User Reviews

It can never be said that American International Pictures doesn't have a sense of humor. The studio that gave us such classics as I Was A Teenage Frankenstein and I Was A Teenage Werewolf joins the two teen monsters in a cute satire of the genre.

A new day is dawning at American International, the new studio heads want no more monster pictures that were the bread and butter of its existence and paid a nice living for makeup artist Robert H. Harris. They want lighter fare for the public and give poor Harris the old heave ho.

But Harris isn't taking it lying down. A new makeup base applied to the skull allows Harris to control those he applies it on and he takes his two teen stars from Teenage Frankenstein and Werewolf and starts sending them on a murder spree and bringing back trophies.

Gary Clarke and Gary Conway were Harris's two subjects and they and Harris went along with the fun. A whole lot of familiar character actors get involved.

It's American Internation so don't expect any high production values. But it actually isn't too bad.

How To Make A Monster is made up in fact with tongue firmly in cheek.

It could be argued that American International Pictures revived the werewolf in the late 50's with "I Was A Teenage Werewolf". It was released at a time when television was becoming common in the home, which meant that fewer people went out to the movie theatres. Those that did were largely of a teenage audience, something that AIP clearly understood, and the success of their movie ensured a revival of the whole genre.

In this clever, self-referential sequel (of sorts), American International Studios are closing down production of horror movies in order to make more musicals, which sounds fairly true to life in what may have been happening in some studios at the time. Anyway, this means that famed makeup artist Pete Dumond, possibly based on Jack Pierce, will be out of a job because he specialises only in monsters. He isn't too happy about all this, so he decides to take revenge on the new owners of the studio by turning his "Teenage Werewolf" and "Teenage Frankenstein" actors into real monsters using a mind control makeup paste thingy. It all takes place during the filming of a "Teenage Werewolf meets the Teenage Frankenstein" movie.

This is a pretty neat idea, and the script explores it very well. There's some great cheesy dialogue, a wonderful lead performance from Robert H. Harris as the makeup artist, and from Paul Brinegar as his nervous assistant. The two 'teenage' stars, who were actually in their early twenties when this film was made, play their roles with that all-American wide-eyed innocence that actually works pretty well in parts such as this.

AIP were famed for producing their horror movies on low budgets, often less than a hundred thousand while at the time major studios generally set their budgets in the millions. This movie doesn't really look that cheap, the sets look perfectly fine especially the final set in the makeup artist's house where the big finale takes place. This also features a dramatic shift into color so that you can appreciate his mask collection even more, which is pretty neat.

"How To Make A Monster" is a very entertaining film, which I'd recommend to anyone who likes these cheesy old horror movies. You won't be disappointed.

In 1957, American International Pictures had a big hit with their I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Immediately following its heels came I Was a Teenage Frankenstein, and then this film. This film is in many ways an inside look at the workings of the movie business and its thinking in the 50s as well as the ending chapter in the Teenage Trilogy cycle at AIP. It is not a great horror picture by any standards, yet it is fun to watch. It has a pretty good story about a make-up man who gets the pink slip and then promises to kill the execs who fired him and bring the studio to its knees. Mild-mannered Robert Harris plays the vengeful artist with restrained aplomb. He effectively captures the insanity that courses through his mind with great subtlety. In the end, we see Harris for what he real was...not just an innocent artist but a monster obsessed with his works and his creations in much the same vein as Vincent Price's character in The House of Wax. The rest of the actors are acceptable, and the ending scene where we see the works of the artist is a walk down memory lane. On the walls one can see the head mask of the She-Creature, the It from It Conquered the World, one of the saucer men from Invasion of the Saucer Men, and many others. The colour sequence that is suppose to be in the final 8 minutes of the film does not exist on any version of the video presently out. Hope it is remastered.

Herbert L. Strock once again directs a horror thriller for AIP, but this time with a twist: This story is about AIS studio make-up artist Pete Dumond(inspired by real-life Universal make-up artist Jack Pierce?) who turns homicidal after new owners fire him, intending to phase out horror pictures altogether! Enraged, he uses a combination of hypnosis and his own chemical compound to transform actors Gary Conway(Teenage Frankenstein) and Gary Clarke(Teenage Werewolf, in place of Michael Landon)into real monsters, who kill all those who would put Pete out of work. Local police are of course baffled. Despite a clever premise, this is otherwise uninspired, being just another standard revenge picture, leading to a silly and abrupt finale. Still, it is amusing to think of the unfinished "Teenage Werewolf Vs. Teenage Frankenstein" picture being made in the film!

