The Mad Monster (1942)

User Rating:

2.9/10   

Director:

Sam Newfield

Writer:

Fred Myton (writer)

Release Date:

15 May 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The blood of a wolf he placed in the veins of a man... and created a monster such as the world has never known!

Plot:

A mad scientist changes his simple-minded handyman into a werewolf in order to prove his supposedly crazy scientific theories - and exact revenge.

Plot Keywords:

Serum | Mad Scientist | Handyman | Werewolf | Reporter

Cast

Johnny Downs	...	Tom Gregory
George Zucco	...	Dr. Lorenzo Cameron
Anne Nagel	...	Lenora Cameron
Glenn Strange	...	Petro
Sarah Padden	...	Grandmother
Gordon De Main	...	Prof. Fitzgerald
Mae Busch	...	Susan
Reginald Barlow	...	Prof. Warwick
Robert Strange	...	Prof. Blaine
Henry Hall	...	Country Doctor
Ed Cassidy	...	Father
Eddie Holden	...	Jed Harper
John Elliott	...	Prof. Hatfield
Slim Whitaker	...	Officer Dugan
Gil Patric	...	Detective Lieutenant

Also Known As:

The Mad Monsters (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #8264)

Company:

Producers Releasing Corporation

Trivia:

The film was refused a UK cinema certificate in 1942, but passed uncut 10 years later.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Dr. Lorenzo Cameron: Yes, I know. You'd like to join your brothers outside and howl at the moon. But you're serving a much better purpose. Yes, you're serving science through me.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Tomb of the Werewolf (2004) (V)

I will Hug him and squeeze him and call him George

I grew up with this amusing piece of silliness back in the early sixties when it used to show up as regular as the full moon on the local horror host show JEEPERS CREEPERS so I'm inclined to give it a bit of slack. The first half of it moves briskly and is helped considerably by George Zucco's mad Dr. "I'm as nutty as squirrel droppings" act. Glen Strange does a carbon copy performance of Lon Chaney Jr.'s of Mice and Men character Lenny but it's more fun to see him as the abominable snowman parody from the Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck cartoon " What's the matter George?, You don't look so good." Once we've establish the hare brained plot and the first murder is discharged then Mad Monster becomes typical make-out fodder from the forties meaning that you look up only when you suspect a good part is coming. In my case I was sadly alone when I rewatched this film so I came out of the kitchen instead to see a couple of rantings from zucco then back to my lasagna. For horror completists it's not the worst of the lot,certainly better then most of Monogram's rock bottom efforts,but if you don't expect too much you might find it acceptable.