Bride of the Monster (1955)

User Rating:

3.5/10   

Director:

Edward D. Wood Jr.

Writers:

Edward D. Wood Jr. (original story and screenplay) and
Alex Gordon (original story and screenplay)

Release Date:

February 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Screen's Master of the WEIRD in his NEWEST and MOST DARING SHOCKER!

Plot:

Dr. Varnoff captures twelve men for his experiment: to turn them into supermen using atomic energy....

Plot Keywords:

Atomic Energy | MST3K | Lieutenant | Mutant | Mad Scientist

Cast

Bela Lugosi	...	Dr. Eric Vornoff
Tor Johnson	...	Lobo
Tony McCoy	...	Lt. Dick Craig
Loretta King	...	Janet Lawton
Harvey B. Dunn	...	Capt. Tom Robbins
George Becwar	...	Prof. Vladimir Strowski
Don Nagel	...	Det. Marty Martin (as Don Nagle)
Bud Osborne	...	Lafe 'Mac' McCrea
John Warren	...	Jake Sloane
Ann Wilner	...	Tillie
Dolores Fuller	...	Margie
William 'Billy' Benedict	...	Newsboy (as William Benedict)
Ben Frommer	...	Drunk
Paul Marco	...	Officer Kelton

Also Known As:

Bride of the Atom
Monster of the Marshes (USA) (working title)
The Atomic Monster (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

69 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Spain:T | USA:Approved | Netherlands:12 (2007) (DVD) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Italy:T | UK:PG (DVD rating) (2005) | UK:X (original rating) | Finland:K-18 (2004)

Filming Locations:

Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Rolling M. Productions

Trivia:

Tony McCoy was cast in the male lead role, primarily because his father, Arizona entrepreneur Donald E. McCoy, was the owner of Packing Service Corp. (a meat packing concern), and was a major investor in the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Craig is sinking in quicksand he shoots eight shots from his six-shot revolver.

Quotes:

Lt. Dick Craig: This swamp is a monument to death. Snakes, alligators, quicksand... all bent on one thing: destruction.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Creature Features: Bride of the Monster/The Unknown Terror (#1.20)" (1971)

One of Wood's most underrated movies. 'Bride Of The Monster' isn't anywhere near as bad as many claim and Lugosi is terrific!

Ever since The Golden Turkey Awards chose Ed Wood as the world's worst director back in the 80s there have been a lot of people who automatically dismiss all Ed Wood movies as garbage. Even Tim Burton's terrific 'Ed Wood' has encouraged this. My opinion is that there are many, many worse directors out there, because at least Wood's movies were fun and entertaining, unlike many of those made by the likes of Roland Emmerich or Michael Bay, directors who are able to work with budgets a 1000 times bigger than Wood I might add! 'Bride Of The Monster' is one of Wood's most underrated movies. It was his second movie to star horror legend Bela Lugosi, but unlike the first, the truly mind blowing 'Glen Or Glenda', it isn't completely inept. True, some of the acting is terrible, especially the talentless leading lady Loretta King who is (I admit it) lousy, and Wood regular Paul Marco, who has a small supporting role as a cop. But, and this is a BIG but, Lugosi is terrific. Many fans regard this as his best performance. I wouldn't go that far but it's hard not to get choked up at Lugosi's immortal "I have no home" speech. 'Bride Of The Monster' is the first Wood film to feature the amazing Tor Johnson. He plays Lugosi's Tibetan servant/slave Lobo. All the scenes with Lobo are great fun to watch, especially when Lugosi whips him. Apart from Lugosi and Tor this movie is best remembered for the rubber octopus monster. Of course it's a hoot, but the rest of the picture isn't anywhere near as bad as many claim and is comparable to say 'The Devil Bat', which Lugosi starred in back in the 1940s. Both movies suffer from their minuscule budgets, but both are still worth watching to see Lugosi struggle for greatness. I recommend 'Bride Of The Monster' to all horror fans, especially those of Bela Lugosi.