FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE SPACE MONSTER (1965)
Directed by Robert Gaffney
Dark Sky Films DVD
Reviewed 05.25.06
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba

THE FILM
Brian Wilson and Van Dyke Parks penned a song together in 1966 called "Wonderful." The cryptic lyrics made little sense, but the heavenly chorus ("Won-won-wonderful") set the mood. That's all they needed to meld a classic. Funny how these things work out.

Somewhere out there, a thousand and one facts about Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster are dying to be revealed. Let 'em hang. Emotions are the marrow of trash cinema; everything else just gets in the way. When Decca Records lent the talents of no-hit UK wonders The Poets to the abstruse finesse of Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster, they were on the right track. The Puerto Rican landscapes and enticing stock footage agreed. The left side of the brain didn't. Immersed in odd verses (plot-point mumbo jumbo) and overwhelming choruses (everything else), this is a film that conjures a singular word and rarely deviates. The word? Here's a hint. It starts with the letter "W".

Nobody wants to be extinct. Taking a page from Larry Buchanan's Mars Needs Women, bald-capped, pointy-eared Dr. Nadir (good god, it's Lou Cutell, Amazing Larry from Pee Wee's Big Adventure!) leads his alien race on a sex-drive to Earth. Subsequently, an American space experiment lands Frank The Robot on the business end of a ship explosion. Frank and his half-melted robot face ("He now could be like a...Frankenstein?!") delight in machete killings. Dr. Nadir and his queen harvest mod girls in bikinis. The non-heroes (James Karen from Return Of The Living Dead included) ride Vespas while The Poets roast The Beatles. The parties meet. Showdown? You betcha.

Don't be fooled by the generic sci-fi ornaments. Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster is a perfect middleground between Del Tenney's The Horror Of Party Beach and Ray Dennis Steckler's Rat Pfink A Boo Boo; faux-artsy in its presentation, blanketed with essential trash elements, and entirely unique. The soundtrack jumps between natural silence and catchy surf instros. Sets carry the ambiance of an elaborate attic. Freeze frames cut into tight compositions. The monsters (yes, plural) make cheapo, creepy dreams come true. The film plows along relentlessly until overstated troop deployment footage kicks in towards the climax. But what's 5 anxious minutes in an exhilarating expanse of 76? Not much.

It's no mere coincidence that Mr. Wilson's voice filled my head during Dr. Nadir's assertions of "The lucky ones are already dead!" The context may have been different, but the results are exactly the same.

AUDIO AND VIDEO
Aside from a totally rare Prism VHS release, Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster has been lost on home video for over 20 years. What a homecoming. The anamorphic widescreen print is sharp as a tack, but not too pristine; just the way I like it. Blacks are thick and juicy. As for the pessimists out there, jump cuts slice in from time to time, scratches dance, and the mono sound gets a little iffy in the sync department during the first few minutes. Boo hoo.

EXTRAS
Short and very sweet: a still gallery comprised of a dozen lobby cards and stills, the film's amazing theatrical trailer, and a thorough booklet that chronicles the critical and production history of the film.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Frankenstein Meets The Space Monster is everything your mind expects it to be; an accidental, impeccable snapshot of black and white trash. That's a rare thing, indeed. Buy it and make your day, month, or year.

He's safe


He's not


Friends...and something more?


Almost unleashed