Frankenstein Island

With other bad films the novelty wears off fast. Not this time. True the budget is low, but not so low that new crazy elements can't be sprung on the viewer in every scene. Some of the props are not impressive. For example a barely-altered plastic devil fork (used as a magic wand?) and department store mannequins (experimented on?). Don't be deterred though, the sets and costumes are all fun and the plot moves fast.

John Carradine is in this movie less than any top-billed star has been in any movie. You will see that he was no doubt not on the same set. In fact, you will see his performance does not even demand that he be on any set.

The very end is so cheap that it will make you mad. Still, this movie pleased me and I laughed a lot.

I saw this movie when I was in the Navy in the early 80s. I still remember every horrible detail. The long hair of the soldiers. No two uniforms were the same. "The Power of the Golden Thread"... which was never explained. The aparition of Dr. Frankenstein, or his son, or grandson, or whoever. I prayed to God that something would make sense before I left the theatre. It never did make sense. I assumed as I left the theater, that some director's 14 year old son wanted to direct his own movie, and did so with about $5,000 of daddy's money. This is horrible even for an inexperienced 14 year old on a $5,000 budget.

YOU MUST SEE THIS MOVIE to appreciate how truly bad it is. You will be embarrassed for all associated with it. You will be angry with yourself for wasting your time to watch it. I can't believe I'm wasting my time writing about this horrible horrible movie. Can one suffer from PTSD merely from having watched a bad bad movie?

I read the reviews. I said to myself, "Well, this could not possibly be as bad as all that." Well, it is. It starts right away. The patterns on the balloons keep changing from shot to shot in the credits. And there are many of them talking on the radio. What happened to the other folks with radios? Did they not call for a rescue ship? Nobody knows... It never comes up in the movie.

Then these four goofs come on shore and one is still holding a raft in his hand and it talking about having to build a raft. Why? At that point they just arrived and have not searched around the island and already have a fully inflated rubber raft.

And they immediately ask "How will we get over these bluffs?" Why do they need to. Wait for the pickup from the people who are coming to get you. No mention of that. Seems like the opening credits and radio chatter is from a different movie.

Well, it goes from there off onto several different plot threads. They intersect from time to time, minimally. And there is that laughing fool. He even laughs while he is drinking his moonshine. Quite a talent. And what is he laughing at so much? That spinning, pink ammo box is just too much! And the confusion of plots (snakes, tarantulas, machine guns, trident that turns women into vampires, a brain without a head running everything, John Carradine speaking gibberish) continues until, thankfully, this movie is done.

My great thanks to the director for not making the movie ANY LONGER! And you won't believe the ending. I guess it is an ending. Or they just ran out of film. Not fulfilling at all.

Briefly speaking, nothing in this movie makes any sense at all, either on the level of overall plot or of individual scenes or even lines. This would have to be one of the most relentlessly stupid movies ever made. As soon as it looks like something is remotely intelligible, the actors and director seem to do their utmost to bring in yet another non sequitur.

The dialogue seems to have been written by someone who's never actually heard a conversation between people before, and acted by people who've never participated in one.

However, it's extremely amusing. This is an extraordinarily bad movie, but that's not because it's boring. The pink lunchbox, the contact lenses with white-out on them, the rubber skulls, the guy who keeps laughing constantly for no reason, the suburban living room in the middle of the deserted island, the power that attacks your arm when you "mix the particular place, not here but on the outside" (that is, say the name of a city)... champagne cinema.

You could do much worse than track a copy down - but beware - some video copies have the goofiest scenes edited out!

Director Jerry Warren's final film, FRANKENSTEIN ISLAND is his ultimate lead pipe to our brains! Opening with hot air balloons talking to each other, we know we're in Warren territory right away.

The four-man crew of one of the balloons, which apparently crashed into the ocean at some point off camera, arrives at the titular landmass, only to be captured by native women in matching leopard skin bikinis and flip-flops. Obviously, these wild women must dance -horribly- to a crazy bongo beat!

Then, after a brief interruption, it's smoking time! Out of skull bongs! Several severely annoying, idiot characters -especially that cackling guy!- are introduced, and many nonsensical events occur. This somehow leads to our heroes meeting Cameron Mitchell, playing the worst role of his career! He rambles. He murmurs. He blathers about nothing at all.

Enter the be-wigged Sheila Frankenstein Von Helsing (Katherine Victor), and on and on it goes.

This "film" is a true test of will for any viewer. Most won't survive its mind-evaporating effects! Warren's ability to induce coma is at its apex here. Absolutely nothing makes sense, and nothing really happens!

Wha...? More dancing?! Good lord!

Once the disembodied John Carradine appears, spouting, "The power! The power!! The power!!!", we know we're in hell! Good luck with this one my friends, but beware the spinning, pink bullet box of infinite terror!

Mr. Warren, your vengeance is complete!

P. S.- The finale features the bikini women vs. Zombies vs. A hand-waving, grumbling Frankenstein's monster in earth shoes! Plus, Benji the wonder dog, plastic fangs, and halfhearted karate! It's almost worth the wait.

Almost...