From Horror Movie To Horror Comic: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

Posted on September 13, 2023 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink! Do you remember back in the 1990’s when big companies tried to breathe new life into all the classic movie monsters with big stars being cast and bigger budget driven Hollywood blockbusters hitting the cinemas worldwide? This started in 1992 with “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” and would be followed by the 1994 films “Wolf” and “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” and in 1996 we got “Mary Riley” based on the maid who worked for Doctor Jekyll, all have their own success and following to this day. During this time the comic book industry had an influx of indie companies and many of them released Horror Comics. One of these indie companies was Topps Comics who released many comic adaptations of films including the one that will be the topic of this “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update as its time for us to take a look at Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the 90’s version of a classic monster of literature and cinema as well as the Topps Comics mini series adaptation based on it.

Let’s start off by taking a look at The Monster and his ways of dealing death in this movie depiction. The Monster is the reanimated parts of many dead men whose body is that of a killer and his hatred for being back alive is what drives him as he had a creator that turned on him from the start. His stitched up appearance and massive size strikes fear in the hearts of those who see him and this fear can lead them open to be attacked and killed. The Monster also has brute power and the strength of many men and can use his bare hands to choke, hit and rip the life out of a person as he has enough power to punch inside a person and remove organs. The Monster is also shockingly very smart and can use his twisted mind in order to set up his victims in multiple ways, from killing them to framing them for murder. He also can take way more damage than a normal person and can also survive in the extreme elements of nature, making him very hard to hurt. The weakness of The Monster is that his emotions are all over the place and this causes him to be sloppy at times as well as makes him lash out in anger before thinking about the action. He can be hurt like any living thing from fire to even some bullets can stop and kill him. While The Monster is not the most brutal or most efficient killer we have covered here, I would say that he is a very deadly one when pushed.

So as you can see, The Monster of Frankenstein is a dangerous reanimated thing that is filled with vengeance, revenge and a rage that makes him dangerous. But now we should take a few moments to talk about the film that spawned this version of The Monster! The film’s write up will be coming from our friends at IMDB, and then I will write a little about the film’s production and my thoughts on the film. So if you are ready, it looks like science is about to run amok.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)

“When the brilliant but unorthodox scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein rejects the artificial man that he has created, the Creature escapes and later swears revenge.”

After the big success of 1992’s “Bram Stoker’s Dracula,” an idea from Francis Ford Coppola would come to life as he wanted to bring the classic monsters back to the big screen and the second film selected was Frankenstein, but this time around Coppola would only act as a producer and actor Kenneth Branagh would not only direct the film but would also play Victor Frankenstein in it. The film would be released by TriStar Pictures who was happy with the success of Bram Stoker’s Dracula and greenlit this film pretty quickly and the script was written by Frank Darabont and Steph Lady and was given a budget of $45 million. When casting the film some very interesting choices was made with Robert De Niro playing Frankenstein’s Monster, Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth Frankenstein as well as such names as John Cleese, Ian Holm, Aidan Quinn and Richard Briers to name a few. And the score was done by Patrick Doyle who had worked on the music for films like “Needful Things” and “Carlito’s Way” and it was good and solid work. The film would be released in theaters on November 4, 1994 and would be meet with very mixed reviews as many felt that the film lacked scares and was a little all over the place when it came to the plot and being focused, but most critics and fans praised the acting of De Niro as the Monster. The film did $22,006,296.00 at the American box office and was ranked # 59 for the year and beat out films like New Nightmare, The Puppet Masters, Serial Mom, Ed Wood, Brainscan, Leprechaun 2 and Cronos. The film would be nominated for awards and would not win any and would even make many publications “Worst” list including Rolling Stone Magazine. But over the years and thanks to home media and streaming the film has found a cult following and is being looked back on with more fondness.

I was a big fan of Bram Stoker’s Dracula as I found it to be a very entertaining take on the classic Dracula tale and the effects are fantastic and it was oddly and yet perfectly cast and it was one of my favorite modern Horror Films that I had seen for many years. Now on the other hand, I was a little more mixed on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein as I thought it was well cast and the look of The Monster was pretty solid, it just lacked the charm for me of the classic Universal Monster and Hammer Horror versions of the classic story as it played up on much of the story’s romance and less of the Horror, but when the Horror is showcased is when the film really shines. And I was really shocked on how violent the film was in spots and for many the highlight of the film was when The Monster removes the heart of Elizabeth as it was shocking and horrific. I also really do think that Robert De Niro as The Monster was a good choice as you could tell he put his heart into the roll and tried to bring out all the emotions the character went through in this tale. Plus casting one of Hollywood’s hidden beauties Helena Bonham Carter as Elizabeth also got my attention as a youngster as she for some reason has always reminded me of Elsa Lanchester who played The Bride in the Universal Monster film The Bride Of Frankenstein. Sadly due to my age and the small village I lived in not having a movie theater, I had to wait for the film to be released on home media before I could view it, and when the family finally rented it I found myself like it for the most part and also helped push me into having to find the Topps Comics as well as even had the Video Games for Sega Genesis among other items. Over all while this is not the best Frankenstein film made, I will say it’s a very entertaining one that should get more respect than it does in this modern age from Horror Fans.

One thing that I also have to point out about the film Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is that is sparked a good amount of merchandise for Horror Fans to collect that include not only the Topps Comic mini series but also the soundtrack, magazines, home media, a video game, novel, trading cards, model kit and even t-shirts. And when growing up I had the comics, home media, the video game and many of the magazines that covered the film mostly put out by Fangoria. And what is crazy is that when this film was released and the merchandise was coming out, I can remember that it did not have the buzz around it like Bram Storker’s Dracula did, but if you are a fan of this film make sure to track down and collect some of this cool stuff for your collection, especially the Comics and the Score Soundtrack CD as they are both great stuff.

So as you can see, when released Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein had the Hollywood hype train behind it and even got its fair share of cool merchandise to try feed the fans’ thirst for all things Frankenstein and his Monster, and even if the film did not live up to what it was expected to at the box office it really does have its own fanbase that really enjoys it. And to be honest I have been looking forward to doing this update for a few years now as it gave me an excuse to re-read these comics as well as watch the film again! Plus a “From Horror Movie To Horror Comic” update about Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein has been long overdue. So before we head to the lab to see what is on the slab, I should remind you all that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So with that, it’s time to visit The Monster done 1994 style with a dash of Topps Comics.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein # 1 ***
Released in 1994 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 1 of 4

Captain Walton and his men are in a dangerous spot when they are in a winter storm up north trying to find a way to the North Pole, and when trying to break the ship free of the ice a shadow in the snow ends up killing all the sled dogs and they rescue Victor Frankenstein from the freezing weather. Once back on the ship Victor and Walton talk and Victor fills the Captain in on what he was hunting in this storm as well as his life. Victor grew up in a well to do and respected family who ended up taking in an orphaned girl named Elizabeth, who becomes the love of Victor’s life as the two have a very strong bond. But his life is changed when his mother dies while giving birth to his younger brother, and as he grows up his goal to be a scientist an a doctor who can defeat the secrets of death. Once in medical school, Victor meets a classmate Henry Clerval and they end up becoming the secret students of Professor Waldman and teacher who mixes new and old science and even has reanimated the arm of a chimpanzee. But while given the poor a vaccination for small pox Professor Waldman gets stabbed and killed by a crazed man, and this makes Victor double down of his idea of creating life so that people can life forever as death has cheated him out of another important person in his life. Victor steals the brain of Waldman, the body of his killer once he was hung and collected other body parts in order to create life, and after experimenting he has figured out the key to create. And the night of his experiment the village is about to go on lockdown due to an illness outbreak and he must run off both Elizabeth and Henry who beg him to leave, but this night Victor only has one goal and that to create life.

