Bride of the Monster (1955)

This is an Ed wood classic. It includes the regular "actors" night/day scene confusion, rubber monsters, and stock footage interjected regardless of background. Wrestler Toj Johnson, veteran of 31 films, provided his expertise being able to play a mute (unless whipped) a role he would encore. This was the era when cars looked like tanks and bras were fashioned after bullets. I'm not sure the title was truly fitting. And what was that major league mushroom cloud at the end?They don't make films like this anymore, well unfortunately they do.

I don't think that most of Ed Wood's films are as bad as some people make them out to be - they are entertaining. No, they are not the greatest films but they do have entertainment value and a fan following for a reason. Bride of the Monster might be Wood's best film.We have the great Bela Lugosi as Dr. Eric Vornoff - a mad scientist out to create atomic creatures... and he echos his hand gesture from White Zombie (a nod in that direction).We also have Tor Johnson as Lobo - Lobo is very much like Johnson's character's from Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) and The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961).Bride of the Monster really is worth watching if you are into the classic sci-fi horror and like a good B Horror film.7/10

Ed Wood Jnr has often been cited as the worst director of all time, and his films(Plan 9 From Outer Space especially) also get a similar reputation. I personally think that the distinction is unfair, there are certainly better directors than Wood and better made, written and acted films/movies out there of course, but- unlike something like anything Friedberg and Seltzer- Wood's films are entertaining and kind of like guilty pleasures. Great movies no they're not, but when someone says that they are among the worst of all time I'll respectfully disagree on that one. Bride of the Monster does have things wrong, the sets are wobbly, the special effects especially the octopus are fake, the story does drag at times and Loretta King displays no kind of acting talent whatsoever. (Paul Murco's small role is also rather embarrassing) Even with these, Bride of the Monster is still one of Ed Wood Jnr's better movies. Wood is never going to be up there with the greatest directors, but not the worst either, at least he directed with heart. Lugosi's fight with the octopus is absolutely hilarious and has to be seen with be believed, easily one of the memorable scenes of any of Ed Wood's movies. The dialogue has some very funny moments(of what I can remember only the final line really made me groan), but the I have no home monologue is really quite poignant. The ending is senseless indeed but a lot of fun, and while the story does drag at times and also a little senseless, I didn't ever feel my intelligence being insulted to unbearable degree(unlike the SyFy/Asylum movies). The acting is not amazing, but King was the only one really that came across as really, really bad. Tony McCoy is handsome and does manage to give some of his lines credibility and Harvey B.Dunn is very amusing. Tor Johnson is somewhat stiff but looks the part of a monster figure and he does provide some of the movie's most entertaining scenes. But it is really Bela Lugosi's movie, in his final role he gives a commanding and heartfelt performance, succeeding also in giving moments of banality some genuine meaning. Overall, not great but better than I expected it to be. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Bride Of The Monster was Bela Lugosi's last completed film and was done for that legendary director of bad movies, Ed Wood, Jr. At least Lugosi didn't live to see Plan Nine From Outer Space, he was spared that humiliation.Once again Bela is a mad scientist who has a scheme to create a race of atomic supermen and he's got a great old prototype in Tor Johnson formerly the Swedish Angel of pro wrestling fame. In fact Tor's nocturnal wanderings have given rise to a monster legend in and around Lugosi's secluded digs in the woods. That and the pet giant octopus he keeps around for no discernible reason other than to dispose of unwanted guests.Bela has all kinds of people on his trail, the cops, a Lois Lane type reporter who is girlfriend to one of the cops and another scientist from Lugosi's home country who wants to bring him back so he can do his work there. Bela however is a believer that a prophet has no honor in his home country and disposes of that unwanted guest via the octopus.The octopus and Ed Wood's inability to use it somewhat realistically are the main reasons that this Ed Wood classic is remembered today. I just read a very thorough biography of Lugosi and the rubber octopus was the one John Wayne struggled with in Wake Of The Red Witch. It was the property of Republic Pictures. But Republic was slowly going out of business so Wood got the thing from Herbert J. Yates somehow, he rented it, Yates sold it to him in a fire sale, or he just gave it to him there not being a big market for giant rubber octopuses. Now that thing would bring thousands of dollars in an on line auction if it still exists. Even with a missing tentacle, broken off during the shooting of Bride Of The Monster.Not much else to recommend it, cheesy sets, acting on the junior high school level, and a man with no eye for special effects directing this epic. Still worth a few laughs though.