FRANKENSTEIN (2025) Poster Art

 

Power Records' THE MONSTER OF FRANKENSTEIN (1974)

Time to revisit this classic retelling of the Frankenstein story!

Trailer - THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)

Revisited this one last night and found myself loving it even more than my memory told me I would. In the past I've found the slow build to the birth of the monster difficult to deal with when rewatching this classic. But this time it felt perfectly paced and structured to bring almost any willing audience along for the horrific sights it has to show them. Decades after it changed the genre it still stands as an impressive accomplishment! Vibrant and alive it kicks in the door and demands to be seen - again. 

The Bloody Pit #222 - HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944)

It’s Monster Rally time! Troy and I have been looking forward to discussing this Universal Horror film for a long time. Easily one of the most fun of the studio’s 1940’s horror films HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944) has extraordinary highs and some bizarre lows. We dig into every single one we can think of including my obsession with werewolf footwear. I’ll admit that I may have been overprepared for this episode which explains how the show’s running time stretches to double the length of the film itself!

Of course, this movie marks Boris Karloff’s return to the Frankenstein series but in a new role as a mad scientist. He is fantastic here with his character’s short-sighted goals always overruling wiser choices. Stepping into the oversized boots of the Frankenstein Monster for the first time is Glenn Strange, causing us to look at the common use of his version of the creature in products aimed at fans. John Carradine becomes Universal’s new Dracula in the episodic film’s first segment but I make the argument that he might be playing an imposter. “Is you is, or is you ain’t my Dracula?”

 

J. Carrol Naish appears as the hunchbacked assistant to Karloff and the actor does his usual excellent job playing a character that swings wildly from brutal murderer to pitiable, lovelorn soul. We also discuss several of the returning bit players that always show up in these movies and lament that George Zucco doesn’t get more screentime. At a certain point we realize that we have gotten lost on the brain swapping carousel trying to figure out which noggin should get which lump of gray matter. Luckily the film has a proper torches and pitchforks villager attack to bring things to a destructive end. Plus – quicksand!

 

If you have any comments about this film or any of the Universal horror movies thebloodypit@gmail.com is the place to send them. Thank you for listening and Happy Halloween!

Video - Trailer for HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944)

This film is on my mind this week as I prepare for October podcasting! 

THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN (1942) Lobby Cards and Ad Art

 

The Bloody Pit #209 - FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER and MISSILE TO THE MOON (1958)

This episode is the second part of my discussion of the films of Richard Cuhna with author Mark Clark. We focus on FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTER and MISSILE TO THE MOON (1958) before we ramble off into talking about the Planet of the Apes franchise. Staying on topic is difficult for both of us!

The cast of FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTER (1958) is examined with lots of love directed at the amazingly villainous Donald Murphy as a descendant of grand-daddy Frankenstein. One could only imagine what his character might have accomplished if he could gain some control over his libido. We look at the various funding methods used by mad scientists and the ways that suburban homeowners can somehow forget entire areas of their house exist! We also lament the lack of Jack Pierce’s contributions to the monster makeup and wish he could have returned after his work on GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN as the film’s monster look is oddly non-gender specific. As a science fiction/horror tale, the movie actually has a very rare pair of competent police officers, although their detective skills don’t mean they will live through the investigation.

When our conversation turns to MISSILE TO THE MOON (1958) we praise the excellent rock monsters and a few of the performances but struggle to find more to love. Perhaps shifting from original screenplays to remaking a not very good film wasn’t the best idea for Cunha and his collaborators. Still, there are things to enjoy in the movie, especially if you have a soft-spot for 50’s science fiction tales told with more enthusiasm than fidelity to reality.

If you have any thoughts about the four genre films directed by Richard Cunha thebloodypit@gmail.com is where to send them. We both love these movies and return to them regularly. With some luck the missing two can be rescued from YouTube by an enterprising Blu-Ray company soon. 

FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER (1958) Poster Art and Lobby Cards

 The film is viewable here!

What I Watched in January 2024

An astonishing film! POOR THINGS (2023) tells the tale of Bella Baxter, a reanimated woman with the mind of a child and her growth into a functioning, independent adult. Like most of us, she gets sidetracked by her discovery of sex, learning the pitfalls of carnality and how the world commodifies human need and misery. Her journey is one of both education and revelation that allows her to eventually build the life she wants to live. The film creates a gorgeously artificial steampunk-style universe that elevates the story to fairy tale status without losing sight of the curious character at the center of the story. It’s fascinating in multiple ways with my favorite detail being the parallels that come to light as we learn more about Bella’s mad scientist father's childhood. This film provides ever expanding eye candy but even more serious food for thought as it comments on everything from the form of its own story and the places from which it draws inspiration to the larger meaning of life. What an entertaining work of art! 

