot of the film, before the end credits roll). Yet it still features all the necessary ingredients if you’re in need of some vintage Turkey Celluloid to watch. This one does come extra crispy with grilled cheese on top.
THE MAN THEY COULD NOT HANG (1939)
For classic (horror) movie lovers, I suppose this one shouldn’t need an introduction. Still, it took me until now to finally get to see it (so, thanks for this month’s theme, Jon). My Belgian movie buddy Sven passed this one on to me, so kudos to him as well for providing me with a copy of the film.
Boris Karloff undeniably is in fine form here, nailing it with the proper nuances his scientist role requires. And given he’s the lead, he gets all the best lines of dialogue to boot. His character shifts from benevolent, well-respected and assured that he’s working on a discovery that would greatly benefit mankind, to a man betrayed, imprisoned and motivated by revenge that will ultimately leave him stricken by insufferable grief.
In those terms, his scientist character reminded me of many a protagonist from Edgar Allan Poe stories – as often portrayed by Vincent Price in Roger Corman films – in this sense of a tragic loss, anger and guilt driving a man towards insanity, not knowing anymore if his actions are right or wrong. With regards to the actual film, to me it has a rather distinct William Castle vibe going on – yet it came out as early as 1939 already, Castle still had to get started then – only with a slightly more prestigious aura.
With only a running time of 64 minutes, the film does not bore for one second. And if you dig your classics in black and white with one of horror icon Boris Karloff’s most sympathetic yet eloquently devious performances, this is one to watch.
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Welcome Gert!
Going to have to look for Battle of the Worlds. Surprised I haven’t seen it but now it is on my list.
While Karloff made a few of these types of movies, The Man They Could Not Hang is twistedly fun. Almost in the SAW vein! Granted, Karloff is always fun to watch, no matter what, but this is a fun one.
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Hi Jon. Glad to have been able joining in this time. My main reason to watch ‘Battle of the Worlds’ was to see what Antonio Margheriti was contributing to the ’60s era of Italian sci-fi films. And while he’s never been up there in the same league of film works like, for instance, from Riccardo Freda or Mario Bava, I didn’t regret catching up with this early effort of his.
If you’re out to find a copy of this one, I can say there are quite a few cheap editions out, often as double bill features or multi-pack inclusions. Those are 4:3 ratio versions of pretty poor transfer quality (as I saw one of those). There appears to be a remastered version out there that looks much better (although still not fully polished up to a shiny new restoration, the image is cleaner / sharper and closer to the more originally intended 16/9 ratio, it seems). So you might want to go for that version.
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The two I found this month were both kinda…meh. Which is unusual, but to be fair I was falling asleep during the second one. So maybe it’s actually better than I think?
1957 Voodoo Woman
Pretty generic film. Your basic white man mad scientist goes into the jungle for nefarious reasons, gets assistance from the local tribal chief, and does bad things that turn around and bite him in the ass. It is kinda funny that the monster suit from The She-Creature from 1956 was used for this movie but they just put a blonde wing on it.
1940 The Devil Bat
Mad scientist makes an after shave lotion that attracts his electricity manipulated giant bat to attack and kill whoever wears it. Pretty simple story, and I think the scientist was mad at people he thought stole his ideas or used him to get rich or something…like I said, I was falling asleep when I had this on. I’m also not a big Bela Lugosi fan, but he didn’t irk me in this for some reason.
Both movies are just over an hour so not big time commitments. So there’s that…
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That’s funny, Peg! I actually referenced The Devil Bat in my write-up for La Bruja!
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Now I actually like Voodoo Woman, but mainly because it is a film that Paul Blaisdell did the creature one, so I’m a little forgiving on that. But yeah, it’s not one of the better monster flicks at the time.
For some reason, I still haven’t seen The Bat yet. I’ve had a couple of different copies but for some reason the prints always look like crap! One of these days…
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#1
THE ASTROLOGER (1977) d. James Glickenhaus (USA) (79 min)
The deep Deep DEEP undercover U.S. government organization Interzod, run by Dr. Alexei Abernal (Bob Byrd), specializes in tracking individuals’ life and career paths based upon their astrological birth coordinates. (Aren’t you glad you know where your tax dollars are going?) On the other side of the globe in India, the mystical leader Kajerste (Mark Buntzman) has been captured by the government and placed under arrest, but his captors are unprepared for his overwhelming hypnotic powers and he quickly escapes back to his cadre of devout followers. What do these two have in common? Both are searching for the exact time and location of the Virgin Mary’s birth, hoping that if another person’s zodiacal potential were to coincide, the outcome would be the Second Coming of Christ. Judging by the way Abernal is keeping a close eye on Kate (Monica Tidwell), to the point of wedding her but refusing to consummate the marriage, it’s pretty clear who he’s putting his money on….
