MAN MADE MONSTER 1941 aka ATOMIC MONSTER
Lon Chaney Jr. (Dan McCormick), Lionel Atwill (Dr. Paul Rigas), Samuel S. Hinds (Dr. John Lawrence), Anne Nagel (June Lawrence)
Directed by George Waggner
The Short Version: Prior to making his name as THE WOLF MAN, Lon Chaney headlined this shocker about a man with an affinity for electricity, and turned into a monster by a mad scientist. For a film that runs just under an hour, the filmmakers surge the picture with a high quotient of characterization. Like other classic creatures, Chaney's McCormick is a tragic figure. A lesser Uni-horror compared with the more familiar mad, undead, and hairy heavyweights, MAN MADE MONSTER is surprisingly effective and well made. Chaney fans should get a charge out of it.
An accident during a major storm leaves the passengers of a bus dead from electrocution; one man survives -- a sideshow performer named Dan McCormick. Fascinated by his ability to withstand high degrees of electric shock, Dr. Lawrence invites Dan to stay at his home to run tests on him. Lawrence's partner, Dr. Rigas is likewise eager to participate in this experiment, if for entirely different, and far more nefarious reasons.
The year 1941 was significant for Lon Chaney Jr. where the horror genre was concerned. It was the year the name Chaney became synonymous with lycanthropy after THE WOLF MAN was unleashed onto the world. Earlier in the year, Chaney played a similarly tragic, but no less dangerous character in MAN MADE MONSTER.
Based on the story 'The Electric Man' by Harry Essex, Sid Schwartz and Len Golos, Waggner's movie was just another Uni-horror quickie of the time period. It's historical significance lies mostly with getting Chaney Jr. well on his way to horror stardom headlining Waggner's big 1941 hit, THE WOLF MAN, released at the end of the year.
Originally known as THE MYSTERIOUS DR. R before it was released, Waggner's movie is of interest on a multitude of levels that belie its veritable 'B' movie status. The concept of two scientists working together, yet both have opposing ideologies as to the nature of their work, is a schism bearing a mother lode of themes and ideas unique to the mad scientist canon. Dr. Lawrence (Hinds) wants to perform tests on Dan McCormick in the hopes of using the knowledge to save victims of accidental electrocution. On the other end of the spectrum, Lawrence's partner, Dr. Rigas (Atwill) wishes to harness Dan's uncanny ability in a sinister plot to create a race of super beings that thrive and subsist off of electricity.
Rigas is the most fascinating of the two for obvious reasons; and once it's discovered that his experiments on Dan's body leaves him in a weakened state, the script likens the absorption of electric charges to drug addiction. After excessive electrical experiments, Dan becomes more reliant on them. When his juice is depleted, he requires a new charge. In one scene, Dan is being electrically rejuvenated; and as the jolts pass through his body, he smiles pleasingly as his pain is alleviated. Much like a drug-addled user, Dan becomes dependent on Dr. Rigas -- doing everything he says while under his control.
British actor Lionel Atwill is as mad as he wants to be here, and it's a shame the film isn't longer to get more scenes of him delivering even more abject villainy. The actor was an indomitable presence in 30s and 40s horror frequently playing a variety of (but not limited to) mad men and mad scientists.
Chaney's character is arguably of more substance than his more well known Larry Talbot from THE WOLF MAN (1941). Both men are tragic characters, but McCormick is the livelier, and the most sentimental of the two. He has an affability about him that differentiates McCormick from the more serious Talbot. Furthering this pleasantness of character, in MAN MADE MONSTER Dan forms a bond with a small dog named Corky. This dog is shown a lot, and its inclusion adds a great deal of poignancy to the movie that it wouldn't have had otherwise.