How to Make a Monster is an American International Pictures film about and set on the lot of American International Pictures. The premise is that the studio has been sold, and the new owners are going to make some major changes, including canning in-house employee Pete Dumond (Robert H. Harris), a noted master of horror make-up. It then becomes a relatively simple revenge flick, with a nice, slightly sci-fi twist in the method of revenge.

The idea behind this film is very clever. It also provided an effective means of saving money on the production, since not many sets had to be built or dressed, and even when that was necessary, AIP was able to use materials on hand from other films, such as the gallery of masks, in a way that makes this a self-referential treat for horror fans. The idea is good enough that especially in our modern era of film industry cannibalization, it's surprising that it hasn't been used far more often.

Aside from the admirable tightness of the script and the evergreen attraction of revenge films, How to Make a Monster works as well as it does because of the performances. Harris is a fairly subtle psycho, and extremely effective as an anti-hero. Especially in contemporary times, his situation--getting laid off after a company takeover--will find him many sympathizers, but it's also that he plays the role with such a mellow, likable, grandfatherly charm, and a self-righteousness rooted in his expertise and pride in a job well done. As others have noted, there are subtexts in the film of (homo)sexual predation, which give an added air of creepiness to Harris. His unwitting targets on that end, Tony Mantell (Gary Conway) and Larry Drake (Gary Clarke), are played with an appropriate wide-eyed and willing innocence.

If there's a flaw in How to Make a Monster it's that nothing about it--except maybe the very final scene--is particularly atmospheric or suspenseful, but oddly, it really doesn't matter, because it's a good story told well enough that it keeps you engaged for its length. I still haven't quite figured out why a few American International Pictures, including this one, I Was a Teenage Frankenstein (1957) and War of the Colossal Beast (1958), have the final scenes in color (I know it was a gimmick, but I don't really get the attraction of it as a gimmick), but it doesn't disrupt the flow of the film and it's nice seeing the gallery of masks in color.

Pseudo "behind-the-scenes" look at Hollywood from American International Pictures, filmed (naturally) on the cheap though still retaining a certain cheesy style that is both commendable and entertaining to watch. A nefarious make-up man for a movie-studio is up to no good, turning the actors he's working on into killers. Has some movie-monster camp appeal, and A.I.P. stable-hunk John Ashley has a fabulous scene midway through (singing "You Gotta Have That Eee-Uuu!" while surrounded by a bevy of fishnet-clad chorus girls!). It's a great bit, with Ashley snarling and snapping his fingers like a post-pubescent Elvis, but the rest of this horror outing is a bit too tame and talky. ** from ****

I just finished watching the "Cult Classics" DVD release, which included the color footage mentioned in the other comment. Besides many familiar (and unfamiliar) monster heads, the film is a virtual who's who of American International Studio players from the 50's. One can almost suspect the movie was made to keep the contact players busy between films. If only Michael Landon had appeared as the Teenage Werewolf, I would have given it another couple points in the ratings. One also has to give the studio credit as the studio itself becomes the "back lot" for the film. And certainly, the plot of killing off studio executives must have appealed to all the writers, actors and production staff making the film.

Harris plays a makeup artist who specializes in monsters; the Teenage Werewolf and Teenage Frankenstein are his creations. Two suits barge into his office and give him the axe, claiming the horror cycle is over. Naturally, Harris is not thrilled. In short order, one of the executives is offed by a werewolf, and the second is done in by the Frankenstein monster. Harris also gets in on the act by disguising himself as a cavemen and whacking a nosy security guard.

This film is a must for buffs. Besides a load of familiar faces (Morris Ankrum, Tom Browne Henry, Robert Shayne), we see Gary Conway reprise his role as the Teenage Frankenstein. Gary Clarke replaces Michael Landon as the Teenage Werewolf. Harris works for American International Studios, which produced this film. And in the climax (the last ten minutes are in color), we see some of Harris' "children," which you will recognize from various American International productions.

The only low point is when John Ashley, playing himself, croons the ever-popular "You Gotta Have Ee-Ooo." This is a good time for a bathroom break.