This is a really good adaptation comic and does a great job of both capturing the mood of the film as well as delivering an issue that gets the reader hooked. The story is simple and has Victor Frankenstein being rescued by a ship Captain and his doomed crew during a terrible winter storm at sea, and Victor ends up sharing his story of death and life with the Captain that ends with him doing his first experiment on trying to create a life. You have to feel for Victor Frankenstein as he was a young man who had it all growing up a good family, education, respect and even found the love of his life at a young age…but when people he cares about dies in his life it sets him down a path of science, medicine and alchemy all in order to stop death and create life. Elizabeth is a caring woman who wants what is best for Victor and as his dive into madness gets darker she still tries to stand by his side even when she is forced out of his lab. Henry Clerval who is a classmates who has some of the same ideas as Victor as well sees that his friend is going down a bad path that goes against the will of God, but he as well wants to watch out for his friend. And the Captain and crew of the ship sadly I feel are in the middle of a battle that they do not want to be around and that’s between a creator and his creation. The comic has some creepy moments and a little bit of blood and has that classic horror feel. The cover art for the issue I have is very eye catching and cool as it’s the Monster under a sheet, and has a classic painting feel about it. The interior artwork is done by Rafael Kayanan and is really great stuff and has that 90’s indie comic look as well to me has that Topps Comics look. A good start to this adaptation mini series and is a read that held up for me after all these years, lets see what issue two has in store for us.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein # 2 ***
Released in 1994 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 2 of 4

Victor Frankenstein is deep into his experiment and after using eels for electricity, the body inside comes alive and once out of his chamber it flings it’s self around and gets caught into cables as Victor watches on in fear and regrets that he gave this thing life and tried to play God, as it’s a grotesque looking monster. As Victor runs from his Monster he decides that he must kill it, and when he returns he finds it gone and swears that he is done with his experiments and The Monster itself. Time passes and The Monster is chased by people of the village as his appearance feeds their fears that he is the one spreading the plague, and this causes him to hide in the woods were he hides and helps and learns from a family that are not aware that he is lurking around. The family is thankful for his help but when they find out what he looks like they run him off with fire and once more he is alone and feared…and returns to his birthplace and finds the diary of Frankenstein and wants revenge on his creator. Meanwhile Victor meets back up with Henry and Elizabeth and wants to start his life over and leave the horror of his creation behind, but then he remembers his diary was left behind and if the Monster finds it his secret is out.

This second issue just like the first does a great job of bringing the film to comic, and captures the building dread and doom that the film delivered to viewers and even turns up the horror level slightly. This issue’s story has Victor Frankenstein both fearing and then hating his creation as he wants to kill it, but is to late to do so as The Monster escapes and finds that the world fears and hates him all over the way he looks…and the creation and the creator are on the path for a showdown as it’s clear they both despise one another. Victor in this issue is very sorrowful for what he has done as he knows now that creating life as a big mistake, and he tries to quickly move on with his life and forget the terror that he has unleashed on the masses. Henry and Elizabeth as always are by his side and try to encourage him to return home and take up just being a regular old doctor to help people. The Monster is very misunderstood and because he looks weird and disfigured he is blamed for the plague as well as mocked and hated by a family that he has been secretly helping through a harsh winter. Being shunned every place he goes you can see why The Monster hates his creator Victor as this life he did not want to have. And I have to say by this issue you have to kind of feel sorry for The Monster as he is really mistreated by everyone just cause the scars on his face, plus his own creator or father figure if you will, runs from him in fear as he hates what he created…must be a terrible feeling The Monster has. The cover for this version I have is eye catching an has The Monster standing with a home on fire behind him, and the interior art by Rafael Kayanan is great like before and the way he draws The Monster is awesome. Over all a relatively bloodless Horror Comic that is a fun read and thickens the plot of creator and creation. Also I feel this issue holds up and is a fun smooth read.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein # 3 ***
Released in 1994 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 3 of 4

As Victor and Elizabeth are getting ready for their marriage the their family and friends arrive including William who is the younger brother of Victor, and while going to visit his friend he runs into The Monster and is later found dead an the killing is blamed on one of the families female friends who is hung by a mob of mad villagers. As Victor morns, he gets a quick visit from The Monster who tells him to meet him up on a mountain, Victor goes and brings guns as he was to kill his creation. And when Victor arrives he tires to shoot The Monster and fails and then is more shocked that The Monster can read and speak. The Monster says he is the one who killed William and by accident set up the young woman who was blamed, and what he wants his a female friend to love and that if Victor makes him one he will disappear forever from human eyes, Victor agrees to do so. Elizabeth is upset as Victor tells her that they must push off their wedding for a month as he must do something so that they will have peace for life, she is mad and threatens to leave for good. Victor gets the help of Henry and they set up the lab but things get out of hand when The Monster murders a woman and now Victor refuses to help and The Monster tells him he will strike on his wedding night. Time passes and Victor and Elizabeth are married and go on the run with Henry and other guards on the watch as they are told to kill the ungodly creature that is stalking the newly married couple. And as a storm blows in Victor an Elizabeth find shelter as all around them men watch out for a killer.

The third issue keeps the mood building and adds more horror as The Monster is not understanding how to keep his emotions in check. The plot of this issue has The Monster killing the younger brother of Victor as well as getting a Frankenstein family friend blame and killed for the killing and now is trying to force Victor into creating a female monster for him as a mate and threatens him that the urges to kill will get worse if he does not have someone he can love, and Victor tries but when The Monster kills an innocent woman he can not make a bride as The Monster is clearly evil…and now Victor might have doomed his new Bride as well as his family and The Monster is very mad and filled with rage. Victor Frankenstein in this issues faces more heart break over the deaths of some loved ones and must try and avoid loosing the love of his life as well as dodge the rage of the monster he created. And while Victor has done bad things including trying to play God he does not get behind murder for science. Elizabeth is very happy to be getting married to Victor but does not understand the horrors that he committed in his lab. Henry is loyal as ever to his friendship to Victor and his leading men to try and keep the couple safe during their wedding night. The Monster is very confused by his life as he cannot control his evil thoughts and yet also understands what love means and is an all he really wants is to have a Bride that he can run away with and be away from human eyes. The cover is great and showcases The Monster and like before the interior art by Rafael Kayanan is great stuff and captures the looks of the actors really well and I have to say I love the way he draws The Monster. Over all another solid issue that captures the film really well and also held up as a re-read after all these years for me. Let’s see how The Monster an Victor Frankenstein’s tale comes to an end with the next and final issue.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein # 4 ***
Released in 1995 Cover Price $2.95 Topps Comics # 4 of 4

Victor and Elizabeth are alone in the cabin and make love on their wedding night, meanwhile outside Henry and the men are keeping guard as the storm continues to pour down and The Monster watches and waits for his time to strike. And later The Monster distracts Victor, Henry and the men who rush off to try and find and end him, while The Monster kills a guard and then murders and takes the heart of Elizabeth just as Victor returns and cannot do anything to stop it. Victor then picks up the body of Elizabeth and rushes to his lab to bring her back to life, and after the experiment she returns to life confused and twisted in appearance. The Monster enters the lab and wants to make Elizabeth his new undead Bride and as Victor and his first creation argue over the love of Elizabeth she discovers that she is a created life and engulfs herself in flames to end her misery and this cause Victor and The Monster to fight and Victor gives chase. We then go back to the ship and Victor Frankenstein passes away from pneumonia and the Captain tells his men that once the ice breaks up they will continue their journey, when they hear a terrible sobbing sound coming from bellow and when they rush to the belly of the ship they find The Monster over the body of Victor as he is upset about the death of his creator. In the end the Captain and his men watch as The Monster pours fuel all over himself and the body of Victor and then he sets them both on fire ending the story of the Creator and his Creation.

