Customer Reviews

Bride of the Monster

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

'Bride of the Monster' is probably Ed Wood's genuinely best movie, though it is, of course, still a low budget piece of cinematic cheese. I love Wood, and think his films are delightful in their ingenuity, stream-of-consciousness dialogue, illogical editing, and weirdo cast members and hangers on (I particularly miss Criswell and Vampira in this one.) In 'Bride of the Monster' (originally 'Bride of the Atom') Wood weaves a tale of mayhem, aging lunatic scientists (Bela Lugosi as Dr. Eric Vornoff) and their mute giant henchmen (Swedish wrestler Tor Johnson as 'Lobo'), pretty news reporters (Dolores Fuller), and giant rubber octopi. The story is fairly irrelevant, as in most Wood films, although some see this as Ed's anti-nuclear picture, which though reasonable, is not my personal opinion. I think the nuclear backdrop in the film is a device to explain the presence of Lugosi and his plot to make 'atomic powered supermen' to take over the world, but I could be wrong and you are free to have your own interpretation.

The standout bits of unintentional comedy in this movie (present in all Wood films, though here less than most) are the colander on the head device in Vornoff's laboratory, the incredibly silly looking rubber octopus that cast members had to deal with (this is a story in itself as Ed appropriated the octopus from a major studio, but forgot to bring the device that made it work, so cast members ended up pulling the legs around them in their 'death struggle' scenes), and the now famous atomic explosion (requested by a financial backer of the film) at the end, which has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the film. Pure Ed Wood genius, in other words.

The movie is the last one ever by Bela Lugosi (the minute or so of Lugosi in 'Plan 9' was used after Bela's death), and some of his performance is excellent, particularly the beginning of the genuinely autobiographical "I have no home" speech. He also exhibits the creepy double-jointed finger movements he was famous for in 'Dracula' and they are still very creepy. The other acting, while not Oscar worthy, is also a step above the typical Wood film.

In summary, I think 'Bride of the Monster' is worth five stars for several reasons: first, it is probably Wood's genuinely best film; two, it is fun to watch in the spirit of campy old monster movies; and three, Bela Lugosi shines in his last role. Sure it's wacky, disjointed, and at times nonsensical, but if you get into the spirit of it, it's a fun film to watch by yourself, of better yet, with likeminded friends.

Released in 1956, "Bride of the Monster" is an enjoyable schlock-fest from Grade-Z auteur Edward D. Wood, Jr. However, the film rises above its ultra-low budget thanks to the presence of Bela Lugosi. Regardless of personal and professional misfortunes, Bela plays Dr. Eric Vornoff as though it were the performance of his life. Sadly, it would be Lugosi's last starring and speaking role. Despite the amateurish supporting cast and obvious production flaws (who can forget that rubber octopus), "Bride of the Monster" has a comic-book charm that's hard to resist - definitely superior to Wood's "Glen or Glenda" (1953) and "Plan 9 From Outer Space" (1959). Hollywood has managed to surpass Ed Wood's cinematic ineptitude on a larger scale with "Showgirls" and "Battlefield Earth." For once, let's give the Master of Bad Cinema his due.

Bela Lugosi, Jr. once said in an interview that his father always gave his best to a performance, no matter how bad the movie itself was. This is true in the case of "Bride of the Monster." Lugosi's performance is the highlight of the film; despite his obviously frail health, he does a good job as Dr. Eric Vornoff, employing Dracula-like hand motions, extreme close-ups of his glaring eyes, and evil little chuckles.

As for the rest of the film...well, it's not as bad as I would have expcted an Ed Wood film to be. Sure, the octopus is so fake it's ridiculous, and the dreaded atomic machine is a doctor's examining table with a salad bowl for your head, but it's not a total shambles of a production to the extent than "Plan 9" would be.

The movie probably looks better than it did originally, due to a very good transfer to DVD; the picture is great for an old movie which was at the time cheaply made. The sound, however, could have been a little better; I had turn my TV volume almost all the way up in order to hear Loretta King speak and make out what Lugosi was saying, with his thick accent.

If you're a fan of the movie "Ed Wood," it's worth checking out to see the real "Bride" portrayed in that film. I would also recommend it to loyal Lugosi fans who want to see Bela in his final speaking role. He said he wanted to work until the end, and although "Bride" is by no stretch a worthy farewell to such a fine actor, you will still enjoy Lugosi's performance.