Movie audiences attracted by the sensationalistic advertising proclaiming, "See the ghastly ghouls in flaming colour!", doubtlessly expected that the film HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER was actually a colour movie and were surprised and disappointed to discover that the film was essentially a black and white feature with the final 8 minutes shot in colour (Leonard Maltin in his movie guide review states it is the final 18 minutes but this is probably a typographic error).

By the late 1950's, Britain's Hammer Films was producing, to great critical acclaim and financial success, a series of well-crafted horror movies which boasted that they were filmed in colour. These pioneering efforts marked the beginning of the end for the relatively inexpensive black and white programmers which had been the mainstay for the success of film companies like American International Pictures. Probably in an effort to tap into this ready-made market for colour movies, it was determined that small portions of a film would be economically shot in colour so it could be extensively promoted in the film's publicity (another consideration was to also utilize colour sequences for effect). With his next project, HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM, producer Herman Cohen would present his own answer to the Hammer movies by filming it in England and in colour.

For those interested, the colour footage begins after Pete Dummond and his captive guests, Tony and Larry, along with Pete's accomplice, Rivero, enter his house and Dummond lights some candles in his living-room/macabre shrine. Unfortunately the prints made available to television and home video omit the colour and are struck in black and white and there has been no real outcry from horror fandom or any of the genre magazines to effect a restoration of the colour footage. Perhaps someday soon this longstanding negligence on the part of the film's distributors will be rectified.

The script for HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER is credited to Herman Cohen and Kenneth Langtry. Kenneth Langtry is a pseudonym for a writer actually named Aben Kandel (he also employed the pen-name Ralph Thornton), who collaborated with producer Herman Cohen on a number of film projects including I WAS A TEENAGE WEREWOLF, BLOOD OF DRACULA, I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN, HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM, THE HEADLESS GHOST, KONGA and THE BLACK ZOO.

Kandel's script for HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER is a reworking of much of the same plot elements found in his TEENAGE WEREWOLF and FRANKENSTEIN films, but the villain of this piece not only employs those under his control to commit murder, he also participates in some of the mayhem himself. Perhaps sensing that the late 1950's audiences were becoming too sophisticated for outright monsters in horror films, author Kandel decided to weave a story utilizing this theme and present the movie audience with a much more realistic menace, the psychotic mastermind/killer (Cohen and Kandel would carry this concept to its logical extreme the following year in HORRORS OF THE BLACK MUSEUM, a horror film without a monster in sight).

The efforts behind HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER would be much diminished without the presence of character actor Robert H. Harris. His skilled interpretation of the deranged makeup artist Pete Dummond is a multi-faceted one eliciting a wide-range of qualities which at one moment engenders our respect as he encourages a young actor to give his utmost to his film role, our sympathy in the wake of the overbearing new studio executives and their pragmatism and crassness toward horror films and his art, and our dread as he tells his two guests in his monster museum that he wants to include their "heads" in his collection. His scenes where he brow-beats his weak-willed assistant, Rivero, over his incompetency and cowardice are an absolute delight. Harris portrays his villain in a quietly menacing fashion making his characterization all the more sinister and his subtle and controlled performance is a memorable one.

One wishes that Michael Landon could have been recruited to reprise his teenage werewolf role, his participation would have certainly added more stature and authenticity to the proceedings. Since the story supposedly occurs at American International studios, instead of utilizing an actor to portray the director of "Frankenstein Meets Werewolf," it's a pity AIP standby Roger Corman wasn't approached to fill the role and it seems only fitting that James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff (the actual founders of American International) should have somehow been worked into the storyline. All these additions would have given HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER a more auto-biographical and self-parody tone.

HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER is an engaging and fascinating oddity from American International Pictures of the 1950's and marks an interesting phase in the chronology of Herman Cohen productions for this movie company.

