Movie Night: Bride of the Monster.

Review #537: Bride of the Monster.

Cast
Bela Lugosi (Dr. Eric Vornoff), Tor Johnson (Lobo), Tony McCoy (Lt. Dick Craig), Loretta King (Janet Lawton), Harvey B. Dunn (Capt. Robbins), George Becwar (Prof. Strowski), Paul Marco (Kelton), and Don Nagel (Martin) Directed by Ed Wood (#183 - Plan 9 from Outer Space and #536 - Glen or Glenda)

Review

Oh how the mighty have fallen. From Dracula to...mad scientist, Bride of the Monster was Bela Lugosi's last speaking role (With silent roles in his last two films afterwards, which were The Black Sleep and Plan 9, respectively), and he goes out with a film that is merely a whimper. Plan 9 was actually more entertaining then this, while Glen or Glenda was at least trying to convey a subject. This is just another mad scientist film that only succeeds in having laughable moments. I think my favorite moment is when the octopus (that is rubber when interacting with the actors, but stock footage when not, which is so jarring when compared as the two have little to no resemblance) attacks Lugosi's character. Not only is the octopus not moving (The actors move the thing to make it look like it's flailing its arms), a lightning bolt strikes the two...causing a nuclear explosion. Lugosi certainly hams it up, especially when he talks about making a perfect race of "atomic super men", while having a little laugh afterwards. It's sad to see him in this role, doing really silly "threatening" faces to the camera when only 20 or so years ago, he was a creepy, but great Dracula. The title doesn't make any sense, I get the Bride part, but Lugosi only turns into the monster with about 10 minutes left in the film. Maybe they mean Lobo, but that doesn't really make any sense either. Wood directs a typical 50's film that only survives from the bounds of obscurity due to it's awful making. And so ends Bela Lugosi Week. What have I learned from this week? That even if the films were awful (Only two of the films I reviewed turned out to be any good, though it's arguable to add Glen or Glenda for its awfulness), Lugosi always made an effort and was usually the best or the most memorable part of the movie, no matter what it was. I hope you enjoyed this Week, I promise at least one theme week in the upcoming months.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Glen or Glenda.

Review #536: Glen or Glenda.

Cast
Bela Lugosi (The Scientist), Timothy Farrell (Narrator/Dr. Alton), Ed Wood (Glen/Glenda), Dolores Fuller (Barbara), Lyle Talbot (Inspector Warren), Charlie Crafts (Johnny), and Conrad Brooks (Banker / Reporter / Pickup Artist / Bearded Drag) Directed by Ed Wood (#183 - Plan 9 from Outer Space)

Review

Glen or Glenda was Ed Wood's first film that he directed, and boy, it is a real weird one. Inspired by the story of Christine Jorgenson, producer George Weiss decided to exploit it for a film of his own, sans Jorgenson. Wood was recruited to star and direct this film, the only one he did not also produce, also recruiting Bela Lugosi (in the last stages of his career) to star as...a scientist with the most bizarre dialogue ever written for a non narrator, and the way he says "Beware! Beware of the big green dragon that sits on your doorstep. He eats little boys... Puppy dog tails, and BIG FAT SNAILS... Beware... Take care... Beware!" makes me laugh. Lugosi may ham it up (Did I mention at one point he says "Pull the Strings" over footage of buffalo over and over?), but he at least looks like he's having some fun. Or maybe it's the money he was paid that made him satisfied. Lugosi is not the narrator though, that goes to Timothy Farrell, who doesn't fare any better. The dream sequence is either brilliant in its own way for trying to portray the subject matter, or idiotic because it only pads the movie even longer, and I guess in a way it's both brilliant and idiotic, but oh well. Wood (starring under the fake name Daniel Davis) isn't awful, though his technique of making people disappear wouldn't garner any praise from anyone. So which Wood film is better (a subjective word in this case), this or Plan 9? They both are inherently terrible, but Plan 9 is ultimately a smudge better, even if it is for it's mind blowing stupidity that works over Glen or Glenda's valiant, but failed attempt at drama. There is just one more film left for this week, and yes, it is another Ed Wood film. Stay tuned, folks.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.

Review #535: Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla.

