Customer Reviews

William Winckler's Frankenstein vs. The Creature from Blood Cove

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

William Winckler has billed this film as "a modern-day homage to the classic Universal-style horror films of the 1940s." He's not off the mark either. Winckler has grabbed some of the essence of the British Hammer films and merged them with the old Universal films for a very unique horror film. And a low-budget one at that. Now folks, I watch cheesy low-budget films all the time, and frankly, you won't find the faults those films have, in Winckler's film. We have a good story, nice costumes and some interesting characters. If you knew what the film cost, you'd be shocked by the "Blood Cove Creature's get-up." Hell I was...and I don't know what the film cost. Frankly, I was expecting some cheesy rubber suit! But Winckler put his money where his creatures were and I loved the final result. Winckler has shown though that he's not gonna grab any old 2-bit actor from some local high school to appear in his films either. He's got everyone's favorite appearing and that adds to the fun. Lloyd Kaufman and Raven De La Croix also star in this movie and put in their usual "above-board" performances. Now I'm not gonna be a total "homer" and not find some fault with this movie. I thought some of the fight scenes were a tinge weak...but frankly, until I get out on the beach in those outfits and practice some Ultimate Fighting Championship moves, I'll back off on the critiques. Seriously folks, it's a good film that deserves a chance. Yeah, you can watch "Urband Legends 3" or "The Prophecy 4" but it's the same rehashed stuff. Here we have a film trying to resurrect quality from the good ole days and hoping to make a fan out of you. They sure caught me!

When I was a kid it always used to bother me that the Creature from the Black Lagoon was listed among the Classic Universal Monsters, but never encountered any of the others. My favorite Universals were always the "monster rallies", such as "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman" and I've had a terrible hunger for more such films, but sadly there just weren't any more to be had.

As an adult, I've always wanted to see "Retro-Horror" films, films in the style of the Classics I loved.

"Frankenstein vs the Creature from Blood Cove" is a Monster Rally in the grand old sense. FINALLY I get to see a "Creature" interacting with another classic monster. This is as close to "Frankenstein vs the Creature from the Black Lagoon" as we will ever get to see. It's not just a fun film, it is the realization of a dream I've had since I was a kid. And it is proof that "Retro-Horror" CAN be done and that there is a market for it.

FvtCfBC features not just the two lead monsters, but also has a Werewolf, a Bride of Frankenstein, the ghost of Dr. Frankenstein and more--all in designs that are spectacular, given the limitations of the film's budget! "Frankenstein vs the Creature from Blood Cove" may not please some of the stuffier fans of the classics that inspired it, but nevertheless it is a great fun romp of a movie, made with a profound love of those classics and with a wee bit of spice for the modern audience. In that regard, it has a lot in common with the AIP b&w classics of the '60's. It's sort of Frankenstein meets the Creature on Del Tenney's beach. Sort of.

Destined to be a Cult Classic!

I agree with many previous reviews. Gone are the effects of Hollywood, but the return of the monster from the sea is back!! I felt like I was watching the classics. Having read a quick review/write up about this film in Fangoria mag, I thought I would give it a chance. I liked it a lot. The black and white was awesome. Great location shooting and who could pass up watching a flick with strippers and cameo's from the Director of those "Toxic Avenger" movies and of course, Ron Jeremy!

I want to touch base on the extras on this DVD. It's rare to find a DVD that has so much extra material for the purchase. There are bloopers, gag reels, a detailed (long) "making of" which documents all cast and crew throughout the process.

Also, which struck me as a huge thumbs up was the fact that there was directorial and crew audio commentary on audio track2 as an added option. This was cool because I am a fan of how movies are made and I enjoy listening to things directors and editors and Dp's have to say. This was a huge added bonus and it shows that Winckler cares about his films enough to show the audience everything that goes into making this.

This DVD is worth the purchase on the extra's alone! They even have an extra on the DVD dedicated to the soundtrack!!

All in all, this is a fun movie to watch and if you buy it, you will enjoy it. Have fun and don't forget...WATCH the extras, they don't come on these movie DVD's often!

I stumbled across this flick in my continuing quest for B-Movie fodder (now that I'm regularly contributing prizes to the B-Movie Cast) and decided to check it out. I'd been wondering recently why old-style monster movies weren't being made nowadays, since modern technology should put doing so within the reach of talented amateurs. This flick, from its promo material, seemed to fit that bill. And it's a pretty decent movie. I enjoyed it. There are plenty of monsters and monster fights and the makeup/suits are pretty good looking, though the werewolf outfit (not the face) is a bit Muppety. What surprised me, as it was billed as a homage to Universal and films of the 40s-50s, was the amount of nudity. I'd expect that in an exploitation homage, or a Euro homage,or a modern film, but not something that claims lineage from Universal and AIP. In its execution, the film reminded me of the Lost Skeleton of Cadavera, though it's not as successful.

The main problem I had with "... Blood Cove" were these: 1) The story needed more development: though the elements were good, they didn't come together to form a compelling whole; extraneous ideas should have been trimmed and the plot focused on the title conflict' the story should finish on the title characters, not with a deus-ex-machina "twist." 2) Though the cinematography was generally competent, the lighting made the movie look flat and uninteresting. Consulting any Outer Limits episode would have helped, not to mention the movies this film was homaging. Again, Cadavera did a better job in aping the "classic" look. 3) The acting was often campy when it would have been better served by being sincere. Playing it straight is what saves a lot of Euro-horror flicks with stories just as underdeveloped as this one. 4) A full orchestral score, or something approaching one, would have helped. The score, though well conceived, often sounded tinny to me.

Despite all that, I liked the picture. I enjoyed the attempt at a modern Frankenstein vs. ... film. I just wish they'd pushed it a little further toward the material that inspired them. I think there's a market for old-style horror movies, and this was a good attempt (despite the nudity). That and better lighting would have raised this a star, at least, in my estimation. I still enjoyed it more than the "classic" Dracula vs. Frankenstein, which I watched 2 days previously. It was worth the few bucks I paid for it -- and it has a really good set of DVD extras.

This cat claims this freshly ploped poop is like unto the old universal horror movies.If Lagosi or Karloff or Vincent Price etc...saw this caca they would linch him,and after watching this turkey it would be a mercy killing.The only thing old Universal about it is its in black and white.The sets stink,the actors are lousey,and the script appears to have been written by one on drugs,and bad ones.If you want horror B flicks that are cheezy and fun,this is not it.it is just bad.

A great movie to watch and just enjoy. Gone are the days of movie fun before all the special effects of todays films. This is the way we all use watch movies; sitting on the edge of our seats, biting nails and watching scary monsters come out of the sea.

Cheap and not in a good way. This thing looks like a low budget porn without the sex. Highly dissapointed. Rental only