The fourth and final issue of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is really great and captures the downbeat nature of the films final act. And again I have to praise Topps Comics as they proved that they really did understand the art of film adaptations. The story in this issue has Victor Frankenstein before dying sharing the last part of his story that has his wife dying, being brought back to life only for her to commit suicide and lastly is able to try and make it right with his creation. And of course in the end both creator and creation go up in flames and the life work of Frankenstein comes to an end, but their legacy would live on as The Captain and his men have heard the twisted tale as well as seen The Monster itself. Victor Frankenstein in this issue is fueled by hatred as his created Monster will not leave him along and takes the life of his true love Elizabeth and even rips her heart out in front for him showing that The Monster is very cold blooded and yet you also pick up that he is confused by his new life and is torn between good and evil. The Monster is also very much filled with rage and that causes him to lash out at his creator who turned his back on him instead of teaching him how to be a living person, instead he has to deal with all the emotions and not understand how to control them and that leads to why Elizabeth’s heart being removed from her body. The comic is pretty violent and filled with murder and death but does not have lots of blood, but still even without the red stuff it has some great spooky and gross moments that make it a great Horror Comic read. In fact the whole mini series was a great read and while some changes had to be made the film to comic presentation was well done and was a great tool to promote the film as well as give fans a little something special to collect and read. The cover for this issue is great and has the reanimated corpse of Elizabeth standing in her dress and we can see the scars on the back of her skull great image and well drawn and colored. The interior art by Rafael Kayanan is really good stuff and has been solid throughout the series, and I have to say I really like the way he draws The Monster as he even captures the look of Robert De Niro and well as the details of the character in the film. To sum it up, if you like the film make sure to read this comic mini series as it really good, and rereading this made me miss Topps Comics even more. Checkout the artwork below to see the style of Rafael used in this Horror Comic.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a film that helped keep Horror Films alive at the cinema in the early 90’s and to this day has built up a cult statues as fans have discovered the film again thanks to home media and streaming services and I truly think that it is a good film that just lacks a little of the charm of Bram Stoker’s Dracula as that film was a hard act to follow. The Frankenstein story has been done in all types of media over the years from stage plays to direct to video films and everything in-between and this 1994 big budget film version has made its mark on the work of Mary Shelley and that’s not a bad thing as this film did its best to pay respect to the novel that created it. Well with that I think that its time we end this update as we have more Countdown To Halloween 2023 and we will return to the world of Pro Wrestling for the next update and a Horror Themed terror of the squared circle called Yeti who was a short lived AAA Luchador! So until next time, read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie of two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update as it will be a creepy masked Luchador of a spooky time!

Top 22 Lost Silent Horror Film Countdown

Posted on October 2, 2022 by bloodlinematt

Welcome back to Rotten Ink. For this update we will be talking about Silent Horror Cinema and to be more specific we are talking about Lost Silent Horror Cinema, those films that have been lost to time due to poor film preservation, studio vault fires and the greed of private collectors. The sad thing is that many film professors and historians think that over 90% of silent films are lost and many of them we have zero clue of what even was made way back when. So to be more direct we have zero clue on what all Silent Horror Films are lost that did not have remaining posters or stills found to prove its existence so it’s crazy to think that their was films made that no one will ever see again, heartbreaking I know. I grew up a Horror Movie fan from a young age I watched Universal Monsters, King Kong, Godzilla and Hammer Horror and was hooked and Horror Hosts like Commander USA, Grampa Munster, USA Up All Night, Saturday Nightmares and Dr. Creep with their shows introduced me to so many films with Commander really being the one to bring Slasher films into my life. Magazines and Books also showed me a world of so much different Horror Films. And the home media like VHS and Beta played a big part in me discovering Silent Horror Films as I would buy them cheap and hurry home to watch and I would find so many of them at a Dollar Tree in Sugarcreek Township in Ohio and that’s how I first saw the likes of Nosferatu, Hunchback Of Notre Dame, The Golem and Phantom Of The Opera to name a few. And for me Silent Horror has always captured my imagination and love for the genre of Horror. And that’s why I feel I need to bring you this list of My Top 20 Lost Silent Horror Films that I want to see!

This list is my personal Top 20 picks of what I would love to see found and I spent so much time going through lists and films that fit in the Horror genre and did research on each film and even followed leads to see if copies are at Film Archives in order to come up with this list, and heck I am sure that many of these if not all of them are and will be on your list as well, as each of these films I choose sound so interesting. So let’s dust off our Silent Horror Film knowledge and get to the theater and talk about these lost gems that we all hope one day are found.

# 22

Wasei Kingu Kongu
Year: 1933 Director: Torajira Saito Country: Japan

Very little is known about this lost short film from Japan that is one of the nation’s first “giant monster” movies. The movie’s plot is suppose to be about a man named Santa who is a loser who does not have a job and makes all his money finding loose change on the streets of Tokyo. When his girlfriend dumps him and starts dating a new man he does find a job at local theaters as he dresses in a gorilla suit and becomes King Kong to advertise for the film’s Japan release. Well, one night while on stage crushing fake miniature buildings he spots his ex and her new man and decides to go on a rampage of his own chasing after her new man and beating him up. The crowd loves it as they think it’s apart of the show and this gets Santa a raise and allows him to earn the respect of his former girlfriend and her father and the two love birds get back together. This sounds like it’s a mish-match of film genres that has part of drama, comedy and a hint of horror and that’s why I have this one so low as I feel its very interesting but it not fully a Horror Flick, but keep in mind it is a part of King Kong cinema history so that’s why it has made it to this list. The film is said to star Isamu Yamaguchi, Yasuko Koizumi and Kotaro Sekiguchi and this silent film is said to be lost forever due to the bombings of World War II, as sadly so many of Japan’s cinema was lost due to this.

# 21

The Ghost Breaker
Year: 1922 Director: Alfred E. Green Country: United States

This Horror Comedy is about Warren Jarvis and his servant friend Rusty Snow escaping a family feud and meeting Maria who owns a her family’s mansion that is haunted by ghosts, and she hires Warren and Rusty to get ride of them! But are the ghosts real or is someone after the gold that is hidden in the mansion? This sounds like it could be a very fun film that mixes in Horror, Mystery and Comedy and starred Wallace Reid as Warren Jarvis, Walter Hiers as Rusty Snow and Lila Lee as Maria Theresa. What makes me want to see this film is I have always been a fan of classic cinema Horror Comedies as they have their own silly nature of classic stage style antics. The one downside to this film but yet sadly was a product of its time is that actor Walter Hiers plays the character Rusty in blackface, and that is not something I enjoy about classic cinema. Also I really would love to know what the ghost effects of this film looked like and I should note that actor Wallace Reid died shortly after the film’s release of withdraws from a drug addiction.