Inspired by John Cameron’s novel of the same name, there are certainly some intriguing elements at play, but Glickenhaus’ script is a meandering and muddled affair that fails to distill Cameron’s notions into a cohesive drama. There are too many scenes of characters babbling to each other about moral issues and political goings-on without the necessary sign-posting for the audience to be able to follow any of it. Judging by the amount of screen time allotted, we’re clearly supposed to realize that Kajerste is a bad dude, but we aren’t told how he connects to Alexei and Kate until nearly an hour into the movie! Instead, we’re simply supposed to be content with watching him conduct bizarre rituals and occasionally hypnotize people into doing his bidding. I mean, cool… I guess.
FULL REVIEW HERE:
https://horror101withdrac.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-astrologer-1977-blu-ray-review.html
#2
LA BRUJA (1954) d. Chano Urueta (Mexico) (82 min)
When Dr. Boerner (Julio Villareal) refuses to sell his revolutionary anti-aging formula to a trio of enterprising businessmen (Ramon Gay, Charles Rooner, Fernando Wagner), they send two thugs to his laboratory to procure it by means fair or foul. Unfortunately for all involved, the doctor is not home and the villains murder his daughter Myrta when she attempts to stop them from entering. Wracked with grief, Boerner seeks out Paulesco (Luis Aceves Castañeda), the king of the gypsy underworld, and calls in a favor (the good doctor saved the criminal’s life the night Myrta was killed) to enact his revenge. By transforming the horribly malformed Nora (Lilia del Valle) into a stunning beauty and passing her off as a visiting countess, Boerner plans to lure each of the businessmen to his respective doom….
Combining elements of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Freaks, and Fritz Lang’s M, this is a fascinating, dark, and well-told morality story that packs a punch and keeps the viewer guessing. Urueto who also adapted Alfredo Salazar’s story, keeps the narrative flowing with a number of standout dramatic sequences (Paulesco’s “Tribunal of the Night,” where swift and brutal justice is meted out) and inventive camera angles (Boerner framed by his chemistry equipment, the beggars laughing manically directly into the lens).
On the downside, the time-lapse transformations are clunky and the makeup is crude, but for a film that seems to follow the “Vengeance by Science” playbook (a la The Devil Bat), even seasoned fans will not see all the twists and turns coming.
FULL REVIEW HERE:
https://horror101withdrac.blogspot.com/2020/04/la-bruja-1954-movie-review.html
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Where did you get a copy of La Bruja??? I think I may need to steal that from you…next time I can get over there!
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To begin with, I enjoyed this mission far more than last months. Unlike that one, this had plenty of good choices to work with (and I’m sure plenty of not so good ones too!) I was able to use the mission to watch 2 horror movies that had been on my list a long time but could never get around to watching.
1. Bride of Re-animator: While I had enjoyed the first movie so much in my college years (25-30 years ago) that I watched and rewatched it multiple times, I just could never get myself to watch this sequel when I discovered it many years later. Perhaps, I assumed it was too campy for me to enjoy in my later years or I assumed since it was a sequel it wouldn’t be good. Whatever the reason, I waited til now to watch it. At first, it seemed just as campy as I feared with some over the top acting, odd humor, and ridiculous events. However, once I settled in, I rediscovered why I loved the first one so much. Despite, the camp, it has some truly horrific moments in it and manages to capture some deeper meaning beneath the gore and goofiness. In fact, the goofiness just made it fun and even more enjoyable. It was definitely an entertaining movie and I am really glad this mission forced me to finally watch it.
2. Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1920). I really loved the version with Fredrich March and the understory of hidden sexual frustration when I saw it 15 or so years and the subtext of hidden sexual frustration. I had heard this version was quite good as well, but since there have only been a few silent films that I have enjoyed, this was also put off. It turns out this is just as good in its own way as the March version and I think I preferred the look of Hyde ion this one. While that was a Simian brute, this version had the creepiness of an insect, and his ghoulish make up was superb. Unlike most silent movies I have watched there is never a moment that seemed to drag on. The subtext was just as intriguing, not as focused on sexual frustration but on having to repress any desire that would be outside the standard of good; sexual, or otherwise. The potion becomes an “excuse” to live it up and do what he wants, not what is expected. I really enjoyed this one too.
