The Mad Monster Reviews

In the tradition of horror/WW II propaganda movies like KING OF THE ZOMBIES (1941) and REVENGE OF THE ZOMBIES (1943), THE MAD MONSTER centers on mad-but-patriotic scientist Dr. Lorenzo Cameron's (George Zucco) attempt to develop a serum that will turn the average man into an invincible soldier. Dr. Cameron transforms his guinea pig Petro (Glenn Strange), a large, dim-witted farmboy, into a monster by injecting him with the blood of a wolf. After sprouting plenty of excess hair and a pair of fangs, Petro runs amok through the countryside, sinking his new canines into anything that moves until a clever reporter (Johnny Downs)--who has fallen for Cameron's daughter (Anne Nagel)--puts two and two together and traps the beast. Shot in a mere five days to capitalize on the success of THE WOLF MAN (1941), this is a typical poverty-row effort: the production values are nil and the plot and action are very silly, but the cast can still be a lot of fun to watch. THE MAD MONSTER has a prime cast of B players led by Zucco and Strange in his horror movie debut. Strange, a stuntman who previously appeared in dozens of B westerns, would go on to play the Frankenstein monster in THE HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1944), HOUSE OF DRACULA (1945), and ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948).