The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini

This film was the largest budgeted of the "beach" pictures. But it became a box-office failure and was the last of the genre American International produced. The inane script...is not only tired but borrows from such other sources as the curtain line of Some Like It Hot... This year's crop of boys in this film isn't up to the earlier "beach" cavaliers.ll KARLOFF and the other veterans are only along for the ride....Stanley Cortez's camera...makes good use...in exploring some...fasinating sets evidently left over from the Poe period..a good try but short on script and inspiration.

This film proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the "Beach Party" genre was dead. After the previous film with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, American International thought they could pull the two of them back for one final picture. However, by the time the plans were announced Avalon was more interested in other roles and Funicello was busy raising her family. Instead we get Tommy Kirk and Deborah Walley who, unfortunately, don't have the chemistry that Frankie and Annette had together. The "Beach Party" series was one of the most enduring in film history. Too bad it had to go out with a whimper instead of a bang.

Obviously one shouldn't take this film very seriously at all if one plans on enjoying it in the slightest. If you can loosen up quite a bit, this film does have some fun silly bits. Plus can any film with both Boris Karloff and Basil Rathbone possibly be all bad? I don't feel so...both fine actors try hard to keep their dignity in this Scooby Doo-like (without Scooby Doo) Beach Party entry.

Anyone expecting to see nudity in this film, be forewarned! It's the GHOST that's invisible and not the bikini!

First, I should clear up any confusion that may have arisen from the title: not only is the ghost's bikini invisible, but what's underneath her bikini is also invisible. Now, I must ask: how was Boris Karloff reduced to starring in a "beach party" movie? "The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini" is basically a cross between beach party movies and the old-style horror movies. Karloff plays Hiram Stokely, a corpse who must accomplish a good deed within 24 hours. Fortunately for him, the title character (Susan Hart) has the answer: he can protect a bevy of teens who are descending on his estate for a party. Tommy Kirk plays the main youngster.

Overall, the movie is pretty much an excuse for everyone to party as they would on the beach, except that they're doing it in what appears to be an English castle. I couldn't tell whether the movie was supposed to happen in California or England. I guess that this movie is better than most beach movies, just because it stars Boris Karloff. Oh, and the title character is pretty hot. But other than that, it's just another beach party movie.