Bride of the Monster

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Bride of the Monster
File:Bride of the Monster (1956 movie poster).jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed byEd Wood
Written by
Alex Gordon

Ed Wood

Produced by
Ed Wood

Donald McCoy

Starring
Bela Lugosi

Tor Johnson Tony McCoy Loretta King

CinematographyWilliam C. Thompson
Edited byWarren Adams
Music byFrank Worth
Production
company
Rolling M. Productions
Distributed byBanner Pictures
Release date
  • May 11, 1955 (1955-05-11)
Running time
68 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$70,000[1]

Bride of the Monster is a 1955 American science fiction horror film written, produced, and directed by Ed Wood, starring Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson, Tony McCoy, and Loretta King. With a $70,000 budget—Wood’s largest—it blends atomic age paranoia with mad scientist tropes. Released by Banner Pictures, it premiered May 11, 1955, at Hollywood’s Paramount Theater as Bride of the Atom.

Plot

Dr. Eric Vornoff (Lugosi), an exiled scientist, experiments with atomic energy in Willows House near Lake Marsh, aiming to create superhumans. His mute assistant Lobo (Johnson) aids him. After killing a hunter with a giant octopus, Vornoff captures reporter Janet Lawton (King), who’s investigating disappearances. Her fiancé, Lt. Dick Craig (McCoy), and police search for her. Vornoff’s rival, Professor Strowski, arrives to recruit him but is fed to the octopus. Lobo rebels, subjecting Vornoff to his own experiment, turning him into a superhuman. A fire erupts, and Vornoff flees with Janet. Pursued, he’s struck by lightning, fights the octopus, and dies in a nuclear blast. Craig remarks, “He tampered in God’s domain.”

Cast

Production

Originally titled The Atomic Monster by Alex Gordon in 1953, funding stalled until 1954.[2] Wood reworked it as The Monster of the Marshes, filming at Ted Allan Studios in October 1954. Meatpacker Donald McCoy funded completion in 1955, casting his son Tony as the lead.[1] Lugosi’s $1,000 role was his last speaking part; body doubles handled physical scenes.[2] The octopus prop, possibly from Wake of the Red Witch (1948), was static, requiring actors to simulate movement.[3]

Release

After its Hollywood debut, it played drive-ins, often with The Beast with a Million Eyes. Samuel Z. Arkoff later profited via distribution, funding American International Pictures.[3]

Reception

Critics panned its cheap sets and script. Joe Dante, Jr. listed it among the worst horror films in 1962.[4] Glenn Erickson called it “endearing” despite flaws, praising Lugosi.[5] It holds a 45% on Rotten Tomatoes (11 reviews).[6]

References

  1. ^ a b Grey, Rudolph (1992). Nightmare of Ecstasy. Feral House. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-922915-24-8.
  2. ^ a b Rhodes, Gary D. (1997). Lugosi: His Life in Films. McFarland. p. 142. ISBN 0-7864-0257-1.
  3. ^ a b Craig, Rob (2009). Ed Wood, Mad Genius. McFarland. p. 83. ISBN 978-0-7864-5423-5.
  4. ^ Dante, Jr., Joe (July 1962). "Dante's Inferno". Famous Monsters. Vol. 4, no. 3. p. 71.
  5. ^ Erickson, Glenn. "Legend Horror and Sci-fi". DVD Talk. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  6. ^ "Bride of the Monster". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 3, 2025.

External links

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