Starring: John Ashley, Sandra Knight, Donald Murphy, Sally Todd, Harold Lloyd Jr. Directed By: Richard E. Cunha Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: Unrated Binding: DVD Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: August 30, 2005 Running Time: 85 minutes Studio: Good Times Video Theatrical Release Date: December 15, 1958
Possibly the worst horror film ever produced! ^ Plan 9 from Outer Space was an Oscar-winning performance compared to this dread of Hollywood. Actually, I'm a gigantic fan of "Plan 9" but I could find nothing whatever here to whet my usual fancy for almost all of the older black-and-white horror films.
From the opening credits, (which was reminiscent of some minor reprobate holding a cheesily scribed piece of poster board because it sort of "moves around"), I sensed that this one wasn't going to make my Hit Parade. Then in the very first scene, the viewer is hilariously treated to a gal (who was ugly enough prior to make-up) who's wearing a pair of those paraffin buck teeth that we use to buy at the candy store back in the 50s for a nickel, punctuated with the furry eyebrows of mouse-hair rivaling those of Martin Scorcese on a bad hair day.
The devastating uppercut came with a performance by Page Cavanaugh and His Trio, which the director clearly viewed as a big plus for his film. I'm inclined to not share his enthusiasm for that threesome of un-renowned musical geeks.
I realize that this is "troubled youth in the '50s Drive-in" fare, and the movie should be viewed tongue-in-cheek... but an aardvark doesn't have enough tongue for this one. Of course it features bad acting, a moronic script, marginal camera work, and all the rest. But that's not why I especially hated it.
Here's what you will not find in this film: no crumbling European castles, no creepy organ music, no great sizzling electronic gewgaws, and so on. In other words, this one departs heavily from all the other Frankenstein films, (except maybe for Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster, yet another deplorable movie experience.)
The only redeeming purpose I could think of for this film was if you were going to get together with a bunch of guys (noxious enemies?) on a Saturday afternoon and throw a "smashed on Mad Dog 20-20 bad film party." For that specific application, this one is certain to shine as a feature. I thought I had spotted a big name at first in the credits but upon re-reviewing them, I found that it was Harold Lloyd, Jr. and not (I'm assuming here) his renowned daddy. Had Harold Lloyd done this one, he'd have been about 66 years old (the venerable old actor didn't give up the ghost until '71!) and he still would have doubly outshone anyone found in this clunker.
While I typically award 4- and 5- stars to the many older horror films which I've reviewed, I felt compelled to alert all my fellow fans of the genre to the un-superbness of this dubious waste of 85 minutes plus however much you might have paid for the DVD.
Spare yourself.
Frankenstein's Ugliest Step-Child. ^ Alright, folks. This is one of those films. Adjust the rating depending on your preference. If your looking for a GOOD Horror movie than apply the one star review. If your a masochist and/or a bad film nut than give this a full five star review!
Frankenstein's Daughter(1958) was the brain child of Director Richard Cunha,a director who could have given Ed Wood a run for his money as he directed some of the most hilariously awful Horror pictures of the 1950s including She Demons(1957), Giant From the Unknown(1957) and Missle to the Moon(1958).
The idea for this film must have sprang from the idea that since Frankenstein already had a son(Universal's 1939, "Son of Frankenstein" which was a GOOD film) why not make a film about his daughter? Well, Cunha and his writers made the same age old mistake of confusing the doctor's name with the Monsters'. So instead of a Crazy, foxy female scientist we get what is supposed to be the female Monster of yet another insane male scientist in the family.
This Frankenstein is played by Donald Murphy in one of the hammiest mad scientist roles of all time. Murphy's Frankenstein is a lecherous, megalomaniac creep who likes to hit on young, hot jail bait, which he either drugs them with a serum that makes there faces look like a bad halloween mask or run over them with his car, which after there curvy, voluptous figures are magically transformed to resemble that of a muscle bound man!
Murphy plays the role to the hilt and it's a shame that his supporting cast does not share the same enthusiasm. John Ashley does his best Wooden Indian impression as a hapless boyfriend of Sandra Knight,who is equally bad. Knight only amuses when popping out of her tight, black bathing suit. Veteran actor, Felix Locher may have been the worst elderly actor of the period, hamming it up to a degree that would shame even Murphy's eye rolling!
This film features many of the most unintentionally funny moments in genre history including the horrendous make-up designed for the Monster, which according to Hollywood Legend WAS supposed to be a sexy, female Monster but instead(and quite improbally) became hulking actor Harry Wilson(!) who is not remotely attractive and/or female. Sandra Knight is briefly turned into a oatmeal faced Monster who runs around with her bathing suit on(!) causing a newspaper headline to describe a "Bathing suited Monster on the Loose!".
The death scenes are CLASSIC bad cinema including some guy that gets crushed in a door(what is he shouting before the Monster crushes him? Is it "Ma!"?) and the admittebly violent demise of Murphy's character who gets gruesomely scalded with acid by the worst miss in Hollywood history, courtesy of Non-Hero John Ashley.
I should probally also note that Harold Lloyd Jr. is in this film singing a very bad song and telling some terrible jokes, not quite on par with his gifted father.
And with that note,please proceed at your own risk Movie Maniacs and enjoy this stinking piece of Trash cinema from the Golden age of the Drive In Movie. Just don't say I didn't warn you normal folks ahead of time.
franks doppler-(punjustsoundslikesorta) ^ film looks great on dvd as well as the visual pts in the show, you get 2 monstas and an acid face at the end and in between hilarious exchanges between olive frank assistant and his dr./homeowner. girl brief monsta makeup looks good and franks daught. is so funny. the gardner works, the youngcop is funny, the rest of the actors/actin is all good and the different scenes and enough action and story to please from beg. to end. this movie makes me laugh-nothins changed since i 1st saw it apx 30 yrs ago and now. its worth buyin on the 3 movie pack.
"You meddling kids!" ^ Yet another branch on the Frankenstein family tree, FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER (produced by Astor Movie Corp. in 1958), is one of the nuttier entries in the unofficial franchise series.
Dr. Oliver Frank (Donald Murphy) keeps his real surname of Frankenstein under wraps, so he can make bizarre secret experiments on his boss' niece Trudy (Sandra Knight). Thanks to a "fruit punch" mixture, Trudy transforms into a hideous monster with a unibrow and a face like cold porridge. Dr. Frankenstein later murders Trudy's best friend Suzie (Sally Todd) and grafts her head onto the body of another mis-shapen monster creation, dressed in a trendy black leather jumpsuit.
FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER, a long-time favourite for monster fans, has all the key ingrediants for a classic cult movie: the eccentric doctor with blood ties to the real Frankenstein, an easily-spooked ingenue, a dimwit police force, and a brawny hero who saves the day.
The current DVD from Goodtimes features a decent, watchable print. The sound is muffled but easily followed. A great price, too. (Single-sided, single-layer disc).
If this is his daughter, He needs to empty the Gene Pool. ^ It's a 60's movie, it's made as well as it couyld have been made for the time, it fares much better them some of the other Frankenstein knockoffs that have been made with the likes of Jesse James or others.
It's NOT oscar material, nor is it terrible, it's just an entertaining movie to me, it takes me back to the CHILLER THEATER days where I first saw it.
Check it out, you really can't go wrong for 10 bucks.
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