# 20

The Dream Woman
Year: 1914 Director: Alice Guy Country: United States

This short Horror Drama feature is about a man who is plagued by a recurring dream about a woman in black standing over him while he sleeps and trying to stab him. On his travels he gets lost and stays at an inn were he once more thinks he sees the woman, and this causes him great stress and is a mental drain. Finally he meets a woman named Alice and falls in love with her, but she has a dark side, as she is an alcoholic and after a bad fight she threatens to kill her husband while he sleeps…and after separating Alice ends up finding her one time husband and kills him with a knife. The film’s final is said to take place in the spirit world. Or so it’s rumored that this is the full plot of this missing frighten thriller flick. The film starred Fraunie Fraunholz as Francis Raven the man tormented by his dreams and Claire Whitney played The Woman In Black and Alice Warlock the wife and the knife dream killer. The film sounds really interesting and is based on the novel by Wilkie Collins and I like the idea of a dream world knife swinging Woman In Black being a warning to what the future holds for our doomed lead character. Sounds interesting and I have heard that the film was a super short and as well have read that it was way longer then reported. Let’s hope that this film is found and we can see The Woman In Black for ourselves.

# 19

The Haunted Bedroom
Year: 1919 Director: Fred Niblo Country: United States

Betsy Thorne is a news reporter from New York that travels down south to look into the case of a man who has gone missing and worse she finds out that all reporters are banned from the area, and Betsy being quick witted scares a newly hired maid and takes her place at the home to get her story. But while there for two nights she sees a ghastly figure creeping around the chapel as well as the family cemetery! Can Besty and solve the crime of who the figure is, can she find the missing man and will she be able to do so with out alerting the police so she can get her big break news story? Well all signs point to yes but sadly this film is one of the many lost Silent Films from the Horror Genre. This Horror Drama sounds like a mystery film that would both scare as well as even have the viewers on the edge of their seats as the lead character Betsy tried to solve this case. The film starred Enid Bennett as Betsy Thorne as well as actors like Dorcas Matthews, Jack Nelson, Lloyd Hughes and Otto Hoffman. I think this one would be a blast to watch and almost feels like the early prototype of the classic Horror Mystery films that followed and even to a point Scooby-Doo. One can hope that this film is found someday as it seems like a really fun Horror Mystery film.

# 18

Alraune
Year: 1919 Director: Michael Curtiz & Edmund Fritz Country: Hungary

A scientist creates a child from a union between a mandrake root and a woman and the child is very demonic and evil. Not much is known about this film besides a very basic plot and the cast and crew thanks to some surviving posters. Also the release year as been reported as both 1918 and 1919 with many saying they think 1919 is right. This could also be one of the world’s earliest mad scientists films and that makes me really want to see it. Plus I love that it’s a Hungarian Silent Horror Film that has Sci-Fi elements. The film stars Rozsi Szollosi as Alraune as well as other actors like Gyula Gal, Kalman Kormendy and Boske Malatinszky. It makes me wonder just how demonic and evil Alraune is in this lost horror fright flick and if it played more with the Horror or Sci-Fi elements in its production.

# 17

A Son Of Satan
Year: 1924 Director: Oscar Micheaux Country: United States

A man takes a bet to spend a night in a haunted house that is filled with evil spirits and bad visions. The film is called a “Race” film as its cast and crew were all African Americans and of course due to this the film ran into some distribution issues that lead to many states not playing it and also is what lead to the film being lost now. The censorship board attacked the film for scenes that had a man choking his wife to death, a KKK member being killed and sadly they kill a cat on screen! They claimed all these elements and more that included the name of the film would be “offensive to Southern ladies” and so it was quickly shown and buried with sadly no fan fair. The film was said to star many members of Broadway Musicals with names like Aubrey Lyles, Adelaide Hall and F.E. Miller having parts. Other cast members included Andrew S. Bishop, Lawrence Chenault and Edna Morton. This film sounds very interesting and it would be great to see how well they pulled off a Haunted House and how “brutal” these deaths really are that caused all this drama with the film boards back then. Also it would be amazing to see this Race Film that is a major part of Horror History and more important Black Cinema. The reason it’s so low on my list is if the rumors are true of a cat being killed on screen are true, that element turns my stomach as I am a cat owner. But with that said let’s hope that one day this film is found and we are able to see it.

# 16

The First Men In The Moon
Year: 1919 Director: Bruce Gordon Country: United Kingdom

Samson Cavor is an old man inventor who created something called Cavorite and along with a man named Rupert Bedford they travel to the moon thanks to his creation that neutralizing the law of gravity! But things go south when Bedford leaves Cavor on the moon and returns home and steals the old mans invention. But thanks to the left behind old man’s niece Susan and a young engineer named Hogben they find away to talk to her Uncle and Susan turns down Bedford’s advances and marries Hogben and together they show the world the Bedford is a fraud! And Samson himself stays on the moon and lives with the Selenites the alien race that inhabits the moon. This film is based on the H.G. Wells novel of the same name and is even on Brittan’s “75 Most Wanted Films” list, and I would love to see the film as its clearly one of cinemas earliest Sci-Fi films as well as the aliens themselves look so cheesy and cheap that I would love to see them in action. With United Kingdom on the hunt for a copy of this film we can hope that it will be found sooner than later.

# 15

Balaoo The Demon Baboon
Year: 1913 Director: Victorin-Hippolyte Jasset Country: France

Dr. Coriolis has turned an ape almost human by the name of Balaoo the Dr. and his niece Madeleine look after this creature who ends up getting captured in a trap set by the evil poacher named Hubert who ends up using Balaoo to kill off his enemies as well as has him kidnap Madeleine…but can this creature truly be controlled and rampage or will it’s human side make the decision to stop these killings and know right from wrong. This sounds like it could be a very cool film if found as it was based on the story by Phantom Of The Opera writer Gaston Leroux and sadly all he have of this film is about four minutes of footage, posters and some stills. In the film Lucien Bataille played Balaoo and other actors include Camille Bardou, Madeleine Grandjean, Henri Gouget and Josette Andriot. The film sounds like it could have been a early version of Nature Runs Amok Horror and while the look of Balaoo was pretty much done with grease paint this is one film I would love to see in full and lets hope someday the missing footage is found and that we will all be able to see this film in all its glory.

# 14

The Last Moment
Year: 1923 Director: J. Parker Read Jr. Country: USA

Alice Winthrop is a young woman who has two men trying to win her hand and they are Hercules and Harry and the three make the mistake of going to a waterfront saloon and become the kidnapped victims of the sinister Captain Finn that makes them go to his ship and who himself wants Alice as his mistress and if she refuses she will have to be looked into a cage with a half-man and half-beast monster who ends up escaping and kills the crew and Alice, Hercules and Harry have to fight for their life in order to get ashore and away from the monster on the loose. This film starred Doris Kenyon, Henry Hull, Louis Calhem and Jerry Paterson and sadly the film has been lost for many decades now and what we have are the poster as well as some publicity stills and the monster looks amazing! This sounds like a very interesting early Horror Cinema creature feature that would be a great chilling watch if it could every be found, but as of this update no known copies are in any Film Archive. Let’s hope this film is found in a private collection or in an archive pile of films that have not been checked yet…we Horror Fans need to see this classic creature feature!

