Monster on the Campus (1958)

The blood of a primitive fish exposed to gamma rays causes a benign research professor to regress to an ape-like, bloodthirsty prehistoric hominid.

Director:

Jack Arnold

Writer:

David Duncan

Stars:

Arthur Franz, Joanna Moore, Judson Pratt

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Arthur Franz	...	Professor Donald Blake
Joanna Moore	...	Madeline Howard
Judson Pratt	...	Police Lt. Mike Stevens
Nancy Walters	...	Sylvia Lockwood
Troy Donahue	...	Jimmy Flanders
Phil Harvey	...	Police Sgt. Powell
Helen Westcott	...	Nurse Molly Riordan
Alexander Lockwood	...	Professor Gilbert Howard
Whit Bissell	...	Dr. Oliver Cole
Ross Elliott	...	Police Sgt. Eddie Daniels

Storyline

A college professor acquires a newly discovered specimen of a prehistoric fish. While examining the find he is accidentally exposed to it's blood, turning him into a murderous Neanderthal.

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Plot Keywords:

fish | professor | gamma rays | fingerprints | campus | 

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Taglines:

Chills! Thrills!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Early in the movie when driving in the neighborhood, you can see the left side of the Munsters home

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Goofs

Dragonflies do not 'buzz' like houseflies or bees; their wing beats are too slow.

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Quotes

Sylvia Lockwood: [Seeing a giant dragonfly at the window, she screams]
Professor Donald Blake: Don't open the door! It'll escape!
Sylvia Lockwood: Who cares?
Professor Donald Blake: I care! I want it!
Jimmy Flanders: Well, what is it?
Professor Donald Blake: I don't know! We'll find out when we catch it!

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Crazy Credits

The one-sheet poster lists "The Beast" as the sixth cast member.

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Connections

Featured in Jack Arnold erzählt: Der Schrecken schleicht durch die Nacht (1983)

User Reviews

All things considered, it has a certain respectability

Made in 1958, here is a general reworking of all the came before. It's Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde married to any werewolf movie. Yet, it never entirely verges into camp or silliness. The performances are strong, even from the dog. The music, though borrowed from other movies like 'The Incredible Shrinking Man' and 'Tarantula', is used effectively giving the action a boost where needed.

The special effects were nothing special. The transformation from man to beast and back again were smoother than 'The Wolfman', but the resulting creature was almost too obviously a rubber mask. Closeups do kill the effect somewhat so they filmed him at a distance which pulled the visuals back into plausibility. Much of it works well.

But why was this made? As noted, there's nothing new. It is played as a very straight forward no nonsense monster movie. It has its moments of real horror but it also doesn't even try push boundaries. If you had to judge it against all other of this genre, it's a C+.

A good solid movie for a rainy day and popcorn.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 December 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

Monster in the Night

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

77 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1