Category: The New Man
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How to Make a Monster
A makeup artist manipulates his actors to kill the studio brass that is shutting down horror movie production. AIP’s third and last teenage monster movie is a self-aware pastiche. The script makes no sense, but it is an entertaining romp. 5/10
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The Fly
What caused Mrs. Delambre to kill her husband in a steel press? And why is she obsessed with flies? Vincent Price ponders these questions in Fox’s 1958 classic, a traditional mad scientist tale, but enhanced by an unusually engaging script. 7/10
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The H-Man
The Tokyo police are flabbergasted when gangsters start melting. Ishiro Honda mixes the police procedural with gooey body horror in this 1958 cult classic. Fun effects and good atmosphere counteract a plodding and confusing script. 6/10
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The Revenge of Frankenstein
Peter Cushing shines once again in the title role of Hammer’s 1958 sequel. Jimmy Sangster’s script puts an interesting class angle on the story, and despite its meandering plot and lack of focus, it remains one of Hammer’s best. 7/10
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War of the Colossal Beast
The Amazing Colossal Man is back! However, in this 1958 sequel his greatest adversaries are the tight shooting budget, the lacklustre script, the indifferent acting, and the fact that not even director Bert I. Gordon seemed to care. 3/10
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Fiend Without a Face
When the invisible brain monsters finally become visible in the film’s last 10 minutes, this British 1958 effort becomes one of the most memorable monster movies of the 50s. Unfortunately, the rest of the picture is hardly worth remembering. 4/10
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War of the Satellites
A body-snatching alien infiltrates the international space program with intents at sabotage. Good low-budget effects and acting, but a dull script makes this one of Roger Corman’s lesser SF efforts. 4/10
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Attack of the 50 Foot Woman
A scorned heiress is abducted by a UFO and grows to gigantic proportions, while her cheating husband tries to murder her so he can run off with the town floozy. Nathan Juran’s 1958 cult classic is bad in many ways, but its themes continue to fascinate. 6/10
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Womaneater
A scientist feeds women to a woman-eating tree, which gives him a serum that can bring back the dead. This British 1958 quota quickie is plodding and illogical, but kept afloat, barely, by its silly premise and decent acting. 2/10.
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Attack of the Puppet People
A lonely doll-maker shrinks people in order to have them keep him company in Bert I Gordon’s 1958 film. Decent performances help counteract a plodding script and special effects of varying quality. 5/10
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Escapement
Ex-Nazis operate a brainwashing dream machine in a psychiatric clinic in this 1958 UK mystery melodrama. Released in the US as The Electronic Monster, it squanders a good idea in a programmatic cloak-and-dagger plot. 3/10
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She Demons
Hapless heroes try to escape the clutches of a Nazi scientist turning native women into monsters. Starring Irish McCalla of “Sheena: Queen of the Jungle” fame, this 1958 clunker is terrible but quite funny. 3/10
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Nude in His Pocket
A married scientist shrinks his assistant and lover into a pocket-size statue. This French 1957 screwball sex comedy is a breezy piece of entertainment that suffers from a thin script and lazy special effects. 5/10
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I Was a Teenage Frankenstein
A ruthless scientist creates a teenage monster in his basement and tries to hide it from his fiancée. Herman Cohen’s 1957 follow-up to the smash hit I Was a Teenage Werewolf is a slow-moving affair saved by a toungue-in-cheek script. 4/10
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Teenage Monster
A mother protects her teenage son, who has been turned into a murderous monster by the impact of a meteor. In the Wild West. This poorly written 1957 indie wierd western has little going for it, except some good monster makeup by Jack Pierce. 2/10
Scifist. 