# 13

The Hunchback And The Dancer
Year: 1920 Director: F.W. Murnau Country: Germany

This film’s plot was about a man named James Wilton who has a massive hunchback who is a foul man who ends up becoming rich after finding a diamond mine in Java and he ends up dating a young dancer names Gina who is heartbroken after a bad breakup. But things get worse for her when she decides to leave James and return to her past boyfriend who dies after kissing her…as James has tainted her with a poison that really gives her the kiss of death. Gina once she figures it out tries to find out a way for James to kiss her as she wants revenge and only his life could pay the debit she feels she’s owned. The film starred John Gottowt as the Hunchback James Wilton and Sascha Gura as Gina. This sounds like an interesting Horror Thriller that would be a blast to see as its some early work of F.W. Murnau and seems like it could deliver some spooky moments. The film also stars actors as Paul Biensfeldt, Bella Polini and Anna Von Palen. Makes me wonder just how creepy this film is and how evil the character James Wilton is and just how Gina figures out how to trick him into kissing her to poison him and get her revenge. Let’s hope that this film is found in some film vault or even a private collection soon.

# 12

The Gorilla
Year: 1927 Director: Alfred Santell Country: United States

A killer wearing a gorilla suit is committing murders and after killing a man his daughter wants to find out who the costumed murder is as she has been blamed for the crime! This Horror film has elements of Crime and Thriller and brings a costume killer to the silver screen and even spawned two remakes one in 1930 and another in 1939! The weird thing about this film is that it also had elements of comedy, as many Horror films did this to bring in a bigger audience and downplay the spooky elements. This film starred Alice Day as Alice Townsend the accused Daughter as well as Charles Murray, Fred Kelsey, Brooks Benedict and Aggie Herring. What makes me want to see this film be found and released so I can see it is that I like the idea of a killer in a massive Gorilla suit causing death and our poor hero having to prove her innocence. But also the deeper you dig into this films history is that many enjoyed the Horror and Mystery aspects of the film…they did not like the silly comedy aspects. Only time will tell if this film will ever be found and how modern Horror Fans will react to this Horror Comedy.

# 11

The Wizard
Year: 1927 Director: Richard Rosson Country: United States

Professor Paul Coriolos is a man with a plan to get revenge on jury members who sent his son to be hung who he thinks was innocent. In his laboratory he creates a creature that he sends out to kill those he blames, and it’s up to Detective Murphy and reporter Stanley Gordon to uncover and stop the killings as the Judge and his daughter are on the hit list! This creature feature sounds like it would be a fun classic creepy watch that also would have had elements of crime thriller. One major thing I would love to see this film for is the Gorilla Monster in action as from the remaining stills of the film he looks great and he was also played by pro wrestler George Kotsonaros who was killed in a car wreck in 1933 when the car he was driven flipped over. The rest of the cast included Gustav von Seyffertitz as the Professor, Perlie Marchall as Murphy and Leila Hyams as Anne the judges daughter. Sadly the last known print of the film went up in flames in 1931when Fox had a bad studio fire. This film for many fans of Silent Horror is considered one of the most sought after to be found, and here is hoping one day it will be.

# 10

Life Without Soul
Year: 1915 Director: Joseph W. Smiley Country: United States

Dr. William Frawley created a Brute Man with a fluid who has a twisted mind and on the night of William’s wedding his creation kills the Bride and escapes into the darkness. As Brute Man travels across Europe his creator Dr. Frawley is hunting him and once he finds his creation he ends its life with a bullet, and then dies himself from exhaustion. This is the second film based on Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein and The Monster in this version is very toned down and is just a very strange looking man that was played by actor Percy Standing. I should also say that some people who cover this lost film say that Dr. Frawley killed his creation in the room of his dead wife, that Brute Man dies only after his creator does as well as The Monster was called The Creation and not Brute Man and some reports say that it was a statue given life while others say it was a corpse. Every classic Horror fan loves Frankenstein and I know that I am not the only one who would love to see this version be found so we can see how this one did at bringing the classic horror tale to the silver screen. Plus if Brute Man really was a statue to start with this also kind of has a Golem feel to it and that as well really makes me want to see it! Sadly no clips have survived of this film and only some production stills and ads have.

# 9

The Golem And The Dancing Girl
Year: 1917 Director: Rochus Gliese & Paul Wegener Country: Germany

This film is the second in the Golem trilogy and is also the second one to be lost from the trilogy and is a Horror Comedy that spoofs the original film. The plot for this one is very loose and is pieced together from many sources so we can not 100% be sure that this is really what the film was about. It’s said that in this film actor Paul Wegener plays himself and loves that the character he played The Golem has put fear in the hearts of movie goers and decides to have a little fun as he puts back on the costume and heads to a party in order to charm a young dancer named Helga as well as scare the attendees. This film peeks my interest because I would like to see how The Golem the first monster to have a trilogy of films become a comedy act in one of them. I am not sure how I would feel about this film and that’s why I hope that one day it’s found so I can see it for myself…will it be a great Horror Comedy or would if be a Unfunny mess, lets hope one day this second film in The Golem series is found. Sadly not much remains of this film besides some “Posters” and a promotional shot.

# 8

The Werewolf
Year: 1913 Director: Henry MacRae Country: United States

The Werewolf is a lost film that needs to be found for a number of reasons like it is the first Werewolf film made and the other is it’s the first Universal Monster film made! The film is about a Native American witch who’s daughter as well gets powers and turns into a wolf in order to get revenge on white settlers and does again 100 years after her death. The film is a short one running about 18 minutes and stars the likes of Phyllis Gordon, Clarence Butyon, Marie Walcamp and William Clifford and the last known copy of the film burned up in the Universal Vault fire of 1924 that sadly destroyed so many classic cinema films. I would be really interested in seeing if this silent film had a werewolf transformation scene and if it did would it be cross dissolve effects, happen off screen or would it be make-up? I am a huge fan of werewolf films and this is one I would love to see as it really is considered the first film to showcase that creature, plus its great that this film had a Native America legend to it. Lets hope that one day Universal finds another copy tucked away in a vault or some private collector comes forward with a copy. Only a “poster” remains for this film.

# 7

A Blind Bargain
Year: 1922 Director: Wallace Worsley Country: United States

This sadly is one of many of Lon Chaney Sr. Films that are lost to time due to poor film preservation from the silent era and is one that sounds like it would have been lots of spooky fun to see. Failed writer Robert Sandell is down on his luck and has an ill mother and decides to rob someone and chooses Dr. Lamb, but when the Doctor alerts him that he might be able to help his sick mother, and all Robert has to do is volunteer to help him in his experiments and want to become a published author. But soon Robert finds out that Dr. Lamb is a madman and has ruined many peoples life with failed experiments turning them into mindless monsters and in the end Robert must survive Dr. Lamb as well as his twisted creations. This film sounds amazing and had Lon Chaney Sr. playing two roles as he was Dr. Lamb as well as a hunchback assistant who was made that way because of Lamb. The film was rumored to have gotten a standing ovation at its premiere and the effects used for the experimented people looked fantastic with the Ape Man being the standout for me. Sadly the last prints of this film were lost in a vault fire at MGM in 1965 and lets hope one is found so we can all see this Lon Chaney Sr. Horror film. The film also starred Raymond McKee as Robert Sandell, Wallace Beery as Beast Man and Virginia True Boardman as Mrs. Sandell. Only the poster and some promotional shots remain of this film.