Herman Cohen's "How to Make a Monster" was not truly a sequel to either "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" nor "I Was a Teenage Frankenstein," though both were present for the movie-within-a-movie "Werewolf Meets Frankenstein," Gary Conway again the muscular man made monster, Gary Clarke replacing Michael Landon under the hairy makeup, Thomas Browne Henry the good natured director. Robert H. Harris stars as greasepaint wizard Pete Dumond, delivering the studio's monsters for 25 glorious years, only to be unceremoniously dumped to make way for light entertainment and musicals with pretty girls, which oddly enough actually happened with the Beach Party series (I wonder if Universal's Jack Pierce ever saw this, forced out for his painstakingly detailed methods after 31 years of service). Dumond decides the best way to get even with the two new studio heads is to kill them, using a new compound in his makeup base that makes the young actors subservient to his will. The Teenage Werewolf and Teenage Frankenstein commit one murder apiece and no memory of what they've done, while the maestro himself (wearing a close facsimile of John Beal's guise from United Artists' 1957 "The Vampire") knocks off an unsuspecting security guard disguised as a caveman. The picture starts off well with a look behind the scenes at a typical 50s studio, similar to 1932's Bela Lugosi mystery "The Death Kiss," but after the initial killing the usual Cohen police procedural takes up most of the screen time and drains away any thrills (the burning question remains what studio was used, looks more like the 1940s). The climactic reel was shot in color, offering a chance to see much of Paul Blaisdell's work go up in flames, but it's not enough to make up for the dull stretches, the promise inherent in the premise going unfulfilled. Robert H. Harris almost walks through his part, never once going over the top, not even when the character obviously loses his marbles at the end, believable but lacking in presence. John Ashley would soon star in Astor's "Frankenstein's Daughter," which padded out its running time with two musical numbers but didn't skimp on monster action (Gary Clarke would feature in Astor's "Missile to the Moon" before joining Conway in television). The ubiquitous Morris Ankrum shows up late as one of the Keystone Kops, and Robert Shayne gets one scene as Clarke's agent. One forward looking line of dialogue alludes to AIP's current production "Horrors of the Black Museum," which would indeed be Cohen's next, relocating to England for October filming, and as was typical of the producer, centers on an older villain manipulating a younger assistant against his will.

Monster makeup artist Pete Dumond (Robert H. Harris) will soon be out of a job when the new heads of the movie studio he works for tell him his services are no longer required as they tell him they plan to stop making horror films to concentrate on musicals. Since the studio depicted in this picture is actually American International Pictures, this seems to partly parallel this particular company's transition from horror movies like this one and subsequent ones starring Vincent Price to the singing "beach party" ones starring Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello. Anyway, this was quite an entertaining thriller whenever the makeup artist attempts to exact his revenge by having his latest actor subjects get hypnotized when putting his unique facial paint on them in order to get them to do his bidding. That's especially true when the scenes transition from black-and-white to color! So on that note, I highly recommend How to Make a Monster.

A make-up man named Pete Dumond(well-played by Robert H. Harris) seeks revenge on a group of new studio executives who fired him by unleashing his Frankenstein and Werewolf creations upon them! He controls the young actors in the costumes via a special make-up which turns the actors into Pete's zombies.

This film is a little bit more serious than most of Herman Cohen's productions and a such just a little bit less fun. Still you can tell the actors/actresses involved here are enjoying themselves and their roles and this spirit does manage to come across to the audience. The color climax is wonderfully achieved and features some of Paul Blasidell's finest creations in a surprisingly intense sequence. Good solid B-entertainment.

Plot- a souless eastern movie studio takes over an old Hollywood monster-making studio and fires the production employees. But they haven't foreseen make-up artist Harris' 25-year devotion to his craft or his secret formula that turns his fake monsters into killers. So Harris ain't leaving his job easily.

Clever premise that unfortunately flattens out with too many pointless scenes between story-driving episodes. Those early studio scenes behind a movie shoot are grabbers for old flick fans, as is the power grab by arrogant magnates taking over the old studio. I especially liked the skimpy forest set-up that sort of covers a monster lurking behind. No wonder those old movies I am addicted to were such cheapos. Trouble is these revealing episodes soon give way to a spot-lighted Harris showcase, along with too much drab police procedure. Unfortunately neither does much to build suspense. Still, it's good to see movie stalwart Morris Ankrum picking up a payday in his usual authoritative role. Anyway, I could have definitely used more eye candy in place of Harris's endless close-ups.

All in all, it's an imaginative premise that fails to develop its unusual potential. Too bad an efffective re-write didn't exploit that potential. Nonetheless, I've got to admit that any flick that headlines two such unknowns as Harris and Brinegar merits some kind of recognition.

A make-up artist (Robert H. Harris) works for AIP studios making horror movies. When he is fired from the studio he uses a chemical that brings the performers inside under his control and commit murder on his behalf.