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Glad you finally took the plunge for Bride of Re-Animator. I was eagerly waiting for that movie to come out, from seeing all the coverage in Fango, and I was not disappointed. Love the take on Bride of Frankenstein and I think the special effects are top notch! Thrilled I “forced” you to watch it!
And honestly, anytime I am the cause for someone to bust out a silent horror film, I’m just thrilled since there are so many great titles that I feel are still effective today. It has been quite a few years since I’ve watched this version of old J&H, but I do agree that Barrymore does do an excellent job. Though, like you, I am a huge fan of the March version, so I’ve always held that up as the standard.
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Erik Martin, reporting for duty, Sir!
I regret to say that I have missed the first three missions due to circumstances beyodn my control, but I have rejoined the ranks, and will complete those past missions in due time. For now, my report:
4-D Man
Dr. Tony Nelson has been working for years on an electronic amplifier that will allow objects to attain a fourth dimensional state and thus be able to pass through any other solid object. Due to his irresponsibility, he is continually fired from labs and projects around the country, so he goes to his brother, another scientist named Dr. Scott Nelson who is working on the opposite; a substance called Cargonite, which is impenetrable. Scott is underpaid and underappreciated, and is too timid to demand what is his due. When Tony steals Scott’s girl, Scott steals Tony’s research and begins to experiment, accidentally giving himself the ability to travel through solid objects at will. But every time he uses the ability, his aging increases, and the only way to rejuvenate himself is to pass through living people, draining their lives. Now, he’s on a rampage of theft and murder, and how do the police stop someone who can’t be touched, shot, or imprisoned?
Despite a lingering danger of becoming boring at any moment, this movie has a powerful ability to entertain. What makes the story doubly powerful is the love triangle at the center; it could easily have detracted from the story, but here serves as an effective catalyst that drives the events forward, especially since it is revealed that it is not the first time that Tony has stolen a girl from Scott. Watching Scott abuse his power, gain his spine, and begin to wreak havoc was a blast. The abrupt ending, open to interpretation by the viewer, was refreshing. A good movie and I can’t wait for a re-watch.
Bela Lugosi Meets A Brooklyn Gorilla
Nightclub performers Duke and Sammy, while flying to entertain the troops in Guam, escape their damaged plane by parachute and land on the tropical island of Kola Kola. They are rescued by the friendly natives, and Duke begins to fall in love with the chief’s daughter, Nona. Nona tells them that the only other white man on the island is Dr. Zabor, a scientist on the other side of the island performing experiments in evolution, and to whom Nona is the hired lab assistant. It turns out that Dr. Zabor is in love with Nona, and is not too pleased with the affection she is showing to Duke. So what’s a mad scientist to do, except use his research to de-evolve Duke into a gorilla?
This slice of absolute camp has a fun little premise, and while I thought it was slow to start up (I was really impatient for Bela to make his appearance), it ended up being rather enjoyable, for primarily three reasons. First, Bela Lugosi makes any movie he’s in worth watching. Bela hadn’t worked for a long time when he made this movie, and you can tell he’s not only having fun, but he never lost his touch. His chewing of the screen as Dr. Zabor was a hoot. Second, Duke Mitchell and Sammy Petrillo had been making a career out of imitating the act of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis (which I appreciate but am not a terribly huge fan of). Sammy so expertly imitates Jerry Lewis, that I had to keep looking at the credits to confirm that it wasn’t the real deal. He looked, sounded, and acted EXACTLY like him. And third, the scene where Duke, as a Gorilla, punches out Chula, Dr. Zabor’s servant. I don’t know why, it made me laugh out loud. Worth watching, if only once.
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Welcome Back Erik! Glad to have you back in the trenches!
I am a big fan of 4-D Man. Got to see it at the drive-in last summer and we viewed it at our last Turkey Day. I just love the jazz score that seems to be through the whole movie! Lot of fun stuff.