# 6

The Monster Of Frankenstein
Year: 1920 Director: Eugenio Testa Country: Italy

This is a very interesting sounding film as it was one of Italy’s early Horror Films and was made just before that genre was banned from cinema by Mussolini when he raised to power as well is the third film to be based on the Frankenstein story by Marry Shelley! The film also was considered too scary and was censored by many Nation’s as the film would screen in many languages all over the world. The films plot has Dr. Victor Frankenstein creating a life with not soul out of dead body parts and the creatures escapes the lab and goes on a rampage and must be stopped by Victor who confronts his creation in a cave and is forced to destroy it. The film has gone missing after it’s very long run and no print from any Country that showed is knows to have survived and all that we have left is some stills and promotional items. The film starred Luciano Albertini as Victor Frankenstein an actor who sadly ended up in an Asylum in his later years and Umberto Guarracino as The Monster who was not overly made-up like The Monster has been in more modern Frankenstein films. I would love for this film to be found as it being one of Italy’s early horror films as well as the fact it was censored so much due to its scary factor makes this a must. Lets home some day this one is found and is unleashed on viewers once more.

# 5

Das Phantom der Oper
Year: 1916 Director: Ernst Matray Country: Germany

Das Phantom der Oper is a lost German Silent Horror Movie that is the first film to be based on the novel Phantom Of The Opera by Gaston Leroux and is one that I would love to see found as one of my favorite classic movie monsters is The Phantom and I would love to see how this one compares to the more famous 1925 version that starred Lon Chaney Sr. in the role of The Phantom! This early version has very little knows about it but what has been said is that the film is about up and coming singer Christine Day who is being trained by a mysteries man in the shadows known as The Phantom and when Raoul comes into her life The Phantom is now pleased and sets out to force her hand in marriage as well as end the life of her young suitor. It’s said that at the end of this lost film The Phantom is killed when a boiler explodes and he is caught in the blast. The film was not only screened in Germany and the surrounding areas but also the Netherlands and its during these out of country screenings in 1917 is when it’s believed that the film was lost. The film has actress Aud Egede-Nissen as Christine Daae, Ernst Matray as Raoul and Nils Olaf Chrisander as The Phantom! And I am sure you readers as well would love to see how Nils Olaf Chrisander appearance and performance as The Phantom compares to Lon Chaney Sr.’s version. Let’s hope that this Phantom doesn’t stay lost forever.

# 4

The Head Of Janus
Year: 1920 Director: F.W. Murnau Country: Germany

The mastermind of German silent Horror films F.W. Murnau who was known for the films Faust and Nosferatu also had his own version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that was called The Head Of Janus, but like with Nosferatu with the novel Dracula by Bram Stocker he did not get permission from Robert Louis Stevenson estate to do the film so many changes was made to the story. The story fallows Dr. Warren a man who bought a statue bust of the Roman god of the doorway Janus as a gift for his lady Jane Lanyon who takes one look at the creepy bust and rejects the gift forcing Dr. Warren to keep it himself. That night the statue turns Dr. Warren into a sinister character that goes by the name Mr. O’Connor and he goes to Jane’s house and kidnaps her and brings her back to the lab, the next morning when he turns back to Dr. Warren he is shocked by his actions and tries to get rid of the statue at an auction and finds himself bidding and buying the statue back showing that it has a hold on him. He once more turns back to Mr. O’Connor and goes and a violent rampage and once the law comes after him the crazed man commits suicide by poison with the curse bust statue in his hands. This sounds like it would be an amazing spooky classic film to see and you know that with F.W. Murnau in the director chair this one would have been a masterpiece. Conrad Veidt who played Cesare in The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari played Dr. Warren and Mr. O’Connor so again you know that he had to have turned in a very amazing performance! Other actors in the film include Margarete Schlegel, Magnus Stiffer and most amazing is Bela Lugosi who played The Butler! This film needs to be found as I am sure that it will be another Silent Horror Classic that will be in the same prestige as Nosferatu, Hunchback Of Notre Dame, Phantom Of The Opera, Haxan and so many more. Let’s hope that its found in out lifetime and is able to be seen my viewers once more. Sadly all we have is a few promotional material for the film as of this update.

# 3

The Golem
Year: 1915 Director: Henrik Galeen & Paul Wegener Country: Germany

The first film in The Golem trilogy is sadly lost just as the second film is and this one is a film that I would love to be found, in fact I myself have written to film archives all around in order to try and see if a print is locked away in a vault someplace…and sadly at this point besides around 3 minutes of the film nothing has been found. The plot has Troedler an antiques dealer searching an old Jewish temple and finds the clay statue of a Golem that was brought to life by an amulet and helped save Jewish people from persecution, Troedler decides to take the Golem home and use him as a servant but sadly things go wrong when the Golem falls in love with Jessica the dealers daughter and when she does not show back the same affections the Golem goes on a rampage of damage and murder. This sounds like it would have been amazing and when you watch the three minutes of film that was found via YouTube it will really make you want this film to be found as it looks fantastic and super classically spooky. Paul Wegener is one of my favorite Silent Film Horror actors and this being the first in his Golem series makes it a must find and what is crazy so many rumors are around that prints are out in the world in the hands of private collectors who are hording them and not allowing them to be seen by Horror fans, in other words they want to be the only ones with the rare lost films. Let’s hope that one day this film is found or if the rumors are true a private collector lets this film be re-mastered and put back out so the world can see the horror of The Golem once more. The film has some footage and very little promotional material is what we have.

# 2

Dracula’s Death
Year: 1921 Director: Karoly Lajthay Country: Hungary

This lost Dracula film is not like your normal vampire Dracula fright flick as it plays more on mental illness, power of suggestion as well as a nightmarish dream world. The films plot is about a woman who visits an asylum and meets a man who claims to be Dracula and this torments her, as the man also seems to be in her dreams now causing them to become nightmares. The woman cannot take it anymore and escapes the asylum and later in life gets married and starts a new life…but she cannot escape Dracula in her dreams. And the big question is if that inmate is really Dracula or just a mentally disturbed man in the asylum. I think this film sounds fascinating and I for one would love to see if the man in the asylum was really Dracula and if so why has he targeted this young woman as a person to torment with terrible dreams. Many of rumors are going around about the film with most saying it is 100% lost and a few sources claiming a Hungarian Film Archive has a print in their collection and have never shared it. I reached out the film archive to see if I could get answers and as of this update they have never responded. Let’s hope that they do indeed have a print and one day they let the film see the light of the moon for us Silent Horror fans. As of right now we have a poster and production pictures to show us glimpses of this film.