The List 

LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND (2023) – 8 (fascinating end of the world tale) 

THE INVISIBLE MAN’S REVENGE (1944) – 5 (rewatch on Blu) 

NEEDFUL THINGS (1992) – 7 (rewatch of 191 min. cut on Blu) 

POOR THINGS (2023) – 9 

TOP LINE (1988) – 4 (terrible mish-mash of SF, action and conspiracy theories but Franco Nero is great) 

THE SINISTER DOCTOR ORLOFF (1984) – 6 (Franco’s umpteenth Orloff tale) 

THE 1000 EYES OF DR. MABUSE (1960) – 8 (rewatch)

KRIMINAL (1966) – 7 (rewatch) 

THE MARK OF KRIMINAL (1968) – 7 

PREY (2022) – 8 (excellent Predator tale) 

NIGHT OF THE HUNTED (2023) – 7 (well done thriller) 

CAKE OF BLOOD (1971) – 6 (rewatch)

STAR PILOT (1965) – 5 (a.k.a 2+2=5 Mission Hydra) 

THE UNSEEN (1945) – 7 (excellent thriller) 

LAW OF THE LASH (1947) – 5 (first starring role for Lash LaRue) 

THE RETURN OF DR. MABUSE (1961) – 7 (rewatch)

SCREAM OF THE WOLF (1974) – 6 (Dan Curtis/Richard Matheson TV movie – good but predictable) 

THE KILLER SHREWS (1959) – 6 (rewatch on Blu) 

EYE OF THE CAT (1969) – 6 (odd thriller written by Joseph Stefano) 

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES (2023) – 8 (shockingly entertaining) 

THE INVISIBLE DR. MABUSE (1962) – 7 (third 60’s Mabuse adventure) 

THE FEAR (1995) – 6 (solid horror effort)

THE TESTEMENT OF DR. MABUSE (1963) – 7 (number 4)

DR. MABUSE VS SCOTLAND YARD (1963) – 7 (the fifth)

THE DEATH RAY MIRROR OF DR. MABUSE (1964) – 5 (the last) 

BOSTON BLACKIE’S CHINESE VENTURE (1949) – 6 

EVIL DEAD RISE (2023) – 8 (rewatch)

THE WRETCHED (2019) – 7 (well done witch tale) 

EATING RAOUL (1982) – 7 (rewatch) 

VENGEANCE IS MINE (1967) – 7 (spaghetti western) 

BOSTON BLACKIE BOOKED ON SUSPICION (1945) – 6 

A WHITE DRESS FOR MARIALE (1972) – 5 (not as interesting as I’d hoped) 

ATTACK OF THE ROBOTS (1966) – 7 (fun early Franco with Eddie Constantine)

ALIAS BOSTON BLACKIE (1942) – 6 

 

 

Poster Art for THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN (1964)

Music - Giallo in tensione (From "Frankenstein '80")

Today on my Patreon page I talk about FRANKENSTEIN '80 (1972) as the sleazy, nasty piece of Euro-Trash that it is. I understand how it can be a difficult film to like as it has a pretty high WTF factor, but I think almost anyone can enjoy this amazing cue from the Daniele Patucchi score. It wouldn't be the first time the music from a movie was more loved than the film itself. 

FRANKENSTEIN 1970 (1958) Poster Art

I know I'm one of the few that really loves this one but I suspect the amazing poster art is greatly admired. 

 

The Bloody Pit #147 - FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN (1973)

Where is the line between grotesque horror and dark comedy? Paul Morrisey’s FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN (1973) explores that blurry line with colorful delight. Often known as Andy Warhol’s FRANKENSTEIN this is a one-of-a-kind experience and is now finally available on Blu-Ray!

 

Mark Maddox and I discuss the film and our history with it as we look at what we like and/or love about this bizarre piece of cinema. The movie was produced without a full script while the director composed pages on the way to Cinecittà Studios every day of its three week shoot. This creates a strangely meandering story about Baron Frankenstein (Udo Kier) attempting to bring about a Serbian master race by creating a perfect mating pair. As you might expect, things do not go as planned. Scattered about the story we find the mad doctor’s sister/wife, their creepy children and the lower-class servants who are asked to participate in some grisly experiments. It’s a bloody, nudity filled madhouse of a movie and is sure to please or anger an almost equal number of viewers. Our talk ranges from the very talented cast and the opulent sets to the well-done gore effects and the disgusting visuals. Of course, by the end we are off track and talking about other things but we start with good intentions. Forgive us!

The email address is thebloodypit@gmail.com and we’d love to know your thoughts on this odd work of cinema or any other subject we bump up against in our discussion. Thank you for listening. 

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