This exploitation film utilises costumes and actors (minus Michael Landon in I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN, 1957) from recent AIP pictures is a rather bold move by the studio in presenting itself this way in a horror film that self references itself. The film also uses the make-up and costumes from other AIP quickies including MONSTER ON THE CAMPUS (also 1958) and at the end INVASION OF THE SAUCER MEN (1957). Like the former two films the final reel is also in colour making the film even more garish and is used to good effect, but ultimately is a cheap exploitation movie from schlock producer Herman Cohen (who also co-scripted).

During the 1950's,American International was the forefront of the "B" movie craze. During its heyday,the studio was famous for scary monster flicks and those juvenile deliquent tales and soforth. But in this one,there is a twist here and HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER does just that. It begins in a major Hollywood studio where a prop artist makes actors to look like monsters for a film they are shooting. Suddenly one of them is killed off and then another,and another until two actors find out just who is doing this and why. The answer,the prop artist is a madman who collects his figures as part of his obsession with his work,but with tragic and frightening results. Basically the rest of the film is shot in black and white,but the final 8 minutes of the film is in color. The color process wasn't the first time that AIP used this format,the other time was during the final scenes of "The Amazing Colossal Man"(1958) where the giant was brought down in color,but the rest of it was in black and white. Producers Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson wanted Roger Corman to produced,but instead took over the project which in turn was filmed right on the AIP set. Great storyline though,but in turn kinda of a disappointment. Look for a young Gary Conway(who would later appear in a dozen or so AIP films,and was later the regular in a Irwin Allen series called "Land of the Giants" on television)as the werewolf and Gary Clarke as a young but terrifying Frankenstein. It will resurfaced again on a local cable channel.

How to make a monster movie on the cheap: have the majority of the action take place on a film studio backlot to save on location fees; use make-up and props already designed and created for earlier films; save the colour footage (as advertised on the film posters) for the final two reels.

Yes, How To Make A Monster is a real cheap effort from American International Pictures, and something of a disappointment for this particular fan of creature features since the film's monsters aren't 'real', but rather the creations of movie make-up genius Pete Dumond (Robert H. Harris), who uses a special ingredient in his make-up to enable him to control the actors, sending them to kill the studio's new bosses after they give him the sack.

Aimed at a teen audience, the youths who unwittingly become Dumond's murderous puppets are a pair of hunks (Tony Mantell and Larry Drake), and the film also features a rock 'n' roll musical interlude, AIP regular John Ashley performing 'You've Got to Have Ee-Ooo' in the company of several sexy young ladies. The film's proto-meta concept, the murder scenes and the musical stuff is all fairly entertaining nonsense, but far too much of the film's running time is taken up by dull police procedural, as L. A.'s finest try to figure out who is bumping off the studio execs.

5/10.

N. B. Fans of 50s sci-fi/horror will have fun spotting several notable B-movie monster masks in Dumond's collection (from It Conquered The World, The She-Creature and Invasion of The Saucer Men).

American International Pictures, that famed home of countless delightful B flicks, takes self-referential aim at its own filmography with this knowing script (by the legendary producer Herman Cohen and his frequent collaborator Aben Kandel). It can work as a follow-up to the two A.I.P. "Teenage Werewolf" and "Teenage Frankenstein" classics, with two young actors, Gary Conway (the actual Teenage Frankenstein) and Gary Clarke ('The Virginian'), working on the studios' final monster movie. You see, the new regime at the studio have decreed that the current monster movie cycle is over, and they want to concentrate on upbeat diversions like musicals.

This doesn't sit well with veteran makeup effects designer Pete Dumond; unsung character actor Robert H. Harris ("Valley of the Dolls"), in a rare case of top billing, plays the unstable Dumond. He can't abide the thought of his career possibly being over, so he takes revenge on the new executives, using a new formula in his makeup to make Tony and Larry (Conway and Clarke) very suggestible. Once they are all made up, they make for handy murderers. Dumond and his weak-willed longtime assistant Rivero (Paul Brinegar, "High Plains Drifter") must then dodge frequent questioning by some very determined police.

