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By 1944, sequel-itis was finally developing in the Frankenstein saga. (HoF) was Universal's sixth film in the series. The hand of management and/or marketing departments was more plainly evident. Curt Siodmak provided the kernel of the story. Of course, the title role went to Frankenstein's monster. After that, Universal threw in Dracula and the Wolf Man, again played by Lon Chaney Jr.. Boris Karloff stars, but as the mad scientist, not as the monster. The thinking must have been, that if... Read Full Story

In 1943, Universal cranked out yet another so-so sequel, but created the first monster vs. monster films. Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (FMW) is a double sequel. It is the fifth chapter in the Frankenstein saga, and a first sequel for the Wolfman ('41). As the Frankenstein fifth film, the story is weak, yet it is a highly significant chapter because Bela Lugosi plays the monster. (more in Notes section) Curt Siodmak, who penned many 50s sci-fi screenplays, wrote this sequel to his popular... Read Full Story

Universal cranked out yet another sequel in 1942. (GoF) picks up the story where the third movie left off. The monster and Ygor somehow survived and search out a second son of Henry. This fourth movie starred Lon Cheney Jr. as the monster, and Bela Lugosi again as Ygor. Cedric Hardwicke plays Ludwig Frankenstein. Erle Kenton directs, as he would the sixth movie in the series. The formula for the films is repeated, some variations to freshen it up. Quick Plot Synopsis Awhile after the... Read Full Story

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Universal Studios made themselves famous for "horror" films in the 1930s. Following the success of their Dracula , starring Bela Lugosi, Universal put out a variation on Mary Shelley's story that would become hugely influential for decades. Universal's Frankenstein . Much has already been written about this film, so this review will not attempt to cover everything. John Whale's Frankenstein was a hybrid -- partly a horror movie, but also partly a sci-fi movie. The goal of FrankenFEST is to... Read Full Story

In the early 1900s, the moving pictures industry becoming a big-money market. Novelty "nickelodeon" content was giving way to full-reel stories. Thomas Edison was one of the pioneers in the industry. In 1910, his studio released many such feature films. One was an adaptation of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" -- the first film based on her novel. Edison's Frankenstein was not a huge success, and nearly a "lost" film for decades afterward. As such, it had no particular artistic impact on James... Read Full Story

Before delving into the sci-fi films of the 70s, it seemed like a good idea to backtrack a bit to set the stage. The first sci-fi film of 1970 was Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed . It is actually one of the last of a long series of films which make up a sort of Frankenstein franchise. To help give this first film of 1970 some context, it seemed prudent to go back and have a FrankeFEST to run through the prior installments. Frankenstein is often associated with the horror genre. Certainly some... Read Full Story

It was an interesting coincidence that this film journey was wrapping the 1960s, right around NewYears. Since it is customary to do "retrospectives" at year-end, this seemed like a good time to look back over the sci-fi films of the 1960s and pick some famous and favorites. Which ten sci-fi movies of the 1960s deserve a Golden Rocket Award? Depends on who you ask, I suppose. There were roughly 120-plus sci-fi films released in the 60s. Some would become famous standouts. Lots of weird... Read Full Story

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