Cast
Bela Lugosi (Dr. Zabor), Duke Mitchell (Himself), Sammy Petrillo (Himself), Charlita (Nona), Muriel Landers (Saloma), Al Kikume (Chief Rakos), Mickey Simpson (Chula), and Cheeta (Ramona the Chimp) Directed by William Beaudine (#463 - Billy the Kid versus Dracula)

Review
The title alone tells all you need to know about the film. Lugosi's in it, and there's a gorilla, though the only one from Brooklyn is actually one of the main characters who just happened to be from Brooklyn who is transformed into a gorilla half way through. The title came because the producer decided it would be foolish not to exploit Bela Lugosi's appearance in the film. When the only way to attract people to watch your movie is by shamelessly put the actor's name in the title, there isn't much hope. The only other reason this film was made was take advantage of the success of Dean Martin-Jerry Lewis films at the time, made (of course) on a cheap budget. Is the movie funny? Laughable to look at, but not really funny. Lugosi looks tired, though maybe he's tired of Petrillo's screaming, or the fact that he agreed to a movie with a gorilla in it. Maybe it's Petrillo's voice that bugs me so much, because it always sounds like wailing, which gets tiresome quickly. It is sad to see Lugosi be in a film as low as this, in a film that feels so soulless and so rushed. There are many words you could use to describe this movie: Stupid, rushed, idiotic, campy, non-funny, insolvent, irrelevant, but my favorite one is: Bad. While it may be easy to find, it's hard to tell if you want to find it. Take this film...forget it, you don't want to take the risk. The movie won't get a 0 because I do have some pity for Bela Lugosi. The only question you can ask about this movie is which is better, the next film on this week, or this film? What is the next film, you ask? Glen or Glenda. Stay tuned.

Overall, I give 1 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Scared to Death.

Review #534: Scared to Death.

Cast
Bela Lugosi (Prof. Leonide), George Zucco (Dr. Joseph Van Ee), Nat Pendleton (Bill Raymond), Molly Lamont (Laura Van Ee / Laurette La Valle), Joyce Compton (Jane Cornell), Gladys Blake (Lilybeth), Roland Varno (Ward Van Ee), and Douglas Fowley (Terry Lee) Directed by Christy Cabanne.

Review
The movie claims to be filmed in "natural color", and while it may seem utterly ridiculous to market especially in the title card, the movie doesn't look that bad, though even if it was in black in white, this would still be a mediocre film. The movie has a premise that could either be seen as creative or entirely useless. And what's the premise? The character that was scared to death narrates (I put that one loosely, given that all is speaking brief lines while just lying on the table) over the film, complete with really silly screamy music that occurs every time the corpse narrates (The narration lasting about 30 seconds)...and after it ends, which makes me wonder why didn't they just have narration over the film itself, and not these stupid interruptions that aren't long enough to be called interruptions. Lugosi is hamming up to the max, and hey, he's not the villain here, though he does have a short sidekick, which is really bizarre because it doesn't really add anything to this shoe string plot. The actors look like they don't care, and the film's plot is so ludicrous that you'll be begging for it to end by the half way mark. It's a strange, but ultimately useless film that shows its age, and it's lack of scares. It actually would work better as a comedy, but even that sounds too generous. For the next film on Bela Lugosi Week, we'll be dwelling into...the 1950's.

Overall, I give it 4 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Devil Bat.

Review #533: The Devil Bat.

Cast
Bela Lugosi (Paul Carruthers), Suzanne Kaaren (Mary Heath), Dave O'Brien (Johnny Layden), Guy Usher (Henry Morton), Yolande Donlan (Maxine), Donald Kerr (One-Shot McGuire), Edward Mortimer (Martin Heath), Gene O'Donnell (Don Morton), Alan Baldwin (Tommy Heath), and John Ellis (Roy Heath) Directed by Jean Yarbrough.