Much like Frankenstein's creation, and Talbot's hairy, fanged alter ego, Dan McCormick is a monster to be pitied. His eventual transformation is the product of abused science. After being used as an instrument of death, the vile Dr. Rigas allows Dan to go to the electric chair for crimes he wasn't technically responsible for. He survives this capital punishment -- the massive amounts of voltage have given him the power to kill with a touch. Dan does away with a couple of guards, and escapes the prison. His "rampage" during the last ten minutes causes some inadvertent destruction. These final minutes show Dan as confused and seeking help instead of actually trying to hurt anyone.
In 1956, Chaney starred in a variation of MAN MADE MONSTER entitled THE INDESTRUCTIBLE MAN. However, the character he played there was anything but likable, and not much of value is found in the film, either.
Waggner seems to have taken a different approach here, or at least desired to do a picture divergent from the usual monster movie of the day. He gets a nice balance of horror, suspense, drama and exposition for such a short programmer. Waggner was less successful doing this with HORROR ISLAND from the same year and also in the Technicolor Karloff vehicle THE CLIMAX (1944). The former gets drowned out with comedy schtick; and the latter seems more interested in spotlighting gorgeous set design and extravagant musical numbers instead of its PHANTOM OF THE OPERA roots.
The special effects of the distinguished John P. Fulton are visually impressive (the opening miniature work; the electrified effects that give Dan his deadly glow) as is Jack Pierce's make up for Dan's quasi-undead pallor later in the movie.
For fans of Chaney and Uni-horror, MAN MADE MONSTER is an entertaining quickie that's well made and benefits from strong performances and a nice play on the 'tragic monster' concept popularized with films like FRANKENSTEIN (1931) and KING KONG (1933). It's never scary enough to give you goosebumps, but you should get a jolt or two out of its modestly electrifying entertainment value.
This review is representative of the Universal Horror Classic Movie Archive 2 disc set paired with THE BLACK CAT (1941), HORROR ISLAND (1941), NIGHT MONSTER (1942) and CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN (1943).
DRACULA 1931
Bela Lugosi (Count Dracula), Helen Chandler (Mina), David Manners (John Harker), Dwight Frye (Renfield), Edward Van Sloan (Van Helsing)
Directed by Tod Browning
The Short Version: It may not hold up nearly as well as the later FRANKENSTEIN (1931), but Tod Browning's classic horror film has remained an iconic example of horror cinema due in large part to Bela Lugosi's genre defining interpretation of Count Dracula. The first twenty minutes are truly mesmerizing while the remaining fifty-five sputter with little energy, few notable moments of horror, and no music to enliven things. DRACULA (1931) remains essential viewing if for no other reason than to see the blueprint for the thousands of vampires that have feasted on the fears of moviegoers for decades since.
Renfield, a lawyer residing in Great Britain, travels to Transylvania to procure the signature of Count Dracula for the purchase of Carfax Abbey back in London. Warned by frightened villagers to stay away from the Count's castle, Renfield ultimately becomes a slave to Dracula. Upon arriving by boat at their destination, Dracula sets about vampirizing Lucy Weston and Mina Seward while attracting the attention of Professor Van Helsing. Familiar with legends of vampires, Van Helsing sets out to destroy the Transylvanian Count.
Without doubt the most famous interpretation of Bram Stoker's wildly popular novel is Universal's B/W spooker from famed silent film director Tod Browning. The first horror talkie (as well as the first vampire film shot with sound), Browning's movie often feels like a silent picture, or even a stage play with its exaggerated performances. It benefits from a staggeringly surreal atmosphere that's most noticeable, and successfully implemented during the films first 20 minutes. The remainder of the movie rarely captures, nor is it able to maintain this macabre momentum.
James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN (1931) released ten months later is far more consistent, but it's worth mentioning that DRACULA was influential on it just the same. It retained some of DRACULA's cast members such as Edward Van Sloan and Dwight Frye -- the latter of which played a similar character with the same amount of bug-eyed, insane reverence.
