The Naked Monster

It's obvious from the opening credits through the cruddy stock shots that it's intended as a spoof of no-budget monster movies. Too bad some people don't have friends to watch it with, because with a group, it's a hoot. Having seen it at conventions, screenings, and living rooms, I've heard people laughing with the gags-- not AT the film, but with it. Ken Tobey is very dry and funny, sending up his roles in The Thing, Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, etc.... I think Brinke Stevens is probably at her best here (although she's fine in Teenage Exorcist-- which at least had a couple hundred thousand dollars' worth of budget, unlike this $1.98 miracle), and the cast I just love-- all the oldtimers as well as the young-timers. Yeah, I'm more than a little prejudiced, and believe me, I see and hear the flaws more than anyone else. But I know it works as a silly comedy.

(As cruddy as some people might think it is, it was good enough to get into the CascadiaCon Film Festival in Seattle, WA, the RiverRun Film Festival in Winston-Salem, NC, and the sci-fi fest in Modesto, CA. Yeah, but what do THEY know, anyway, huh? As opposed to some fnork in East Bombfook, Noo Joisey.)

NAKED MONSTER

Ted Newsom has been nursing a It's a Mad, Mad, Mad World homage to Sci-Fi and Horror called NAKED MONSTER . This script is right on,Very funny,Holds up well overtime and that's amazing with it's journey to DVD. 20 years in the making !(edited). There is some awesome scenes, Mostly involving Brinke Stevens. Brinke filmed some scenes 10 years apart,and it's uncanny how little she changed.We are even treated to a NUDE shower scene. Linnea Quigley steals the film playing a deaf girl in a make-out scene,and she throws in a boob flash. One disturbing scene being a huge "Monster of Piedras Blancas" fan,Newsom has Jeanne Carmen playing the wife of John Harmon,Who played her father in MPB. There are other movies like this with less dedication :Vampire Hunter's Club, and Double D Avenger. Imagine all the ways monsters were killed in all your favorite movies, and this film TRIES those methods one more time. NM is the last film of KENNETH (The Thing) TOBEY, JOHN (TARANTULA)AGAR, GLORIA (I Married A Monster) TALBOTT, John (Monster Of Piedras Blancas)Harmon, George (Groucho Marx ) Fenneman, Robert(Superman) Shayne, Les(Them) Tremaine and just a month ago Robert (Hideous Sun Demon) Clarke. There is amazing cameos by stars still with us,Imagine that : Brinke Stevens, Linnea Quigley, Jeanne Carmen, Lori Nelson, Ann Robinson, Forrest J.Ackerman, Paul Marco, Michelle Bauer and DANIEL ROEBUCK. To sum up,Kept on thinking,"Isn't this a fun movie ",and what heroes did they leave off no Hercules or Sindbads...Maybe saving for NAKED MONSTER 2 ,Brinke you up for it ???

Forrest J. Ackerman, who plays "flustered man" shows up in a few films. "Forrie" is best known as the editor/publisher of the magazine "Famous Monsters of Filmland" He was doing this kind of cameo before Stan Lee ever thought of it.

I just happened to find out that most of all the secondary characters are veteran actors. They just had their old roles from others old-classic science-fiction movies back here for this one. Like the lady from War of the Worlds, who happens to be in both WOTW movies. Check them out and even if this is a bad movie, could be the greatest reunion of those science-fiction vets, making it a collectors item. You can see the relation with those movies on the "movie connections" section and try to find who's who from each movie. Could be a fun game in a boring afternoon. Remember, try to see it for fun and like a collection item, not for the special effects or the story.

You have to approach this movie with humor and nostalgia. If you look only at the technical aspect of the film, yes you will find things to complain about. The humor in it, the one liners, the cameos, the nods to the classic monster movies, that's what this film was to me. Call it "Z-grade" all you want...I thought it was a nice tribute to the genre. There is no doubt this was a low budget film. Yes the SPX can hit the cheese level as can some of the acting. I looked beyond that though and saw some writing and scenes that got me chuckling. Every new cameo from a genre star got me to smile as well. I applaud the film makers for doing what they did on a small budget and doing it with some humor as well as some respect for the classic monster movies.