Review
The Devil Bat isn't much to marvel at, but it entertains cheaply and effectively, getting the job done, I suppose. Lugosi is the villain once again, and while it may feel familiar at this point, he certainly seems to be enjoy the role, and I like his performance, over-the-top, yet satisfying. The rest of the cast do an alright job, they work well with Lugosi at times. The direction is decent, given that this is a film about a killer bat that kills people who are sprayed with a "special scent", so as long as the movie doesn't veer off the sane rails, it works. And yes, this is another film available due to it falling into the public domain. A fun fact is that this was released by Producers Releasing Corporation, a small, but busy studio that made films fast and cheap, and they seemed to put care into this film, with satisfactory horror that's enough to entertain for a hour and such. Lugosi does a fine job and is one of the reasons to watch this film, along with the mild, but decent scares. For our next film on Bela Lugosi Week, it's another from the 1940s...

Overall, I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: The Death Kiss.

Review #532: The Death Kiss.

Cast
David Manners (Franklyn Drew), Adrienne Ames (Marcia Lane), Bela Lugosi (Joseph Steiner), John Wray (Detective Lieutenant Sheehan), Vince Barnett (Officer Gulliver), Alexander Carr (Leon A. Grossmith), Edward Van Sloan (Tom Avery), Harold Minjir (Howell), and Barbara Bedford (Script Girl) Directed by Edwin L. Marin (#503 - A Christmas Carol (1938))

Review
The point of this week is not just to review Lugosi, but also to give some of his films a bit more recognition, such as this public domain film from 1932. The movie starts out okay, not too shabby. It quickly sets the plot up, essentially a murder mystery, with an interesting tile sequence hat may be the best scene in a short movie. Lugosi doesn't really have much screen time, more of a supporting role that lets Manners take over, which is sort of disappointing, because Lugosi was a distinct actor even when he didn't speak. Bela Lugosi, David Manners (John Harker) and Edward Van Sloan (Van Helsing) are reunited, one year after all three were in Dracula (#071), and while they may not have much interaction, it is  at least interesting enough to be a fun fact to note. And if you're wondering, no the movie is not a horror film. As much as the title sounds like one, it's really just the title of the film within the film in which the murder happens. The movie itself flows okay, it veers between mystery thriller and comedic idiocy. It just feels standardized and not exactly exciting. It does have some moments of brilliancy, such as the idea of having the film revolve around a studio and the film projector being mysteriously filled with acid just as the murderer is about to be revealed but it doesn't save the movie. The film isn't awful, it's just not that good, and if you came for Lugosi, you will be disappointed. Next time, I will be delving into the 1940s for Part Three of Bela Lugosi Week.

Overall, I give it 5 out of 10 stars.

Movie Night: Murders in the Rue Morgue.

Review #531: Murders in the Rue Morgue.

Cast
Bela Lugosi (Doctor Mirakle), Sidney Fox (Mademoiselle Camille L'Espanaye), Leon Ames (Pierre Dupin), Bert Roach (Paul), Betty Ross Clarke (Mademoiselle L'Espanaye), Brandon Hurst (Prefect of Police), D'Arcy Corrigan (Morgue Keeper), Noble Johnson (Janos), and Arlene Francis (Streetwalker) Directed by Robert Florey.

Review
I'm very familiar with Bela Lugosi already, with his work in (#071) Dracula, (#183) Plan 9 from Outer Space, (#260) The Wolf Man, (#274) White Zombie, and (#470) Mark of the Vampire. A theme week is 7 reviews of a subject in 7 days (Such as Robot Week with #086-#092, Harry Potter Week with 8 reviews from #117-#124, and the last one until this, Dreamworks Animation Week, from #160-#166), and I'm starting with the earliest Lugosi film I could find on short notice, and end...with his last speaking role. Murders in the Rue Morgue was (loosely) based off a short story by Edgar Allen Poe (notable for being the first detective story), with a few more of his works being adapted by Universal in the following years as part of their Universal Monsters line. Lugosi doesn't do that bad of a job, he certainly has a level of lunacy for this character, and it works well. The rest of the cast do fine and all, they aren't too overdramatic, and while Lugosi nearly steals the show, the cast don't do that bad. This film was sadly butchered upon original release from 80 minutes to 61 minutes by the studio, the deleted scenes apparently being cut due to being deemed too disturbing, and while the film does feel hacked off, the camera angles and the way of filming make up for it just enough. This is a disturbing, but entertaining film that lets Lugosi have his moment. Tune in next time for another one of Lugosi's films from 1932.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.