The landscape is dotted with a variety of familiar character actors - Harris, Brinegar, Malcolm Atterbury ("The Birds"), Morris Ankrum ("Earth vs. the Flying Saucers"), Paul Maxwell ("Aliens"), Thomas Browne Henry ("Beginning of the End"), and Robert Shayne ('Adventures of Superman'), as well as the various creations of real-life monster maker of the era, Paul Blaisdell. These creations also figure into a final sequence that is filmed in color in order for us to properly appreciate them. John Ashley (the later "Blood Island" film series) does a brief musical number.

Overall, the movie offers quite a bit of fun. It is capably directed by Herbert L. Strock, who'd done "I Was a Teenage Frankenstein", as well as other flicks like "Gog", "Blood of Dracula", and "The Crawling Hand". It will have the most resonance for "monster kids" of all decades, but particularly those who originally got to see these efforts in theaters. No, it doesn't sport a lot in the way of atmosphere, suspense, or major scares, but it's pretty hard to resist, just the same.

Seven out of 10.

This is another solid entry in the teenage monster genre, starring the durable Robert H. Harris, one of the finest character actors of his era, familiar to fans of the Alfred Hitchcock Presents series,.

Like the other entries in this cycle, including Teenage Werewolf and especially Teenage Frankenstein, this entire cycle might have been renamed "Make Room For Daddy," although "Daddy" in this case is a terrible authority figure whose only goal is to control his children, dominate them, and ultimately destroy them.

The entire cycle is a deconstruction of the myth of a paternal authority that dominates the social sciences of the day (parodied in Stephen Sondheim's "Gee, Officer Krupke" from West Side Story and in teen rebellion films, especially the Nicholas Ray-James Dean film, "Rebel without a Cause"), but also familiar in the idealized Daddy roles in numerous sitcoms of the era, especially, of course, Father Knows Best.

This series might have punningly be called Father Knows Beast. The entire cycle is a brilliant deconstruction of paternalistic authority. This is not to say it doesn't work on its own narrative level, though much of the plot is hokum. Still it's well done combining horror and detective genres quite well, and excellently directed as well.

Though generally consigned to the teen and drive-in genre, few films of the 1950s more seriously challenged the myth of parental authority as well as the films in this cycle did.

AIP made some solid B horror pictures in its day. This is one of them.

Sort of the end to Teenage Werewolf and Teenage Frankenstein -- two previous AIP pictures.

The acting is decent and the direction is good. It also has a nie look and feel to it. You'll also recognize some old timer character actors.

The writing is a little schmaltzy and there is a fair amount of droll humor peppering the varios scenes.

As an added bonus, the last few minutes are in color, while the movie up to this point is in black and white.

Suppposedly some of the masks were damaged in this scene. There's even a musical interlude with that guy who became known for being in Philipino horror movies in the 60's (Octoman and others)

Monster makeup man Pete Dumond (Robert H. Harris) is told the studio is closing down his shop because they've decided to stop making horror films. He vows revenge. The final film he's on has a teenage werewolf (Gary Clarke--not Michael Landon) and a teenage Frankenstein (Gary Conway reprising his role from the original). He puts a drug in their makeup that make them obey him and orders them to kill the studio heads.

Pretty much forgotten horror movie--for good reason! The plot is sort of interesting but it's basically a 30 minute plot stretched out to 74 minutes! A lot of talk but little action. There's also a pointless (and pretty funny) musical number by John Ashley squeezed in (purportedly he had some hits in the 1950s).

Some of the acting is good. Harris is enjoying himself and Clarke has some good moments. Conway however seems uncomfortable. The best part of this movie is the final 11 minutes--they're done in color (the rest of the film is in b&w). We get to see a good bunch of AIP monster masks, some blood, and Harris, Clarke and Conway in full color. Fans of AIP monster movies will get more of a kick out of this than anyone else. For the color ending alone I give this a 7.

Be aware--most TV prints have the whole film in b&w--the DVD has the color.

This movie actually has a decent plot.Most of the acting is terrible but the main character is good.I do find it odd that he was just a normal make-up artist for 20 years and as soon as he gets fired he becomes a mad scientist but whatever.Everything that happens is very predictable.Normally that would be bad but somehow it doesn't seem to hurt this movie.This movies does something I have only seen one other time, it goes from black and white to color.It's cool how they do it but there was really no reason for it.It just left me wanting the entire thing in color.I'm sure the director thought it was some great artistic expression but it was totally awkward.If you like old sci-fi/thrillers you should give this a chance.