The influence of Browning's groundbreaker is unmistakable some 80 years later. There had been a 1922 German production, the silent classic NOSFERATU, that used Stoker's novel as inspiration. While Murnau's movie is deserving of its critical accolades, Browning's 1931 version has since become the benchmark for vampire cinema; and much of the adulation is due to its star, Bela Lugosi.
Lugosi set the template for the hundreds of cinematic vampires that have followed since. He gets a bit too theatrical at times, and often breaks up his lines with occasional pauses in his delivery. His mannerisms are memorable, if overdone looking at it now. Again, his best moments are during the first 20 minutes with only sporadic instances of menace from there on out. His entrance is still immensely imposing as is his first utterance of "I bid you welcome."
The Hungarian film star became synonymous with this role, and more in a similar vein followed -- testifying to DRACULA's speedy penetration into American iconography. While his vampiric interpretation lasted decades, Lugosi's career did not. Roles of prestige for the actor rapidly declined by the dawn of the 1940s. At that point, he was relegated to supporting roles for pictures that seemed more interested in using his countenance for marquee value as opposed to his acting ability. His occasional co-star Boris Karloff saw his star maintain its brightness. In contrast, Lugosi's dimmed, ending his career toiling in low-end comedy spookers and Ed Wood movies.
Regardless of the rocky avenue his career eventually veered onto, the esteemed actor headlined and co-starred in a nice smattering of 30s horror thrillers that are signature of Lugosi's talents. MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, ISLAND OF LOST SOULS and WHITE ZOMBIE (all 1932), THE BLACK CAT (1934), THE RAVEN, MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (both 1935), THE INVISIBLE RAY (1936) and SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) are among the man's best works.
Lugosi wasn't the only actor who left a lasting impression in this movie. American actor Dwight Frye did for homicidal servants what Bela did for the undead. Frye's mannerisms and line delivery are unforgettable. His wild-eyed visage and preoccupation with rodents and insects are among the films highlights. By the midway point, Frye's Renfield balances out the occasional absence of Dracula which serves to keep the film from plodding for too long. Frye is notable for appearing in four major horror films of the Golden Age -- these being DRACULA, FRANKENSTEIN, THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) and BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935).
Regarding Dracula's popularity, the film received a sequel in 1936 that aborted the return of Lugosi's iconic bloodsucker, but instead focused on DRACULA'S DAUGHTER. In 1943, the character was resurrected once again with SON OF DRACULA. Lon Chaney Jr. took up the role that is never quite clear if it's Dracula or his son. At any rate, Chaney's performance lacks bite although the special effects are very well done. Other Dracula movies followed of varying quality; most in name only in their relation to Universal's original.
A Spanish version of DRACULA from 1931 was shot on the same sets as Browning's movie, but at night. This version is often referred to as being superior to the American production. Spanish horror icon Paul Naschy interpreted Dracula in the silly, but sexy and heavily atmospheric COUNT DRACULA'S GREAT LOVE (1972). Mexico did their own version of the legend with the excellent, Universal style infused THE VAMPIRE (1957). Toho of Japan even got in on the act with LAKE OF DRACULA (1971) and EVIL OF DRACULA (1975).
The most famous of course, is Christopher Lee's massively popular rendition of Stoker's phenomenally popular vampire in Britain's HORROR OF DRACULA (1958). Lee went on to play the character six more times for Hammer Films in movies that increasingly featured very little Dracula who was reduced to a bit player in his own movie. Lee also played the role again under the aegis of Jess Franco in the anemic COUNT DRACULA (1970).
1979 saw a comedy version of Dracula that featured a myriad number of iconography laid down by Tod Browning's picture with the release of AIP's hilarious LOVE AT FIRST BITE. In that film, George Hamilton played Dracula and Arte Johnson expertly essayed Dwight Frye's Renfield.
The 1931 film was remade in 1992 from Francis Ford Coppola in an overblown, effects heavy production, and again most recently in a laughably bad envisioning of Dracula by famed Italian horror director Dario Argento.
