The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini

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.

I realize that most people who have seen The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini will look at my rating and decide I need to have my head examined. I readily admit that it's one of the stupidest movies I've seen recently. I am perfectly capable of seeing all of the same problems in the movie that all of the other reviews or comments point out. Yes, the beach movie was on its last leg when The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini was made. Yes, there is no plot. Yes, most of the comedy is incredibly lame. Yes, Tommy Kirk is beyond terrible. Yes, Harvey Lembeck was way too old to play a rebellious motorcycle leader. Yes, Benny Rubin's Chicken Feather character is offensive. Yes, Deborah Walley is no Annette Funicello. Yes, Boris Karloff has little more than an extended cameo that almost appears to have been an afterthought. Yes, I see all these problems and more in The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini, but for whatever reason, the movie is still a lot of fun. I had a blast watching Nancy Sinatra sing "Geronimo". She's just so cool. I also enjoyed watching Basil Rathbone in one of his final performances. He seemed to really be enjoying the chance to ham it up. As goofy as it may sound, I love the fact that The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini takes many of the traditional beach movie trappings and transports them to a big, old haunted house. A swinging 60s style beach party set in Karloff's over-the-top torture chamber is an awesome idea. Finally, I've got to give the movie a bonus point for having a completely unnecessary gorilla. It adds a surreal touch to everything.

So, despite the many, many weaknesses and problems in The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini. I still had a great time watching it. I'll continue to say that the entertainment I get out of a movie is more important to me than anything else. And with that in mind, the 6/10 rating I've given The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini seems about right to me.

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

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.

I have a special affection for this little trifle. I saw it at our post theater twice when I was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. It was a time when we were killing time, just waiting to be discharged, and this film conjures up a time of innocence when I was dying to re-start my civilian life. But most of all, I was (and still am) a tremendous fan of Miss Nancy Sinatra, especially all through my Army days, and it was thrilling fun to go see her movies at the post theater. She also did "The Wild Angels" and "The Last of the Secret Agents." All the other commentators are right. No classic, but mindless, harmless fun ! Oh, Nancy ! We were so young, and it was a different world !