I’ve actually never seen Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla, honestly, because of that title alone. One of these days, I may have to just buckle down and watch it. I’m also not a big fan of comedy teams that are purposely copying more famous teams, like Martin and Lewis and even a few Abbott and Costello ones. But some day….
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Any movie with Bela in it is worth watching, if only once. I looked it up and Martin Landau apparently watched this movie several times to prepare for his role in Ed Wood. He said that it was far worse than anything Ed Wood made. I myself wouldn’t go that far.
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I’m going to try to keep this fairly brief… I might fail.
In compiling a list of mad scientist movies I haven’t seen (and there are many!) it came to my attention that I had never actually seen the Invisible Man sequels. I have the set, so I figured this was the perfect time to remedy that.
I will say that “Invisible Man” is an underrated Universal horror. Not as iconic as Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman… but a darn good movie, and in many ways on equal footing. Now, that being said, the sequels really leave something to be desired.
The movies are listed on the Universal timeline as being in the same world as the other monsters, but I have no idea why. There is no cross-over, and even the series itself has very little continuity. We don’t get returning actors, and the years things are supposed to take place don’t always make sense (such as one invisible man being the grandson of another, but they seem to only be a few years apart).
The cast doesn’t seem to be quite as strong as the Dracula/Frankenstein sequels, either. In “Return” we get Vincent Price, but it’s not one of his more memorable roles. In “Agent” we get Peter Lorre (whom I adore), but he is cast as a Japanese character, which seems odd. (I know he did this a few times, but in a movie about Nazis, you’d think a German could play a German?) “Agent” is actually a pretty decent movie, but not horror in any sense.
“Invisible Woman” is more or less a romantic comedy. It’s fine. Disposable fluff, but fine. “Revenge” is disappointing. “Abbott and Costello” is a lot of fun, but again it’s not one of their best films, either. In short, the sequels are almost completely unremarkable, with only “Agent” really being somewhat worthwhile.
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I agree that the original film is underrated and shows a great example of insanity. And I also agree that the sequels fell a little underwhelming.
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Ironically the two films I watched while they had doctors doing nefarious things, turns out they were not the worst people in the films.
#1 – The Body Snatcher. Quite possibly Boris Karloff’s best movie outside of Frankenstein that I have seen. He truly shows off why he is a master of his craft in this one. While it is true that Dr. McFarlane is a dick and has no problems taking bodies from Karloff when he damn well knows where they are coming from, you almost start to feel some sympathy for him after you see how cruel Karloff is. However, once we severs ties with Karloff and begins digging up bodies and committing murder himself, suddenly he becomes no better. But all in the name for science so I guess it is ok.
#2 – Corruption. Another stunning performance by a classic horror icon. This time seeing Peter Cushion wrestles with half naked women and cuts off their heads while his hair is a mess, is quite the sight to see. Cushing doing what he does best, the obsessed doctor must find a cure for his love’s scarred face. Even if it means killing beautiful women to get their pituitary glands. But as nasty as what Cushing does may seem, like Dr. McFarlane, he is not the cruelest character in the film, because Cushing’s girlfriend is bat shit crazy in this one and will stop at nothing to make sure she gets her beauty restored.
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I can’t believe you had never seen The Body Snatcher before, but I’m also thrilled that you finally knocked it off your list! It is ALMOST in my top ten film. I absolutely LOVE Karloff in that one. Sooo damn good.
Corruption was one of those titles in the bootleg days that you had to have just because Cushing wrestles with a topless chick, which he must have just hated to do. I haven’t seen since those days, so I am need of a rewatch for sure.
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Yeah Body Snatcher was just one of those never got around too, I am sure there is many more on the shelf. And Grindhouse’s release of Corruption looks beautiful as expected. And yes I am sure Cushing hated wrestling with a topless women and dragging his hands across her breasts smearing them in blood.
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I can’t remember having this hard of time coming up with my own two movies. The first problem I had is that I’ve seen more than my share of the mad doctor movies from the 30s and 40s. Then when I thought I found one, turned out not to really fit into the category! So here’s were my attempts!
Dr. Black & Mr. Hyde (1976) – Not sure why, but never got around to seeing this one. Bernie Casey as the good doctor turning into a ‘white’ guy is a riot. Very dated, but honestly I didn’t find it as fun or even as good as some of the other blaxploitation films. But at least this one counted!