This is essential Ed Wood, right up there with Plan 9 and Glen or Glenda. There is a scene towards the end where one of Bela's crazy mad scientist experiments backfires on him, and according to the story, the effect is supposed to make him grow in size. Wood achieves this illusion by placing Bela in a pair of 6-inch platform shoes. He doesn't even try to hide the crassness. Bela, all of a sudden, out of the blue, is just wearing these platform shoes to make it look as though his body had somehow become physically larger. And then, just to ruin the ending for you, the film climaxes with a nuclear explosion that has nothing to do with anything in the movie, and is never explained. And need I even mention the fake octopus? This is film is the gift that keeps on giving.

Call me crazy, but this movie is actually pretty good, compared to other black and white sci-fi films of the time. Ed Wood gets a bad rap, but he really did a good job considering the low budget of this film. (see the painted cardboard background in the lab scenes)
I've read other reviews lamenting Bela Lugosi's health in this movie, but I think he looked good considering his age, and how many seventy-something actors do you know who would wrestle with a fake octopus in cold water in the middle of the night!
Bela rocked!
I love Ed Wood movies and this is one of his best! A must for the Ed Wood fan!

Ed Wood was a lousy filmaker and director. His movies are notoriously bad. That's what makes them watchable. This film is arguably one of his better attempts. That is truly frightening. That's OK because the only frightening thing about this "monster movie" is that it was supposed to be taken seriously. That in itself is amusing.

The story is of a series of mysterious dissapearances in the swamp near town. The police and a snoopy woman reporter are all there to investigate. As it turns out, the reason for the mysterious vanishings is a mad scientist fugitive from Easter Europe who is trying to use atomic energy to creat a race of atomic supermen to conquer the world. Hilarious.

Bela Lougosi plays the mad scientist. Watching him is amusing on its own. His conception of "mad scientist" seems to comprise his accent, gratuitous pseudo-scientific words and some strange throwbacks to his earlier career as Dracula. His is one of the better acting jobs.

Tor Johnson, a former pro wrestler, plays the evil sidekick and monster. His dialog consists of "ARRRRGH!" He too is fun to watch.

Perhaps the best single job of acting in this film is by the giant octopus. It is made of rubber and says nothing.

It may seem like I am blasting this film. I am when it comes to serious cinema. It is, however, so poorly done as to be worth buying and watching. This is especially true of Ed Wood fans.

Though mostly recognized for his "work" on the perennial dud Plan 9 From Outer Space, Ed Wood's prolific career creating the best-bad movies in Hollywood extended well beyond that infamous film to an entire library of B-movie classics. Bride of the Monster is one of the director's "high" points, teaming everyone's favorite architect of nightmares up with the Plan 9 dream-team, a then-living Bela Lugosi and the Super Swede, Tor Johnson.

God only knows how Wood kept wrangling a screen legend like Lugosi into doing these horrendously bad movies, but future generations will thank him for the resulting campiness and hilarity. If the thought of poor dialogue, horrendous sets and even worse editing rocks your socks, you're in for a special treat!

If you're going to buy any version of Bride of the Monster, you'd be best served by getting this particular DVD. Legend Films--friend to all B-movies--provides two versions of the film on the same disc: the original black and white version and their new, color-added version. You're welcome to take your pick of the two based on personal preference, but if you have yet to try the colorized version, you might as well indulge. When I compared the two side-by-side, I could not help but enjoy the colorized version more--it adds so much vibrancy and life to the images on screen. Maybe I've been spoiled by decades of realistic imagery in film, but I'm reticent to return to grayscale after having seen Bela, Tor and the octopus monster in their enhanced forms.

Thus utters a frail-looking Bela Lugosi in this laughably awful EC comic-like film directed by the notorious Ed Wood. Bela was in terrible physical health when this film was made - his 20-year morphine/methadone addiction had taken its toll on the 72-year old actor. Shortly after this film was completed, the great man entered himself into the hospital to kick his heinous habit. ...And he did! However, I have mixed feelings when I watch Lugosi in this film. I laugh (WITH him, not at him) in his grand, over-the-top performance, but I also want to cry when I see how ravaged he looks, and how shameful his addiction must have been for him. Aside, "Bride" is a lot of fun, if a little slow in spots. From the incredibly cheap laboratory set (did Bela make 8 x 10s of his victims? There is a photographic enlarger on a microphone stand, positioned over the "operating table"!), to the visibly inert rubber octopus (Wood and his cronies failed to steal the octopus' motor when they "borrowed" it from Republic's prop department), to the hokey 40s B-movie dialogue, this film is manna to the trashy film lover. The DVD's picture quality is razor-sharp, so you can enjoy every nuance of Bela's performance, as well as the aforementioned laboratory set, to lovely little details, such as the leopard-print throw in Loretta King's car, Tony McCoy's tattoos, and the fact that it is NOT Lugosi grappling with Tor "Lobo" Johnson, nor is he wrestling the lethargic octopus. It is stuntman Eddie Parker, wearing a hellified pair of platform shoes! I love Ed Wood's films - they are hard NOT to love, in their naive goofiness. "Now here in this forsaken jungle hell, I have proven that I am all right!" ...If it was good enough for Bela Lugosi, it's good enough for me!

