Daily Archives: September 14, 2016

The Revenge of Frankenstein
Directed by Terence Fischer
Written by Jimmy Sangster and Hurford Janes
1958/UK
Columbia Pictures/Hammer Films
First viewing/Amazon Prime

[box] Doctor Victor Stein: It should have been perfect. I made it to be perfect. If the brain hadn’t been damaged, my work would have been hailed as the greatest scientific achievement of all time. Frankenstein would have been accepted as a genius of science. Instead, he was sent to the guillotine. I swore I would have my revenge. They will never be rid of me![/box]

Peter Cushing appears without Christopher Lee’s monster this time. Hammer nonetheless lavishes great care on an engaging variation of the Frankenstein tale.

As the film begins, Victor Frankenstein (Cushing) is facing the guillotine for the havoc wrought by the first edition of his reanimated creature.  We see the blade go down but it is no spoiler to reveal that the good doctor manages to substitute another victim.  Segue to a German village where Victor is practicing medicine under an alias.  He has not given up on his experiments.  Soon a young admirer volunteers to be his assistant.

Frankenstein believes that he has identified the defect in his first attempt.  This time he plans to put a living brain into his creature.  He even has a volunteer for the project.  This is Karl, a cripple who is looking forward to occupying a perfect body.  But things don’t go as planned ….

This is quite a gorgeous picture with an awesomel laboratory full of gory body parts.  The acting is of a high standard.  I was entertained throughout.  Recommended for fans of the genre.

Trailer

Missile to the Moon
Directed by Richard Cunah
Written by H.E. Barrie and Vincent Fotre
1958/USA
Layton Film Productions
First viewing/Amazon Instant

[box] The Lido: You have not even commented on my blindness.

Steve Dayton: I was very sorry to see it.[/box]

This only lacks a catchy title to reach the outrageous badness that was Cat Women of the Moon.

Steve Dayton and Dirk Green have been building a lunar rocket in their backyard.  The government is taking over the project and Dirk is let go.  He hides out in the rocket and finds a couple of teenage prison escapees already in residence.  Steve notes unusual activity in the space ship and goes with his comely fiancee to investigate.  Soon all on board are heading for the moon!

As all who have seen Cat Women already know, the moon is inhabited by an oxygen-breathing humanoid race of beauty queens.  Their air supply is rapidly dwindling and the rocket is their only hope of salvation.

This movie is a hoot!  The special effects include a cardboard rocket, a cave-spider puppet, and slow-moving rock people.

Trailer