Frankenfish (2004) – I picked this cheesy Sci-Fi Channel movie because I would have assumed with that title, there would be a mad scientist. Wrong. There is some mad science…just no mad scientist! The creatures were pretty cool when they weren’t CGI, and it was a little more entertaining than I expected. Not by much, but not terrible. But again, I don’t think I could count it.
The Drums of Jeopardy (1931) – “A mad doctor is determined to take revenge on the family he believes is responsible for his daughter’s death.” That is what says in the description. But they didn’t bother to point out that the word “mad” is more like he’s just really pissed off, not crazy!!! He just becomes some sort of crime boss and goes out for revenge! So that really didn’t count!
Frankenstein Reborn (2004) – So for my last attempt, I figured THIS one would have to have the elements I needed. And it did! Unfortunately, it wasn’t a great movie, but at least it counted, right? A “modern” retelling of Shelley’s tale, that really the only connection is the use of character names. I loved how there is a Walton and Clerval, but Victor last name is just Frank. ??? I will give credit to the design of the creature, which looks pretty damn cool and scary. But besides that…ugh. I am glad to have knocked out another version of my favorite movie (even though it wasn’t good) and it did help me complete this month’s mission. But damn!
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I think one of the reasons that Dr. Black and Mr. Hyde doesn’t work quite as well as some of the others is that it’s never really convincing that he’s turned into a white guy – he just looks friggin’ weird! Still, it’s better than Blackenstein, so that’s something.
You must have been pretty desperate to put Frankenfish on the menu! Although, fun fact, I didn’t realize that it was co-written by Simon Barrett, Adam Wingard’s go-to writing partner (You’re Next, V/H/S, The Guest).
Never even heard of Drums of Jeopardy! 1931, you say? I’m not surprised that it wasn’t a “real” mad doctor movie, considering the time-stamp (and technically, IMDb doesn’t even call it a horror movie), but still, sounds like it’s worth checking out.
3.2 IMDb rating for Frankenstein Reborn. Oooof. Was it entertaining enough to be considered a Turkey, at least?
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I didn’t know that about Frankenfish. Interesting. And unfortunately, Frankenstein Reborn wasn’t not a turkey. “Very rare”, as they say. Meaning not well done!
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Hi Jon. Puts a smile on my face to see that you’ve watched Frankenfish. I admit I have a soft spot for it. And actually, I think it’s a notch above the average SyFy film, especially the SFX at the time, but that might be because of Mark Dippé in the director’s seat. (I had no idea it was ever made for the Sci-Fi Channel, by the way. Came out on DVD in my country distributed by Sony Pictures or Columbia TriStar, I think)
The 1976 and 1931 movies are completely new titles to me. But Frankenstein Reborn (2004) … Wasn’t that a Full Moon production? I might actually have seen it at one point. And if so, indeed, I recall the monster make-up was cool and effective. I also remember an eastern European landscape setting, which was a beautiful asset to the film (since it must have been shot over there). Other than that, a very forgettable affair indeed, I’m afraid.
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Yes, I will give Frankenfish a few props. I was more disappointed in the fact that I really didn’t meet the mission’s requirements! I was surprised to find out it was a Sci-Fi channel movie because the version I watched had more than a few bits of nudity.
As for the Frankenstein movie, you’re thinking of the Dave DeCoteau film he made under that same title in 1998. This was made in 2004 and directed by Leigh Scott. I came across this when I was looking him up after watching his version of The Dunwich Horror and then realized I had a copy of his version of Shelley’s tale in my collection. Most of this movie took place indoors, so I’m thinking you’re remembering the DeCoteau one, which they probably filmed over in Romania or somewhere cheaper than here in the US.
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Yes, you’re right, I was mistaken. Looked it up about Full Moon. They did Frankenstein Reborn! and The Werewolf Reborn! both shot back-to-back in 1998. But the versions I eventually got to see, were the ones cut down to two mid-length segments into the feature Frankenstein & The Werewolf Reborn! released in 2005. Good ol’ Charlie Band and his ‘squeeze another buck out of his previous productions’ tactics. Go figure. I do recall both features to be a somewhat admirable throwback attempt to both the original classic tales and the long gone heydays of Full Moon’s late ’80s /early ’90s films. But anything they came up with post-2000, I couldn’t really wrap my head around anymore by then.