Bride of the Monster, aka Bride of the Atom

An Ed Wood film. Need I say more?

Bela Lugosi's last speaking part in this 1956 campy silliness as a mad doctor who somehow makes a fierce octopus that grabs people that walk too near Lake Marsh. The two guys who first get it are commenting on how unnatural the lightning is, and this is most likely caused by atomic bombs. Of course we don't listen to that, those are just a couple of superstitious hunters, right?

Well, after an attempt to get out of the rain but they are rebuffed by Lugosi's character (Dr. Varnoff) and his mute friend Lobo (who actually screams when you whip him, go figure). One guy falls in the swamp and gets attacked by the aforementioned octopus (why he just doesn't stand up, I don't know) and the other guy is put on a table and experimented on.

He dies.

Somehow a female reporter (Loretta King) gets the headlines that a monster is on the loose. This is not confirmed by the police nor anyone else. How she got that headline in the paper is anyone's guess. Her fiancé is on the police force, too and they have a chat with the police chief, bantering about. The chief (Henry Dunn, also seen on Teenagers from Outer Space, my review is buried on that farce elsewhere) has a pet bird that sits on his shoulder. Joy.

Anyway, long story short, Lugosi gets the girl on the table. Lobo likes her too much to see her fry and saves her. He then performed the experiment on Varnoff. Unfortunately the machine works on Varnoff, killing everyone else. Strange.

How can Lobo and Varnoff be bullet proof, yet the bullets don't mark their clothing? Why do guns have 7 or 8 bullets in them? Why are the alligators near the swamp also bullet proof? Oh, and there is a small spy problem with a doctor who wants to take Varnoff back home to some communist country to help them make supermen. That does not work out too well either.

Campy dialogue, overacting and an awful bantering episode between the chief and a file room woman -- awrghh....

Good movie to see for a laugh. I was surprised that the machine actually worked and did not kill Varnoff. Lugosi's double was about a foot taller and wider than the slight Hungarian actor.

Two stars for effort. Did you know that hypnosis can work through solid wood doors if you curl your fingers just right?

Other Ed Wood films and/or parodies:

The Ed Wood Collection - A Salute to Incompetence
Ed Wood (Special Edition)
The Ed Wood Box (Glen or Glenda / Jail Bait / Bride of the Monster / Plan 9 from Outer Space / Night of the Ghouls / The Haunted World of Ed Wood)
Barely Legal Lesbian Vampires - Curse of Ed Wood

Prime nonsense from the imagination of Ed Wood, featuring his regular "stock company" (Paul Marco, Tor Johnson, Dolores Fuller). BRIDE OF THE MONSTER is arguably his most polished and coherent effort, though it's of course also loaded with the stiff dialogue, clunky special effects and clumsy continuity errors we all love from this masterly moviemaker whose heart and best intentions were always in the right place.

Bela Lugosi is zany Dr. Vornoff, who lives in a ramshackle mansion in the middle of a swamp. Armed with brutish lab assistant Lobo (Tor Johnson) and a giant plastic octopus, Vornoff conducts experiments on trespassers, by trying to harness atomic energy in a quest to create a race of super-humans. Snoopy reporter Janet Lawton (Loretta King) looks set to be his next victim when she decides to investigate the latest series of swamp disappearances...

The "highlight" of BRIDE OF THE MONSTER is the mechanical rubber octopus, which Wood "borrowed" from the props department of Republic Studios. It was made for the John Wayne picture WAKE OF THE RED WITCH (1948). Unfortunately, Wood forgot to borrow the mechanical motor that caused the tentacles to thrash about, so the victims of the octopus had to physically sit on top of the creature and make the tentacles move themselves!

Loretta King allegedly nabbed the role of Janet because she had just come into a small inheritance and would also bankroll the film. The story is maintained by Dolores Fuller, Wood's girlfriend and GLEN OR GLENDA? leading lady; who was originally slated to play Janet but instead relegated to only one scene and a few lines of dialogue in a small role as one of Janet's friends. However, in interviews, Ms King later denied those allegations, stating that money never exchanged hands and she was in fact offered the role by an agent. Whatever the reason, I'm glad Loretta King won the role over Ms Fuller. As an actress, Ms Fuller was a fantastic songwriter.

BRIDE OF THE MONSTER is perfect entertainment for late-night movie buffs.