# 1

London After Midnight
Year: 1927 Director: Tod Browning Country: United States

I am sure the # 1 spot is not a surprise as London After Midnight really is the Holy Grail of lost Horror films and is one of the worlds most wanted lost film to be found! Over the years so many rumors have circled around the film being found in private collections from all over the world, some even are saying that Cuba has a print in their archives and I tracked this lead and never got a response from the archive. The plot of this film has a man named Sir Roger Balfour being found dead in his home of what is ruled as a self inflected gunshot wound by Inspector Edward C. Burke who is also an amateur hypnotist! Time passes and the new owners of the house are being haunted by a vampire looking man called The Man In The Beaver Hat and a undead looking woman, and the couple calls in Inspector Edward C. Burke who wants to solve the case as he does not think that Balfour killed himself and wants to use his hypnotist powers on the dead mans family members to find out who killed the man who is now missing from his tomb! And who is The Man In The Beaver Hat and his undead female friend and how do they tie into Inspector Edward C. Burke? This sounds like such a fun film and lets be honest all us horror fans love the look of The Man In The Beaver Hat as Lon Chaney Sr. once more designed such a creepy and awesome looking character as the actor played that role as well as Inspector Edward C. Burke. Other actors in this film included Marceline Day, Edna Tichenor, Claude King and Polly Moran. We do know that films poster, promotional stills, the script as well as some still have survived as the films last print is thought to have burned up in the MGM Vault Fire of 1965 along with so many other silent films. London After Midnight is a film that has some many film buffs and historians looking for a print that I think one day we will all be able to see this film again. The film was remade back in 1935 by director Tod Browning and starred Bela Lugosi in the role of the vampire. And TCM also did a fan reproduction of the film using stills from the film and lots of text cards. Lets hope that London After Midnight as well as every film on this list doesn’t always remain lost films.

Well that’s my list of Lost Silent Horror Films that I hope are found sooner then later and that not only I but all you classic horror fans get to see in our lifetime. And to be fair there is a few more films that could have made it to this list with one being the 1913 film called “The Vampire” from England that is about a Vampire Woman who could turn into a giant snake as well as “Robbing Cleopatra’s Tomb” from 1899 about a man who chops up the body of Cleopatra and by doing so brings her back to life and this one was directed by Georges Melies. And I have not given up my own quest to try and track down these films and will do all I can to try and help bring these lost Horrors back to the silver screen and TV screens the world over, and not to even mention the Silent Film Universe comics that we are doing at Blood Scream Comics to keep these films and characters alive. And over the years this far I have been able to find one “Lost” film in a overseas archive and am working on trying to get the film re-mastered and screened at a local Ohio theater and then get it out on home media…that is if I can get the very large amount needed to do so, but keep your eyes open for details of the film found and if I am able to get it saved. And sorry for not sharing yet I just don’t want to jinx myself with this one and I will say this film is not on this list and is a Silent Horror Comedy film. Well sense this is the Countdown To Halloween 2022 season as well as apart of Rotten Ink’s 10-year anniversary we will be sticking with the Horror theme and will be taking a look at another Anniversary that happened way back in 1998 and I am talking about Halloween H20! So until then read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Silent Horror Film or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update for Michael Myers big 20-Year Anniversary of being one of cinemas biggest horror icons.

Horror Host Icon: TNT Monstervision – The Moon & Narrator

Posted on September 23, 2021 by bloodlinematt

Back in the 90’s, network TV had cancelled many of the amazing Horror Host shows that graced their airwaves as the TBS show Super Scary Saturday with host Grampa Munster was history in 1989 with that same year USA ended Commander USA’s Groovie Movies and even the original run of Movie Macabre with Hostess Elvira Mistress Of The Dark came to an end by the late 80’s. But in 1991 TNT stepped into the Horror Host game and delivered Monstervision to weekend viewers that became a mainstay for the station all the way to the year 2000! Most of you readers know Monstervision with its Host Joe Bob Briggs, but did you know that the show had more hosts then just him? That’s right before Joe Bob there was The Moon, Penn & Teller and Logo with Narrator’s Voice! And for this Horror Host Icon update we will be taking a quick and yet fun look at The Moon and The Narrator as I feel they are very important to the legacy of Monstervison as well. And I have been itching to talk about Monstervision and my Joe Bob Briggs update is in the works but still years away from being posted, so it’s with great pleasure that I bring to you Horror Host Icon: TNT Monstervision – The Moon & Narrator! So let’s get our MOOOONSTERVISION on.

TNT Monstervision started on June 29, 1991 and was a way to bring viewers marathons of classic Horror and Science Fiction films plus TV Shows as special epic feeling events. The marathons would run all night and would keep fans glued to the TV Screens fighting off sleep to watch all the cheesy goodness. And our guide for Monstervision for the first year or so was a smirking Moon who was in the sky who would accompany a Narrators Voice over, and this pairing clearly got joy in bringing you classic films for your late night viewing. The Moon in the sky seemed to always be looking at the viewer and with a half grin and a sinister glee in his eye it was as if he was warning you about the classic films that awaited you that evening’s marathon. While The Moon was silent his expressions really did say everything you needed to know as you entered the world of TNT’s Monstervision! While his run as the Host of Monstervision was very short The Moon made his impact not only with the fans but also in the world of Horror Hosting. And one other very important fact I would like to point out is when The Moon was the host all the films were classics from the 40’s-70’s and stayed clear of the rated R fright flicks the show would go on to be known for.

Sometime later before and even after comedy duo Penn & Teller took over for a very short time an amazing Voice Narrator was the soul host of the show and would talk over the shows opening as well as logo and title cards. The Narrator would make the show sound so epic as he would stress the shows title and deliver one of the best voiceovers for a Horror Host show in the 90’s. This Voice also helped co-host the show with The Moon and brought the excitement as his tone would boom! But to be honest there was two different voice actors that did the Narration for the show over the years and each brought their own touch or should I say golden pipes to the show. The Narrator would last as the host all the way up until 1996 when the show became a weekly program and had a permit host with a true icon of Horror Hosting the one and only Joe Bob Briggs who had his own announcer…so yeah I guess the show had a total of three…or at least I think three….so many classic voice work on this show!

Growing up I was much like James Rolfe (Angry Video Game Nerd) as I would grab the TV Guide and scroll through to find what monster movies were playing that week and when Monstervision was on it was like an all night marathon of cheesy and fun classic genre films! My Mom and Brother most of the time would remember for me what was coming on and I would rush to turn on the TV to watch the films. Monstervision through out it’s entire run was a very important part of my childhood as alongside USA Up All Night, Moraine Playhouse Theater and USA Saturday Nightmares during this time was must see TV for me and filled the void left behind of Commander USA, Dr. Creep and Grampa Munster being off the air. Crazy to think that Monstervision was the show that introduced me to many amazing classic Sci-Fi and Horror films with the one standing out the most to me being the 1956 film The Werewolf that aired on a Monstervision Marathon on Christmas night in 1993, I even taped it back then and became obsessed with that film for years after….sadly that VHS tape is long gone and I wish I had that airing for this update. While writing this update it was great to remember back to the early years of Monstervision when it was a true event when it came on and the films lasted all night and delivered chills, thrills and adventures to all those who watched. It’s a shame that TNT has followed the path of USA Network and have became a shell of what they use to be, but who knows now that they brought back wrestling to the station with AEW Dynamite so who knows maybe Monstervision’s return is in the cards as well with a new host or even back to the none hosted format, one thing is for sure if this happens I will be tuning in.