I also watched the trailer of Frankenstein Reborn (2004). The creature makeup indeed looks great. Too bad the film doesn’t sound the same, though. Thanks for name-dropping The Dunwich Horror (aka Witches). I’ve seen that one too. I knew Leigh Scott’s name rang a bell. I recall his version of the Lovecraft tale being an interesting enough effort, especially given the low budget restrictions. However, I don’t think I’m much interested in what all else I’ve spotted on his filmography so far.
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April 2020 Mad Scientists
Castle of the Creeping Flesh (originally – ‘Im Schloß der blutigen Begierde’ – (West German – 1968) – A mad scientist (Howard Vernon) in a secluded castle tries to resurrect his dead daughter. Guests arrive. Nudity, gore (real heart surgery footage). My snacks disappeared, otherwise a mess. The only surprise was that Jess (everything else stars Howard Vernon) Fanco did not direct; Adrian (Mark of the Devil) Hoven did (as Percy G. Parker).
Rites of Frankenstein (originally La maldición de Frankenstein – (French / Spanish – 1973) – Having prepared myself for a Vernon – Franco movie, that ended up not being a Vernon – Franco movie, I found it necessary to find a ‘mad scientist’ Vernon – Franco movie to restore my equilibrium. Enter Rites of Frankenstein, and once again all is ‘Rite’ with the world. Crap, just as one would expect. But FUN crap. Seeing Denis Price using a hand cranked drill on a creature’s head was worth the price of admission alone. On a literary scale, the film is a tad confused as it features Dr. Frankenstein, Dr. Seward, and Cagliostro. It’s also called the ‘Erotic Rites of Frankenstein’ but apparently that word has a lot of definitions.
Not a frightening moment in either but, between the two, a massively entertaining day.
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I’m trying to remember if I’ve seen the Castle you mentioned, but I don’t think so. I have it, so now I’m going to have to look more into it. I mean, you can’t go wrong with Howard Vernon, right?
I have seen Rites though and, like a lot of Franco’s, it’s a hoot.
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Movie 1: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
I finally got a chance to sit down and visit the original! I actually liked it a lot! I know that in the book, the twist ending was intended to be exactly that, yet even in very early interpretations, it’s given away nearly right away. Yet, I really enjoyed the make up, effects, and performances!
Movie 2: Dr. Giggles
Oh, boy. I remember seeing the trailer for this when it was new and always avoided it. Only because whatever I had imagined it to be was apparently way more horrifying as an actual horror movie that the horrifying entity that this actual piece turned out to be. It wasn’t campy, it wasn’t gory… It just was. And it was forgettable to say the least. I took nothing away from this film. Except the rental fee.
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Original Jekyll as in the 1920 version with John Barrymore? As much as I do like that, to me, nothing beats the Frederic March version. But glad you knocked it off your list.
Yeah…I’ve only seen Dr. Giggles once and that was on its original release. I really didn’t care for it and so much that I just don’t know if I could revisit it. And from what you’re saying, I’m still right!
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Damn, this month’s assignment has been an extremely difficult one for me. The mad scientist sub-genre flourished from the 30’s all the way thru the 70’s. As the century came to an end, they were utilized less and less. In the 21st century, movies featuring mad scientists have seemingly been few and far between. And if they are out there, they are well disguised. Since I am nearing old fogey territory, I have seen just about every mad scientist movie imaginable from the golden era of the 30’s thru 70’s. And it has been darn near impossible to find more recent examples.
Blue Demon Versus The Infernal Brains (Blue Demon Contra Cerebros Infernales) 1968/Mexico
Lucha Libre to the rescue! Blue Demon faces off against an organization with an extremely unhinged medico. They are kidnapping scientists to extract their grey matter. Then, they keep the brains alive so they can extract all their knowledge. The scientists are given other brains and “programmed” to expire within 48 hours. Thus, no one knows that the scientist’s brain has been stolen. Diabolical. Working with counter-espionage, Blue Demon tracks the organization back to their lair. Biff! Pow! Boom! The head scientist blows up everything in a last burst of ‘if I can’t have it, then neither will anyone else’. Plus, bonus musical and dance interludes! Did I mention wrasselin’? This stuff never gets old!
