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If I had not seen BEWARE!THE BLOB as an impressionable youth, maybe I could look at it as a cheezy, poorly acted, uneven special effects, campy movie. But there is something sinister going on in this flick, and untill I read a mini revue in CULT MAGAZINE I thought maybe I was just being sensitive. A follow-up to the famous original about a man eating jello from outer space, most critics said something to the effect that BEWARE! THE BLOB doesn't know if it wants to be a horror movie or a comedy, so it fails at both, but I don't agree with that sum-up. I think Larry Hagman (and, or the writers)did something unlike anything done before. In a Horror-comedy, the humor is there to relieve the horror. HERE they got it backwards! We see characters doing goofy sit-com type things, and then they get eaten by the blob! I find the mix of styles very disturbing. This movie gave me nightmares as a kid, and I still can't shake it off! I think Hagman also had a lot of contempt at the time he made this flick. The characters are usually stupid and brain dead to their surroundings, making them easy prey (they are all self-absorbed before being blob-absorbed!). I find the bowling ally attack to be very effective despite the uneven special effects. I know some of you may think I'm taking this silly movie way to seriously and, okay, maybe I am.. But now when you go to a bowling ally, or to the barbers, or sit back in your easy chair just like Godfry Cambridge did, you may just think twice.. BEWARE!

When I was six years old this was on TV. I saw the beginning and was sent to bed. I just remember the great theme song with the cartoon credits ( I love cartoon credits.. EVERY movie should have cartoon credits.. do you realize how much better BLAIR WITCH PROJECT would be with cartoon credits?), the robbery and Jonathan Winters chasing Natalie Wood around. I remember thinking, "Why is he doing that?" After all these years I am finally watching it again. It is kinda surreal.. Like a spoof of wacky sixties farces. Wood plays a kleptomaniac. I await the remake with Wynona Ryder.

There is so much in this version, it is hard to know where to begin. The made-for-television look of it is deciving: this is a very radical and unconventional movie. Let's start with the title: FRANKENSTEIN THE TRUE STORY would imply that it is the most faithfull version of Mary Shellys book. Since it isn't, I see the title like a National Inquirer expose. EXTRA! Frankenstein didn't do it all alone! The monster was really beautiful... at first! I'm sure everyones noticed this, but no one has mentioned the strong homosexual subtext. For one, the envy Clarvel feels towards Elizabeth, finding her a thret to the bond he and Victor have. But even more so, the down right erotic birth of the creature and when Victors eyes meet with his! Micheal Sarazin is fetchingly wraped in guaze, looking quite like Rocky in THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW! When the creature starts to lose his looks, Victor is ashamed and trys to ditch the creature so he can marry and have a "normal" life. But his Adam keeps returning to remind him that Victor belongs to him. Everytime they are reunited, the creature greets him with his name "Victor!" with an intense longing betraying sexual desire. In this version, Victor is a loser on all accounts. The creation of life is really mostly the work of Clarvel who stole most of his ideas from Polidori. Frankenstien is a third party who puts a brain in and pulls the switch. The creation destroys his life and he can't even take credit for it! Then the creation of Prima, who becomes a symbolic double for Elizabeth, imatating her much in the way the creature imatated Victor. I could go on forever, but it's late and I gotta get some sleep. Only a full essay (and an unedited DVD version) can do this film justice!