Post by someoldguy on Feb 8, 2020 21:31:54 GMT -5
George Zucco is the Mad Scientist in this movie. And he is truly mad. Having finally succeeded in his experiments with inter-species blood transfusions, he harangues an imaginary phantom audience of the professors who called him mad and cost him his career as a scientist. The species involved here are wolf and human, the wolf’s blood being the basis of the serum he uses on his dim-witted handyman, who then turns into a hairy monster who only wants to kill. Guess what the Mad Scientist wants the monster to do. 
The monster is played by Glenn Strange who did Frankenstein’s monster three times, which is as many as Karloff. Strange gets to do rather more acting here than in those movies although the part of a dimwit and monster is necessarily limited. Originally transforming only when injected and returned to normal by an antidote, the handyman starts transforming spontaneously. The creature appearance is no great shakes. Hair on the head and hair on the face like maybe sideburns gone wild and sort of goofy fangs. There is no gore, this being 1942, but the victims are described as really torn up.
The word werewolf is used twice in the movie, inferred from the nastiness of the attacks and the testimony of one eyewitness who said the beast ran upright. Not the usual bitten and moon dependent type of werewolf, so I am guessing use of the word werewolf was minimized to avoid comparison with (the now legendary) The Wolf Man released only months before.
The Mad Monster is a passable B movie but not anything spectacular. Acting and dialog are OK. Zucco as the M. S. puts on a good B movie over the top performance in his mad moments. Production values are typical B movie, extracting more effect from modest sets and the like than might be expected.
Fairly enjoyable watch if expectations are kept within 1942 B movie limits.
Aside: George Zucco is probably remembered today mostly for his numerous horror movie performances, beginning with The Mummy’s Hand in 1940. But he appeared in a great many movies of just about all types. He acted in 98 films in 20 years, almost five a year, until a stroke ended his career.
The monster is played by Glenn Strange who did Frankenstein’s monster three times, which is as many as Karloff. Strange gets to do rather more acting here than in those movies although the part of a dimwit and monster is necessarily limited. Originally transforming only when injected and returned to normal by an antidote, the handyman starts transforming spontaneously. The creature appearance is no great shakes. Hair on the head and hair on the face like maybe sideburns gone wild and sort of goofy fangs. There is no gore, this being 1942, but the victims are described as really torn up.
The word werewolf is used twice in the movie, inferred from the nastiness of the attacks and the testimony of one eyewitness who said the beast ran upright. Not the usual bitten and moon dependent type of werewolf, so I am guessing use of the word werewolf was minimized to avoid comparison with (the now legendary) The Wolf Man released only months before.
The Mad Monster is a passable B movie but not anything spectacular. Acting and dialog are OK. Zucco as the M. S. puts on a good B movie over the top performance in his mad moments. Production values are typical B movie, extracting more effect from modest sets and the like than might be expected.
Fairly enjoyable watch if expectations are kept within 1942 B movie limits.
Aside: George Zucco is probably remembered today mostly for his numerous horror movie performances, beginning with The Mummy’s Hand in 1940. But he appeared in a great many movies of just about all types. He acted in 98 films in 20 years, almost five a year, until a stroke ended his career.
Le Loup-Garou Qui Rit