Customer Reviews

The Mad Monster

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I couldn't wait for the release of this George Zucco classic (The Mad Monster). I had recorded it off TV about 10 years ago and couldn't wait to see a good copy of the film. Retromedia bragged that it had combined two prints of the film for the best possible copy. Yikes! Putting together two poor copies still makes a poor copy. Alas, I was disappointed.

In case you don't know the plot, Mad Scientist George Zucco has been shunned by the scientific world because of his theories of creating a great army of wolfmen. Now George is plotting his revenge by ... Zucco is priceless too as he weaves his revenge... But this film and sound quality of this version is not worth the [$$].

EXTRAS - This DVD does have some extras. It has an excellent copy of the trailer (from 35 mm). There is also an abbreviated audio interview with Glenn Strange. This is part of the same audio interview that appears on another DVD, but this one has been edited to include Strange's comments on his horror film performance. So, it is excellent. The last extra is the movie the Black Raven, an old Dark House mystery. The quality is much better than the Mad Monster, but still not great. It looks really good in comparison to the other film, but I suspect I would be complaining if I had watched it first. It's a fun little mystery and has some good comic effects by Glenn Strange.

"The Mad Monster" is a bad movie. George Zucco hams it up a lot. But it is a lot of fun, and is atmospheric despite the usual trappings (i.e. old dark house on sawmp). The second bonus feature "The Black Raven" is another fun little PRC flicker with Glenn Strange in comedy releif! Both of these films make a fitting double-bill. The bonus materials are cool also, including an excellent audio interveiw with Glenn Strange, and the original theatrical trailer for "The Mad Monster". Completely worth the buy.

This Retromedia release of "The Mad Monster" isn't really any better than any other. You can really see where they went back and forth between two prints, and the film was still very spliced up throughout. The trailer and audio interview are quite good. The Black Raven is good, but then you can get a little better one from Roan.

George Zucco is not at his best in the short thriller. George Zucco plays a mad scientist, Dr. Lorenzo Cameron, who was shunned and ostracized by his fellow scientists. He must prove himself and get revenge at the same time. So he moves to a secluded house with a secret laboratory. There he lives in seclusion with his daughter Lenora played by Anne Nagel and his hulking gardener Petro played by Glenn Strange.

He proves to the world that his theories are sound and swears revenge on those who ostracized him.

The moral of this story is do not play with nature or you make get burned.