While Lugosi and DRACULA were largely responsible for the innumerable big screen bloodsuckers that entranced audiences for years afterward, director Tod Browning suffered a worse fate than Lugosi ultimately did. After directing the controversial FREAKS (1932), Browning's career was more or less ruined by this dark revenge movie that featured a cast made up of real life freaks. He did two more horror pictures -- one of which was MARK OF THE VAMPIRE (1935), which featured Lugosi in a sort-of remake of Browning's own LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT (1927). The other was THE DEVIL DOLL (1936) about a mad scientist devising a serum to shrink the Earth's population.
Lacking the steady visual intensity of FRANKENSTEIN (1931), DRACULA (1931) runs out of steam before it's even half over. In its favor, Bela Lugosi made horror movie history with an array of mannerisms and indelible dialog. It will always be an important motion picture in the annals of American cinema. It not only started a profitable flood of Universal monster films, but laid the groundwork for the Silver Screen's classic vampire.
This review is representative of the Universal DVD.
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The year 1941 was significant for Lon Chaney Jr. where the horror genre was concerned. It was the year the name Chaney became synonymous with lycanthropy after THE WOLF MAN was unleashed onto the world. Earlier in the year, Chaney played a similarly tragic, but no less dangerous character in MAN MADE MONSTER. 
Originally known as THE MYSTERIOUS DR. R before it was released, Waggner's movie is of interest on a multitude of levels that belie its veritable 'B' movie status. The concept of two scientists working together, yet both have opposing ideologies as to the nature of their work, is a schism bearing a mother lode of themes and ideas unique to the mad scientist canon. Dr. Lawrence (Hinds) wants to perform tests on Dan McCormick in the hopes of using the knowledge to save victims of accidental electrocution. On the other end of the spectrum, Lawrence's partner, Dr. Rigas (Atwill) wishes to harness Dan's uncanny ability in a sinister plot to create a race of super beings that thrive and subsist off of electricity.
Rigas is the most fascinating of the two for obvious reasons; and once it's discovered that his experiments on Dan's body leaves him in a weakened state, the script likens the absorption of electric charges to drug addiction. After excessive electrical experiments, Dan becomes more reliant on them. When his juice is depleted, he requires a new charge. In one scene, Dan is being electrically rejuvenated; and as the jolts pass through his body, he smiles pleasingly as his pain is alleviated. Much like a drug-addled user, Dan becomes dependent on Dr. Rigas -- doing everything he says while under his control.
Chaney's character is arguably of more substance than his more well known Larry Talbot from THE WOLF MAN (1941). Both men are tragic characters, but McCormick is the livelier, and the most sentimental of the two. He has an affability about him that differentiates McCormick from the more serious Talbot. Furthering this pleasantness of character, in MAN MADE MONSTER Dan forms a bond with a small dog named Corky. This dog is shown a lot, and its inclusion adds a great deal of poignancy to the movie that it wouldn't have had otherwise.
Much like Frankenstein's creation, and Talbot's hairy, fanged alter ego, Dan McCormick is a monster to be pitied. His eventual transformation is the product of abused science. After being used as an instrument of death, the vile Dr. Rigas allows Dan to go to the electric chair for crimes he wasn't technically responsible for. He survives this capital punishment -- the massive amounts of voltage have given him the power to kill with a touch. Dan does away with a couple of guards, and escapes the prison. His "rampage" during the last ten minutes causes some inadvertent destruction. These final minutes show Dan as confused and seeking help instead of actually trying to hurt anyone.
Waggner seems to have taken a different approach here, or at least desired to do a picture divergent from the usual monster movie of the day. He gets a nice balance of horror, suspense, drama and exposition for such a short programmer. Waggner was less successful doing this with HORROR ISLAND from the same year and also in the Technicolor Karloff vehicle THE CLIMAX (1944). The former gets drowned out with comedy schtick; and the latter seems more interested in spotlighting gorgeous set design and extravagant musical numbers instead of its PHANTOM OF THE OPERA roots.
