tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post5070873172457866507..comments2024-03-27T10:50:17.270-05:00Comments on Rough Edges: Tuesday's Overlooked Movies: Son of FrankensteinJames Reasonerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18049917964433932612noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-19055747089777925422015-10-07T10:49:16.191-05:002015-10-07T10:49:16.191-05:00Gadzooks! There are so many glorious aspects to F...Gadzooks! There are so many glorious aspects to Fiend Without a Face that I despair of even beginning to describe them to you here.<br />How about: This is a 1958 Cold War science fiction horror movie featuring invisible brain-sucking monsters who materialize at the climax as stop-motion animated brains with antennas and attached spinal cords. And the wonderfully restored DVD is part of the freakin' Criterion Collection.<br />Once seen, this one is never forgotten.<br /><br />John <br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-79692467734877453432015-10-07T10:20:59.625-05:002015-10-07T10:20:59.625-05:00I liked those Fifties movies, too, was particularl...I liked those Fifties movies, too, was particularly fond of KRONOS and INVADERS FROM MARS. I don't think I've ever seen FIEND WITHOUT A FACE. Love the title, though, and will check it out.James Reasonerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18049917964433932612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-23916774865777631032015-10-07T09:16:03.507-05:002015-10-07T09:16:03.507-05:00When I was a monster kid I liked the Universal mon...When I was a monster kid I liked the Universal monsters well enough, but much preferred the 1950's atom age monster flicks. <br />I might have gone outside to play rather than watch Bela Lugosi as Dracula again, but I would never have left my seat for re-runs of Them, The Black Scorpion, Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers or (my all time favorite) Fiend Without a Face.<br /><br />JohnAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-63592020843819910392015-10-07T08:36:23.038-05:002015-10-07T08:36:23.038-05:00I saw THE MONSTER SQUAD when it was new and recall...I saw THE MONSTER SQUAD when it was new and recall enjoying it quite a bit, but I haven't seen it since then. I was definitely one of those monster kids, although I was a bigger fan of Republic Westerns and Tarzan movies, which were also on TV all the time in that era.James Reasonerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18049917964433932612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-76141442941532895732015-10-07T05:44:14.090-05:002015-10-07T05:44:14.090-05:00I finally watched The Monster Squad (1987), which ...I finally watched The Monster Squad (1987), which is streaming on Netflix. It’s about a group of middle school kids, steeped in fandom for the Universal monsters, who contend with the real thing when Dracula, Wolfman, the Mummy, the Creature and Frankenstein’s monster all show up in their small town. While not as good as I hoped it would be, it’s a fun film and Stan Winston’s recreation of the classic monsters is wonderful.<br /> <br />The thing that got me is that the movie was probably made for the last generation who grew up with these old “monster movies”. The kids who grew up watching TV when these old films were shown regularly, for Saturday afternoon Creature Features, Friday night Chiller Theaters, and in rotation every Halloween. In the days before cable, the VCR, and a new wave of horror films had totally changed the landscape. In an odd way, The Monster Squad is even more dated that the Universal films to which it pays tribute. If you’re a monster kid and haven’t seen it, you might find it speaks to you.<br /><br />John HockingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-46779555685396096152015-10-07T03:48:46.044-05:002015-10-07T03:48:46.044-05:00Striking visuals, and Lionel Atwill is quite good ...Striking visuals, and Lionel Atwill is quite good here,but the story stalls out a bit in the middle.<br /><br />After this film, someone at Universal decided Bela Lugosi wasn't going to get a decent part there again. His reprise of Ygor in GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN , and the Monster in MEETS THE WOLFMAN are arguable exceptions, but it was pretty much all butlers from then on out.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14826624693734173136noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-6457283147242972952015-10-07T00:14:40.609-05:002015-10-07T00:14:40.609-05:00They scared me until I reached my teens. I haven&#...They scared me until I reached my teens. I haven't seen this in such a long time I forget everything about it, but I'd love to see it again.Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-55648295969164063752015-10-06T14:40:48.063-05:002015-10-06T14:40:48.063-05:00I'm thinking I need to watch more of those Uni...I'm thinking I need to watch more of those Universal horror movies. (Or as we called them when I was a kid "monster movies".) There are a few I've never seen, as far as I recall, and others I haven't watched in many years.James Reasonerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18049917964433932612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-68685981324835863252015-10-06T13:02:53.164-05:002015-10-06T13:02:53.164-05:00I've seen this one fewer times than any of the...I've seen this one fewer times than any of the others. Another one that I really like is FRANKENSTEIN VS. THE WOLF MAN. I think that's the 5th Frankenstein movie and a sequel to THE WOLF MAN.Victorian Barbarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16996053716446191390noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-43621084305694160432015-10-06T10:38:38.568-05:002015-10-06T10:38:38.568-05:00Rathbone, a prestigious non-genre actor, "leg...Rathbone, a prestigious non-genre actor, "legitimized" SOF. Can't imagine Lorre in the role, physically or dramatically.Bill Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06041905291496937729noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-61383816462859786002015-10-06T10:05:19.131-05:002015-10-06T10:05:19.131-05:00Been a favorite of mine for years.Been a favorite of mine for years.Barry Traylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14134880916215990198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-55398878127079843542015-10-06T08:37:33.048-05:002015-10-06T08:37:33.048-05:00That might've been okay, but it certainly woul...That might've been okay, but it certainly would have been a different sort of movie with Lorre in the role.James Reasonerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18049917964433932612noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7527967.post-79425713606729770892015-10-06T07:03:00.496-05:002015-10-06T07:03:00.496-05:00Peter Lorre (!) set for the tltle role til Basil b...Peter Lorre (!) set for the tltle role til Basil became involved.Bill Ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06041905291496937729noreply@blogger.com