Monster from Green Hell

Director - Kenneth G. Crane (Manster, When Hell Broke Loose)

Starring - Jim Davis (Satan's Triangle, Deliver Us From Evil), Robert Griffin (I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Science Fiction Theatre), and Joel Fluellen (The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Mighty Joe Young)

Release Date - 1957

Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi

Tagline - "Today it's destroying Africa... tomorrow the world!"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     There is several memorable eras in movie history ranging from silent, to the classic monster movies from Universal, the atomic or atom age of cinema, before moving into the exploitation age and the drive-in era.  My biggest movie toxic trait is that I always have to associate films with the trend of the era and my favorite era of films is the atomic age from the mid-50s to early 60s.  I fucking love the films following space invaders of this time but my real love is the mutated creature films that made the double features at the drive-in the go to spot most evenings during this time.  One of these mutated creature films that I had never seen before is 1957's Monster from Green Hell.  I had heard of this one before but I never had the opportunity to check it out.  That changed when The Film Detective released the film on blu and my friends over at MVD were kind enough to send a copy my way.  Like always I want to thank MVD and The Film Detective for hooking me up with a review copy.

     The film follows a group of scientists who travel to the deepest reaches of Africa while looking for a spacecraft that is suspected of crashing there.  The spacecraft was transporting wasps in hopes of taking them to space to determine their survival rate outside of our atmosphere.  However, something happened and it crashed deep in the African jungle.  Now, those wasps have been mutated by space radiation and is killing the locals.  It's up to the scientists and their guide to stop the wasps before they reproduce and make their way into the civilized world.

     Monster from Green Hell is campy, cheesy, and far from perfect but I enjoyed it.  I rarely get to watch a creature feature from this time but they rarely disappoint.  Sure, they are bad a lot of times but they are still extremely fun.  I would love to see this film, or any number of films from this era, at a drive-in as part of a double feature like many movie goers were able to do when this one was released.  It's such a campy and enjoyable film that would be even more enjoyable if you were in that drive-in setting.  The acting in this one is not the best.  In fact, there was several instances where it felt awkward to watch and I kind of felt embarrassed for the cast.  Most of the cast is not that confident when delivering their dialogue.  They do warm up as the film progresses but it still takes some time with awkward dialogue and scenes before it levels out.  The story for this one is pretty much a straight forward "science accidentally mutates nature" with the creature killing mankind being a wasp.  It's not the first time we've seen an insect grow to gigantic proportions and attacking humans but the space aspect mixed with the jungle adventure does make for a fun setting for a sci-fi horror film.  It's very campy with a lot of cheese but I had fun with it.  It was a super late night watch and I find those to be enjoyable especially if the film is in black and white like this one was.  Finally, this is not a bloody one but I did like the look of the creature.  It didn't look like a wasp to me.  Instead, it looked like a paper mache mantis but that only added to the campy charm of this creature feature.  Overall, Monster from Green Hell is a classic late 50's monster movie.  I can see this one being a mainstay in a horror host's arsenal or part of a riffing show.  It's fun but far from perfect.  I would highly recommend checking it out if you've had a few beers or looking for a late night flick.  

The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly

Director - Mitsuo Murayama (Special Investigation Unit, Medal from the Devil)

Starring - Ryuji Shinagawa (The Last True Yakuza, Ghost Music of Shamisen), Yoshiro Kitahara (Kamen Rider, Gamera: The Giant Monster), and Junko Kano (Typhoon Reporter, Black Test Car)

Release Date - 1957

Genre - Horror/Crime

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When Arrow Video sent over their Invisible Man Appears blu I had no idea that it was actually a double feature.  I was really fucking excited to see the first film but when I tossed it in the player I was surprised to see a second film on the set.  I did a quick look and discovered that the second film, The Invisible Man vs. The Human Fly, was a sequel in spirit only but it really peaked my interest.

     The film follows a police force as they attempt to hunt down a serial killer that seems to be hunting down people that served in the army sometime ago.  The police uncover a sceientist is able to shrink humans.  In order to combat this they turn one of their own invisible to fight the fly menace.

