Frankenstein vs. the Creature from Blood Cove

Is it possible for movie music to make your teeth hurt? Tried the first 20 min . It hurt . But persisted.

William Winkler Jr. has put together a wonderful tribute to those cheesy "B" movies we know and love with "Frankenstein vs. the Creature from Blood Cove." Monsters are back and this movie has them in spades. This is a film that Roger Corman would be proud of...no it's better than most of his work. Now the truth be told, there is a smattering of nudity in the form of topless and beautiful young ladies, but then again, this is the 21st century and that's not only expected by distributors, but also welcomed by a large part of the audience....including me! This is a film that screams out for a hot date by your side, a couple of cold ones in hand and a big tub of popcorn nearby. It's a fun romp!

The DVD's director stated that he wanted to pay respect to the black and white Universal classics of the 1930s through 1950s, but did those films have topless babes at the beach and a slinky nightclub stripper? That's just part of the problem of this poorly scripted (by the director), inanely scored, and mostly indifferently acted piece. The leading lady (the director's wife) at least shows some personality through the shoddy proceedings. A mad scientist creates an amphibian man and secures Frankenstein's original monster to "conquer terrorism" (huh?), but they break loose, wreak havoc, and fight each other (a disappointing shoving match). Beast costumes are stiff and low-budget, with Creature faring better, and the Monster resembling the 1925 Phantom of the Opera (his nostrils) and a zombie-hippie, both poorly mimed by stunt men. Even the lead (also writer-director) also states at the end "Frankenstein is dead!", which refers to the creator, not the monster. There's also a flamboyant gay character for comedy relief, yet this feature conjures no suspense or terror, or even laughs, murder scenes are badly lensed. Other than some good monochrome cinematography, skip it.

If you like the old school horrors were we don't have blood in it and monsters are walking around, by which I mean, people in a suit than this flick is surely one for you. If you look closely to the title then you could guessed it already. Now I'm not into horrors from the 50's and 60's but I do like the older ones.

The story is roughly based on Frankenstein but they did add the monster from The Creature From The Black Lagoon to it. And I must say that I enjoyed it. Maybe it is a bit too long clocking in at 9à minutes. The could have gone for 70 minutes like the old ones. It's shot in black and white but it all happens nowadays. As I have said, there isn't any gore or almost no red stuff in it but I was surprised that they added some gratuitous nudity in it were one was a strip scene. It's weird that the producers dared to make such a old school one in a time were gore is hot. I liked it but I can understand that some won't.

Gore 0/5 Nudity 3/5 Effects 0/5 Story 3/5 Comedy 0/5

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!