Dr. Lorenzo Cameron has a theory. He can inject the blood of animals into a human and create a wolfman. He can then use this process to create an army of wolfmen to help fight the war, an unbeatable regiment, super-strong and without a thought for their own personal safety. But Dr. Cameron is laughed out of the scientific community, publicly ridiculed, and fired from his job. So he takes his daughter and retreats to a nearby swamp community where he rents an abandoned manor estate and conducts his experiments in private. His process works, Dr. Cameron turns his handyman Petro into a beast-man, but instead of using his monster for good, the doctor decides to take his revenge by having his own personal werewolf do away with those who picked on him.

It’s a classic story, really. A good-natured downhome trip down memory lane. Who among us hasn’t felt the sting of ridicule at the hands and tongues of the bigger kids? Who didn’t watch young Ralph Macchio take out the evil William Zabka and smile inwardly? We could do that. If we just had a foreign handyman who secretly knew Karate. Or the blood of a wolf we could inject him with and a hidden lab under our swamp castle.

Unfortunately, because it is the nature of these stories, Petro begins to change on his own, without the help of Dr. Cameron’s formula. And once that happens, Cameron’s hold on the situation quickly weakens until Petro truly is a mad monster out to destroy everyone and everything in his path.

George Zucco played a straight evil character in Dr. Cameron, hamming it up in a way that would have done Shatner proud. And George Strange, who plays Petro, lumbers along like a log, nodding and looking half-asleep, even when he’s a wolfman. The swamp location couldn’t look more like a soundstage set if we could see the warehouse door in the background leading to the parking lot. What I’m saying is, THE MAD MONSTER is a bad movie.

It’s not enough to tell a story without one iota of originality, THE MAD MONSTER goes one step further, using every single plot point or story element it can from all those other poverty row movies of the 40s.

Egomaniac scientist? Check.
Beautiful daughter who, although a grown woman, lives at home? Check.
Plucky reporter? Check.
Love interest for the female lead? Check (THE MAD MONSTER kills two birds with one stone, the love interest for Cameron’s daughter Lenore is the reporter).
Grand, over-decorated mansion meant to imply independently-wealthy main character? Check.

Something I’ve noticed from watching these “classic horror” movies is that no matter where the story takes place, our main character has the biggest house on the block and the nicest furnishings. No middle-class heroes here. And if you’re not the main character, you’re relegated to a shack somewhere close enough to come running, but far enough not to affect the property value.

I’m quite sure that, for 1942, this movie was probably the sht, but 66 years is a long time for moviemaking technology to improve. You give the audience a wolfman with helmet hair and plastic teeth that move when he bites down on them now, you’re gonna get lynched. I only thank the gods of storytelling that, for the most part, things have evolved since the 40s. It’s one thing to see an old movie that has that “classic” charm, but it’s quite another to sit through so many in a row where almost all the elements are the same, you need only change the names and the description of the monster.

I guess I’d have to say that, on its own, THE MAD MONSTER isn’t the worst thing ever. I’ve definitely watched much worse while viewing this series. But at this point, the cliches and stereotypes are just getting to be a bit much. If I consider THE MAD MONSTER the way I should, on its own, with no influence from the other movies in this Classic series, it’s not really that bad. It’s still goofy as hell and you can guess where things are going almost from the beginning--and Petro’s helmet hair really is laughable--but as a “horror classic”, it’ll do.

Zucco’s hamminess does have a giddy charm to it, after all. And in his situation, who’s to say we wouldn’t do the same? Those damn bullies.


other Horror Classics
Carnival of Souls: http://www.epinions.com/content_403446140548
Atom Age Vampire: http://www.epinions.com/content_403512856196
Creature from the Haunted Sea: http://www.epinions.com/content_403596349060
Nightmare Castle: http://www.epinions.com/content_404037799556
Black Dragons: http://www.epinions.com/content_404796575364
The Invisible Ghost: http://www.epinions.com/content_405221379716
One Body Too Many: http://www.epinions.com/content_405861076612
White Zombie: http://www.epinions.com/content_405939326596
Attack of the Giant Leeches: http://www.epinions.com/content_409233493636
The Screaming Skull: http://www.epinions.com/content_414279896708
The Beast of Yucca Flats: http://www.epinions.com/content_414752214660
The Terror: http://www.epinions.com/content_415068622468
Revolt of the Zombies: http://www.epinions.com/content_415464984196
The Giant Gila Monster: http://www.epinions.com/content_415958077060
The Fatal Hour: http://www.epinions.com/content_416076762756
Dead Men Walk: http://www.epinions.com/content_416968117892



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older