The Air Seller 1967/Russia
Not really your typical “mad scientist” movie, but the month is almost over, and this movie at least has a scientist in it! Said scientist has discovered a method of turning air into globules of ‘liquid air’. An unscrupulous business man (is there any other kind?), has set the scientist up on an island with all the necessary equipment to develop his discovery. They are turning air into globules, and storing them in a huge underground sub-zero complex. The movie opens with disasters happening all over the globe because somehow the Earth is losing its atmosphere. A captured meteorologist finally deduces that the air is being stolen by the business man, using the scientist’s discovery, and then being sold back to governments in need. The scientist and the meteorologist then set about setting things right, and restoring the air to the planet. The movie very much has the feel of a James Bond type film with the island lair, and crazy “science”. Much more entertaining than I expected – this is definitely a movie worth searching out!
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Hey Bob…I’m glad I wasn’t the only one having problems finding some titles! But I agree…you can’t go wrong with some Lucha Libre!!!
Though you did stump me on your second title. Never heard of it. Need to do some investigating!
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Hey there! Back in action after missing last month due to craziness. My first view I was able to find something suitable in my stacks of unwatched in the front room –
Death Warmed Up (1984)
The basic plot in the low budget New Zealand gore film is a scientist hypnotizing a kid into killing the kid’s parents. The kid gets institutionalized and upon release, seeks revenge on the scientist. I didn’t have high hopes for this and actually only purchased it to get to a proper dollar amount during a Severin sale, but it was pretty enjoyable. It’s dripping with 80s Ozploitation feel and there were quite a few things that happened that I was not expecting. I would definitely recommend this to like minded individuals.
The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
The last film I saw in the theater before lockdown was the remake of The Invisible Man and I loved it. I dug out my old Universal Legacy Collection DVD set for this pick. It starts right in the thick of it with the owner of a coal mining operation (Vincent Price) imprisoned for the murder of his brother. He escapes prison right before he is to be executed using the invisibility serum to find the actual murderer even though he knows the side effects of the serum will drive him mad. I enjoyed this movie for sure. It takes a bit to really get going, but once the madness firmly takes hold it is a pretty gripping final act. Would recommend to any fan of the classics.
Good to be back!
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I haven’t seen Death Warmed Up since back in the VHS days. Honestly, don’t even remember if I upgraded my copy to digital!
Glad to see you knock out an old classic though. Can’t go wrong with Mr. Price…though you don’t “see” too much of him!
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Replace (2017)
I went into this movie with zero expectations and no idea what it was about. It had a pretty slow start, but it kept me interested enough to still watch. It definitely picked up momentum during the second half. It reminded me a lot of Cronenberg movies. It was a pleasant surprise seeing Barbara Crampton as the doctor “treating” the main character’s skin condition. I loved the special effects. There were some cringeworthy moments where I had to turn away.
Wasp Woman (1959)
I love these types of movies! I just realized I picked two movies that both focus on women who are obsessed with looking young. This movie was paced well and pretty entertaining. I had a lot of fun watching this one, and the ridiculous costume was perfect. I don’t care what anyone says. Has anyone seen the 1995 Wasp Woman? Just curious if it is worth the watch.
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Wasp Woman is one of my favorite movies. I don’t think I knew it was remade though!
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Don’t think I’ve heard of Replace but it does sound interesting. I see that it is on Prime, so….
Okay…how can you ever go wrong with Roger Corman? Granted, I’m a sucker for those old ’50s flicks and this one is another prime example why.
As for the remake, yes, they did make on in 1995, starring Jennifer Rubin from Nightmare on Elm Street 3, with Corman as Executive Producer, and directed by Jim Wynorski. I interviewed Rubin back in 2006 and asked her about her experience working on that film and with Wynorski….
“But Wynorski….he’s a pig. To say I wanted to go through Corman studios, I should have looked at it more carefully. I’ve never had to experience anybody in my life as disgusting as him.”
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Time flies when you’re in quarantine! I really did watch these in April: first-time for The Ape Man (1943) and Return of the Ape Man (1944.) I really liked The Ape Man and posted about it here:
https://www.classichorror.club/post/ripped-from-the-headlines-the-ape-man-1943
I love these stories that can be told almost entirely from the headlines of the newspapers that are included every few minutes.
I didn’t like Return of the Ape Man (not a sequel, by the way) as much, but it was still fun and I’ll be posting about it tomorrow on classichorrors.club.
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Believe it or not, I haven’t seen EITHER of those! I was going to use The Ape Man for one of my choices, and according my movie inventory, I have the movie. But it seems to have been misplaced! But one of these days, I’ll knock out both!
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