     I went into this one a little more excited than I was the first one.  A film following mad scientists, a serial killer, and the Invisible Man...what could go wrong?   Well, a lot actually.  The characters are not that likable, the story is not as wild as it sounds, and the pacing is all wrong.  The acting in this one is not bad.  The cast really tries to get into their roles but the characters, regardless of who they are, are just not likable.  It's not the cast's fault but I just didn't care for the characters.  The story for this one has so much potential especially for a mid-50s sci-fi flick.  It has a lot of elements that I could really enjoy but the way everything is put together is very underwhelming.  I love the mad scientist approach to the film but the scenes, dialogue, and pacing of the film is absolutely all wrong.  I found myself waiting for the film to end than I was actually wanting to watch the film.  Finally, the film has some of those classic invisible man moments that make the other films so much fun along with some other cheesy visual effects of the time.  However, if you are looking for blood and gore you will be very disappointed.  Overall, The Invisible Man vs The Human Fly was a huge disappointment.  It doesn't have the same charm as the first film and the story is an absolute mess.  

The Curse of Frankenstein

Director - Terence Fisher (Horror of Dracula, The Mummy)

Starring - Peter Cushing (Horror Express, The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires), Robert Urquhart (Hammer House of Horror, Nightmare), and Hazel Court (The Twilight Zone, The Masque of the Red Death)

Release Date - 1957

Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi

Tagline - "The Curse of Frankenstein will haunt you forever!"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     When I was in high school and college I found myself becoming obsessed with the Hammer horror flicks.  Dracula, the mummy, Frankenstein, and the random one offs were movies I had to have.  I was lucky enough to find several out in the wild while hunting for movies.  One of those was the 1957 Curse of Frankenstein starring horror icons Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.  The DVD I had of this was one I found for just a few dollars at Big Lots of all places.  It is now out of print and going for a decent price.  It's a movie I've always enjoyed but it is far from my favorite Hammer film.  A few weeks back I received word that Warner Archive Collection was releasing this one on blu.  I reached out to them and they were kind enough to send over a review copy of this release.  Thanks guys!

     The film follows an imprisoned Victor Frankenstein (Cushing) who is awaiting the gallows.  He then recollects what he is sentenced to death for.  The story goes back to him and a colleague working on a way to defeat death.  After resurrecting a dog they work on piecing together a man and bringing it back from death.  They succeed but the creature becomes a monster forcing his colleague to put it down.  Unable to let go of his research, Frankenstein once again brings the monster back to life but this time it kills someone close to him.

      Hammer Horror officially started in 1955 but didn't gain traction until 1957 when they released The Curse of Frankenstein.  They had several hits prior to this release but none gained international acclaim like Curse did.  Christopher Lee himself would often proclaim that Curse was the beginning of it all and he's not wrong.  Curse was the beginning of many successful, and not so successful, adaptations that would make Hammer the leading name in horror for several years.  Though Curse is a legendary film that has it's own place in cinema history I would be lying if I said I loved it or it was my favorite.  It's not if I was to be blunt.  I like it but there is so many other Hammer films I would prefer to watch.  The acting in this is absolutely amazing.  Cushing and Urquhart are brilliant together.  Cushing has never did the camera wrong and delivers one of his most iconic performances.  His version of Frankenstein may not be as memorable as the Universal adaptation but horror fans know to give him he credit he deserves here.  Also, Lee is absolutely brilliant as the monster.  Without being able to deliver a conventional performance, he does so through community emotions with his eyes and expressions.  The story for this one is a little more detailed that the films previously based on Shelley's work.  This film is focused more on the doctor and his obsession with creating life and how his obsession for life creates death.  The original Universal film is a classic and one of the most popular horror films in history.  However, this adaptation is a lot more darker an grittier.  The characters have more personalities and the pacing is a rollercoaster of a film.  We get plenty of build up, action, and then we plummet to a more tamer scene before repeating.  It keeps the viewer engaged.  Finally, the film has some bloody moments with some great scenery and props but if you want gore you are watching the wrong film.  With that being said, I absolutely love the make-up on Lee.  His creature may not be iconic but it's down right eerie as fuck and really matches the tone of the film.  Overall, The Curse of Frankenstein is a must see for genre fans and collectors will want this two disc release from Warner Archive Collection.  The image quality is far from perfect BUT it is a vast improvement over my DVD release of the film.  This release doesn't push the boundaries what a blu can do but I'll take the improvement any day.  Check it out.