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Director:
Tulio Demichelli and Hugo Fregonese
Screenplay: Jacinto Molina
Music: Franco Salina
Cast: Michael Rennie (Odo Varnoff), Karin Dor (Maleva), Paul
Naschy (Waldemar Daninsky), Craig Hill (Tobermann), Patty
Shepard (Ilse), Angel del Pozo (Doctor Kirian), Maneul de
Blas (the vampire), Ferdinando Murolo (the Feranksollen monster),
Gene Reyes (Pha-Ho-Tep, the mummy).
Eastmancolor,
Cinemascope
Running time: 90 min.
DVD Availability:
In the USA, as FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR; Sam Sherman commentary
and loads of extras. Click here
to order from Amazon.com.
Mexican Lobby Card; note
images of Christopher Lee
as Dracula and Karloff as the Frankenstein Monster
Swedish Poster (courtesy
Richard Svensson)
Richard writes:
"The title 'Varulven jagar Frankenstein' translates as
'The Werewolf Chasing Frankenstein', sort of 'Werewolf vs
Frankenstein', but we hardly ever use 'vs' in Swedish so itīs
'meets', 'against' or 'chasing' usually."
Thank you, Richard!
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Two
reviews:
Dracula
vs. Frankenstein.
Rather a mess. (At least the United American video version
under review here.) Direction was split between two people,
Tulio Demichelli and Hugo Fregonese, and the filming was interrupted
because of financial difficulties. Financial difficulties
also resulted in the script not being filmed as intended.
As screenplay writer, Naschy overextends himself, gathering
together aliens, a vampire, a Frankenstein-type monster, a
mummy, and, of course, a werewolf--Waldemar Daninsky. Aliens
and gothic horror do not mix, and the best moments in the
film occur at the mostly gothic-tinged end, where the monsters
roam the subterranean vaults of the castle to attack whomever
is in their way. The fight between the Wolf Man and the mummy
is a highpoint, but there is no battle between Dracula and
Frankenstein, as the title suggests. Not a problem, since
both of these "monsters" look ridiculous, particularly the
Frankenstein-type monster (called a creation of "Dr. Feranksollen,"
due to fear of a lawsuit from Universal). The Daninsky character,
unfortunately, is not really explored. He is just one among
many in the nightmarish ghoul group. The film ends with a
sweet message that man with his hot passions is superior to
cold-hearted aliens.
[Source
print: United American. Recorded in LP speed, this print is
filled with splices, and United American squeezes the sides
in, to get more of the scope film into the frame; color quality
is tepid. What's worse, there are cuts in the film (the source
print is actually the British version of the movie.) An American
TV version, Assignment Terror, apparently restores
these cuts, but it's unclear whether there's even a better
version around. Phil Hardy's Encyclopedia of Horror Movies
lists a time of 89 min.; the United American version is listed
as 77 min. Twelve extra minutes could make some difference,
particularly if they deal with the Daninsky character. Some
difference, but probably not much. A complete, fine copy of
this film, with scope dimensions intact, will necessitate
a reappraisal, however.]
Assignment
Terror. What a difference a tape makes!
This version, from Luminous Film & Video Wurks, is the
most complete print of Los Monstruos del Terror currently
available. Actually a French print layered with English-language
dubbing from another print, Assignment Terror is presented
in the fullest widescreen ratio I've yet seen, and sans the
cuts found in the United American version. Additionally, the
beginning is now complete and relatively healthy, unlike the
splicy, erratic jitters that so marred the UA print. The result
of all of these differences is that we finally get a good
taste of what the film might have been like on the screen
and, more importantly, what the artistic intentions were of
the filmmakers. Indeed, this time around, I wasn't bothered
by the "alien" angle--in fact, it became apparent that the
film emotionally centered around the aliens and the
Michael Rennie character, Odo Varnoff. (No surprise now, that
the film once had a working title of El Hombre que Vino
de Ummo/The Man Who Came from Ummo.) A sequence missing
from the United American print, with Rennie looking upon go-go
dancers with distaste but maybe some stirring of erotic feelings
and then going over to the bar for a drink, underlines the
conflict in controlling emotions that are considered at time
human "weaknesses," yet which are ultimately powerful and
undeniable. You walk in our human shoes and you cannot
but help to be effected. Another important sequence, which
has Rennie shedding tears while punishing the Karin Dor
character, was lost in the full screen UA print but is clearly
seen in the Luminous version. Then there's the look of the
film. In widescreen the movie just looks better, gathering
more information at the sides and presenting a more aesthetic
sense of composition. Not to say that we have a perfect film
here. There should have been more development of the Daninsky
character and, particularly, the love affair that arises almost
instantaneously between him and a female assistant of Varnoff.
Perhaps some footage exists somewhere that elaborates these
points, perhaps not. Whatever the case, the film cries out
for such exposition. The worse thing about the movie, though,
can never be altered. The makeup on the "Frankenstein Monster"
character is simply awful, awful, awful! Even Jess Franco
had better looking "Frankenstein" monsters, and that's saying
a lot!
[Source
print: Luminous Film & Video Wurks. Widescreen,
with a minor reddish vertical line along the right edge and
some information still missing along the left (no wonder,
the film was originally presented in 70mm!), recorded in SP
speed, this is a French print with added English-dubbing from
another print; at times this video surgery works quite well,
but there are instances of faulty synchronization (due to
PAL/SECAM conversion?) where one character's speech overlaps
another character's moving lips. Even with these difficulties,
this is the best version I've seen of this film, and Luminous
should be commended for putting it together. Running time
ca. 83 minutes.]
Addendum:
Well, a far better quality version of LOS MONSTRUOS has turned
up. Its origin is a German tv showing, and the clarity and
widescreen dimensions outshine previous versions. Unfortunately,
only in the German language.
--
Mirek
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