Contains spoilers a wonderful Herman Cohen production, and his third film with talented director Herbert L. Strock. This film is a lot of fun, and is very entertaining! Director Strock keeps things moving at a fast pace! And it is a pure delight! Music and story line are excellent and so is the fine cinematography! Robert H. Harris stars as makeup man Pete Dumont, the new owners are taking over the studio, that Pete works for,(American International). Monster makeup man Pete is given the pink slip, as they no longer need his services, because monster movies are out and musicals are in! The egotistical studio executives treat Pete with heartless abandonment! Harris excels in his role as the psychotic Pete Dumont! He begins to lose his mind, and becomes a homicidal maniac,as he methodically kills all who are in his way, one by one! He also does it with the aid of his mesmerizing makeup. Pete tries to bring two young actors, into his madness, and succeeds through the aid of his makeup he uses on them, they become assassins! The young actors are Gary Conway, and Gary Clarke, as Tony and Larry, the teenage Frankenstein, and the teenage werewolf. Tony and Larry are not cognitive of the murders they commit afterwards, while under the influence of the mind controlling drug, that Pete has introduced to his makeup formula! The local police are baffled as dead studio executives start showing up all around the studio! Even a studio guard, is beaten to a pulp by Pete who is in monster makeup, after he starts to ask Pete one question too many! The police captain played by the well liked veteran fifties Si Fi actor, Morris Ankrum. Also in the cast is another Si Fi great Thomas B. Henry (The Brain From Planet Arous) (Twenty Million Miles To Earth) many others, he plays a studio director. One memorable scene shows Gary Clarke in full teenage werewolf makeup, as he throttles a studio executive, while spittle runs down his mouth! Another scene has the powerfully built Conway hiding in a executive's garage as the teenage Frankenstein, he proceeds to break the back of the smart aleck executive. Gary Conway and Gary Clarke are two excellent actors and they do well in this film. The ending is a gem, as Pete by this time is a raving lunatic! After he kills his assistant (Paul Brinegar) with a large ceremonial knife, he then attempts to separate the boys heads from their bodies and add them to his monster collection on his wall! Tony and Larry don't like the idea of decapitation, and try to escape. A fire breaks out and the whole place starts going up in flames! Tony and Larry get out, but Pete is left standing in the middle of the flames screaming about the destruction of his children! The climax turns to color. On the wall of the makeup man's house are some of monster maker Paul Blaisdell's finest creations! This film is just as entertaining as another Herman Cohen and Herbert L. Strock collaboration, (I Was A Teenage Frankenstein) also for American International Pictures. Under the excellent direction of Herbert L. Strock this movie works. Strock also also directed one of the best science fiction movies of the fifties (The Magnetic Monster), for United Artists, when he was called in to replace the first director. Both films are highly recommended!

Amusing third sequel to "I Was a Teenage Werewolf" combines the Teenage Werewolf and Teenage Frankenstein. Under fear of termination, a film studio makeup wizard (possibly modelled on one of the family Westmore?) applies "a special fixing agent" to his teenage actor's monster makeup that turns them into real monsters. Given such an unusual, original premise, the results of the film are not too disappointing: several brutal killings, lots of monsters, and even John Ashley's B-grade Elvis impersonation (surely done for laughs, let's hope). the film supposes the existence of "American International Studios" -- a nice thought, but filmmaking had already changed a lot, and AIP was never able to rent a steady digs, so this one just has to stay a fantasy. Did anyone else notice how heavily homoerotic the makeup guy's relationship to the boys was? He always called them "my boys" and talked at one point about having them "in his hands". Plus, note their uncomfortable reaction when he wants them to come to his house for some drinks. Funny stuff, certainly holding up to Herman Cohen's other AIP productions, which were among their best early efforts.

Pete Drummond is a makeup artist sent packing by new studio executives who don't like monster movies. His plan is to mix drugs into the makeup so his two teenage stars will obey his commands to murder them. The endless dialog and monologues of Drumond's at the start ruins any of our sympathy for him. It seems the American International Studio walls have been babysitting his delusions of grandeur and vain egotism for 25 years. We begin to think the execs might be right. The Frankenstein in the film he's making resembles a one eyed Cyclops instead. My first impression is the film looked corny when it was new. The part of Drummond was written with Bela Legosi in mind, which would have been much more interesting if Legosi hadn't died. Kids might be entertained by the shallow, silly plot.