Monster a Go-Go

Okay here is the scoop. This was an unfinished movie that a few added scenes and was edited together almost at random, so it could be used as part of a double feature. That is why everything is all screwed up, that and the initial inept directing, crappy acting and other such.

Monster A Go Go, it sound like the name of a bad camp movie, but it's really the name of a bad, bad, bad, bad, bad, bad horror movie. It is the worst movie ever made. The reason most MSTies say Manos is worst is because it's a more popular episode because Joel & the bots could make fun of it more. This however was too hard to make fun of. In the MST3K book (Amazing Colossal Episode Guide) they note this was the first time in a while that they didn't do any host segments related to the movie, because NOTHING happens. Manos, had intriguing characters like Torgo, The Master, and hell even Debbie. This has Henry Hite with some mud on his face for two shots.

Only see this movie on Mystery Science Theater 3000. Even then it isn't that good as they don't really have anything to work with.

I'd be hard-pressed to find a more painful film. Nausea-inducing camera twists, seemingly random editing (try and find a scene that has anything to do with the one that preceded it), bad lighting, bad acting, nonexistent writing and a lack of *anything* that makes a good, or coherent film. Add to all that one of the lamest twist endings in cinema history, with out any sort of plot to justify it, and you have one infuriating film. It was so difficult to sit through, I was almost in tears by the end. One of those films you can't enjoy on any level, even as camp.

ooh...ow, stingy!! that's pretty much sums up the viewing of this Rebane crapsterpiece.

The first time I saw this, I was stunned. Kind of like when you take a test in school and you have no idea how to read Sumerian. The grainy black and white does not make it noir or surreal; it just looks crappy in addition to not being in color. Can you remember one person's name in this film? The only one I can remember is Frank Douglas after the shocking (not in a good way) climax to the movie and that you the viewer were not 800 miles away from this toxic mess. Bad editing, no continuity, nameless faces, great sound EFX (Lucasfilm can't even come close to the phone ring in this one), and illogical events will leave you baffled and bewildered. C'mon! That was the actual space capsule that crash landed? I've seen shop projects that looked more realistic. SHEESH! Also, having events (which you don't actually see) being described by a narrator shows that Rebane has collaborated with Coleman Francis in the past.

Actually, seeing this first on MST made this a lot less painful. Watch it again and you just crack up over how third rate this one is. If only Joel and the bots won the Johnny LongTorso contest cause you can really feel how painful this one was for them!

"Monster A Go-Go" was supposed to be the first feature film for Bill Rebane, who started filming this thing in 1961. His monster flick, originally called "Terror At Halfday", had a budget of 80.000 dollars, which was pretty much gone after a couple of days of filming. After he ran out of funding the film lay on the shelf for about four years, unfinished and with no hope (or desire) of actually being released.

Cue Herschell Gordon Lewis (of "Blood Feast" fame), always on the look-out for the cheapest way he could get a film released. So he bought the abandoned footage from "Terror At Halfday" and 'finished' the movie. To cut costs, he decided to only ask a couple of performers back, which did not include Henry Hite. I should point out Henry Hite played the monster. He finished this monster flick ... without the monster. That's one of the main reasons why this movie feels like such a blatantly cynical cash grab.

So Lewis only had a tiny little bit of footage shot with Henry Hite, and none of that footage could be edited to look like an actual ending. Lewis 'solved' that problem by creating one of the saddest anti-climaxes in the history of filmmaking. I honestly can't imagine how the people that paid to see this left the theatre after this screening. To quote Rich Hall: "It was so bad I wanted everyone's money back!". That was about a Bob Dylan concert, but it works equally well for this movie.

For what it's worth: Rebane actually did try to shoot a big climax for this, that's actually the main reason the budget ran out so quickly. Some of the ending scenes feature dozens of extras, so that's clearly Rebane's footage. Lewis really wouldn't bother to do any of that. In later interviews Rebane has stated he hates this movie even more than the audience does, and I can't blame him. Lewis didn't even put his name on it, Rebane is the only credited director. Did I mention he only sold his "Terror At Halfday" footage for 8.000 dollars, while it cost ten times as much to film? I guess he got a really quick course on how film business worked.

I saw this one on MST3K years ago, and I can still remember how bad it was. This movie has to be the 2nd worst movie of all time (trailing "Manos: The Hands Of Fate" for that title), and there's a great reason for that...

First off, the plot. It's atrocious. There isn't REMOTELY a monster whatsoever in this film. The acting, like other bad movies is also bad as well. This movie overall was bad, so bad that it should've been destroyed after it was done. Overall, a extremely, awful, botched waste of film, and precious time...

Only watch this on MST3K. They bashed it good on that show.