The Monstervision Narrators are as important to the shows history as Joe Bob Briggs and while the Moon might not be as remembered he still was apart of the shows legacy and made his mark on viewers. Now it’s time to take a look at the episodes of MonsterVision I have that feature The Moon or just The Narrator and I would like to thank Ebay and my friend Scott Scarborough for making this update possible. I want to remind everyone that I will not be giving these updates a star rating and I will take the films write up from our friends at IMDB and the Host write up is done by me. So lets get ready and take a look at MooooonnnnsssttteeerrVisssion!

TNT Monstervision: Spaced Out Adventures
Starring – Zsa Zsa Gabor & Peter Graves Not Rated 1958/1966/1952

Host: This episode is the combo of The Moon and the Narrator who bring us in and out of the movies. While The Moon looks smug and sinister the Narrator brings his A-Game of making the nights film and theme seem like the most important thing on TV that night.

Movies: Queen Of Outer Space: American astronauts are drawn by a mysterious force to the planet Venus, which they find to be inhabited only by beautiful women and their despotic queen. The Wild, Wild Planet: A deranged scientist is using his employer’s top-secret bio-laboratory to engage in clandestine eugenics experiments. When he starts kidnapping leading citizens for use in his twisted tests, it’s up to rogue cop Mike Halstead to come to the rescue of all and sundry, including his lady friend Connie, who is also being held captive by the madman. Red Planet Mars: An American scientist is able to contact and communicate with Mars with shattering political, economic, and spiritual repercussions.

TNT Monstervision: Outer Limits Vol. 2
Starring – Leonard Nimoy & Martin Sheen Not Rated 1963/1964

Host: This second TNT Monstervision salute to the Outer Limits Marathon has just the normal TNT Narrator taking us in and out for breaks. We also get a sneak peak at The Moon as they welcome us to Monstervision and that more episodes are to come.

Movie: Soldier: A soldier from the far future is accidentally teleported back to 1964. The psychiatrist assigned to examine the soldier realizes that he has been bred purely as a killing machine, but he believe he can reawaken the warrior’s humanity. Meanwhile, a second soldier arrives, dedicated to hunting and killing his enemy. I, Robot: A cynical lawyer is hired by a young woman to prove that her uncle was not killed by his invention – a sophisticated robot. Nightmare: A stranded team of soldiers are captured and experimented on by demonic looking aliens. Demon With A Glass Hand: Days ago, Trent awoke with no memory of his past. Since then, sinister men have pursued him constantly. He manages to stay one step ahead of them by following the advice of his hand. Made of glass and apparently capable of speech, Trent’s hand can answer many of his questions. But it cannot tell him who he is or why his enemies seek him until he finds all of its fingers. The only trouble is that they’re in the hands of his enemies. The Bellero Shield: Richard Bellero, a dedicated scientist, is working on experiments involving sending laser beams into outer space. His father, Richard Bellero Sr., believes the scientist isn’t strong enough to take over the Bellero business empire. In the meantime, Richard’s wife Judith has more than enough ambition for the two of them. Richard, through a freak accident, reels in a being from another dimension with his laser experiment. The being has a small device that can project a shield that no force can penetrate. The alien at first wants to learn all about earth that he can and Richard cooperates. Judith, however, sees the alien and the shield-projecting device, as a means to power. While Richard is away, Judith first tricks the alien to deactivating his shield device then shoots the alien to prevent him from departing Earth. She removes the hand held device while failing to notice it was connected to a vein in the alien — whose bodily fluid is the key to operating the device. This is the … Cry Of Silence: A couple find themselves lost and in the middle of a deserted valley. Then, they come under attack by a series of rocks, tumbleweeds and animals. What could be causing this assault?

Note From Matt: This was originally aired on November 30, 1991 on a Saturday night as part of their TNT Salutes The Outer Limits II event that featured a total of nine episodes. This tape only has 5 1/2 of the episodes. The episode Cry Of Silence is only partly there. Its missing the episodes “A Feasibility Study”, “Don’t Open Till Doomsday” and “The Chameleon”.

TNT Monstervision: Outer Limits Vol. 5
Starring –Don Gordon & Peter Breck Not Rated 1963/1964

Host: This classic Monstervision marathon has just the Narrators Voice set over TV Screens that show clips of the show The Outer Limits.

Movie: Moonstone: A lunar exploration team from Earth encounters alien life, and must make a difficult decision. The Human Factor: At an isolated military installation in Greenland, Major Brothers has allowed one of his men to die after falling in a crevasse. Suffering from hallucinations, he goes to Dr. Hamilton. Hamilton has invented a device that allows him to read the thoughts of another person. Hamilton and Brothers connect via the device, but then a power surge causes the unthinkable: the minds of the two men switch bodies. The deranged Major Brothers is bent on destroying the whole base. Unfortunately, his mind is in the psychiatrist’s body, and the other base workers know nothing of the mind switch. The Duplicate Man: When a dangerous alien creature called a Megasoid escapes, the scientist who smuggled him to Earth creates an illegal clone of himself to hunt it down. But his plan is complicated when his neglected wife begins to fall in love with his duplicate. The Forms Of Things Unknown: Two female friends poison a sadistic blackmailer, then while fleeing happen upon an isolated house containing a time machine. Kasha, his lover, and Leonora, the daughter of the blackmail target, fight to bury him before the idealistic inventor Tone Hobart is able to re-animate the murdered man, by tilting him back into the past. The Invisibles: Aliens plan to take over the U.S. by recruiting disaffected loners who are themselves “invisible” to normal society. The alien crab-like creatures attach themselves to human hosts and control them. The recruits are assigned low-level jobs of highly appointed government officials so they can get the alien in close proximity to them. A U.S intelligence agent infiltrates the alien organization, but it may be too late. O.B.I.T.: While operating the Outer Band Individuated Teletracer, or O.B.I.T. machine, in a military base, Captain Harris is strangled. U.S. Senator Orville arrives at the base to investigate his murder and learns that there are several bases with the O.B.I.T. machine, which is capable to monitor in a video display the privacy of any person anywhere. Along his investigation, Senator Orville asks for information about the OBIT, such as who is the manufacturer, price, who bought, but no user has any information about the mysterious machine. The Guests: A drifter enters a lonely house, unaware that it is actually an alien creature in disguise. Soon he realizes that he is a prisoner, along with several other half-mad inhabitants, but he is determined to escape.

Note From Matt: This was originally aired on February 27, 1993 on a Saturday night as part of their TNT Salutes The Outer Limits V event that featured a total of nine episodes. This tape only has 6 1/2 of the episodes and at the start the commercials have been removed and later in the tape some commercials are shown and the recorders editing becomes very sloppy as parts of episodes are even cut off. The episode The Guest is only the first 17 minutes of the episode.

TNT Monstervision: House Of Wax (1953)
Starring – Vincent Price & Carolyn Jones Rated PG 1953

Host: Film Director Tim Burton opens the show talking about his love for House Of Wax as well as a little about the films production and history.

Movie: Professor Henry Jarrod is a true artist whose wax sculptures are lifelike. He specializes in historical tableau’s such a Marie Antoinette or Joan of Arc. His business partner, Matthew Burke, needs some of his investment returned to him and pushes Jarrod to have more lurid exposes like a chamber of horrors. When Jarrod refuses, Burke set the place alight destroying all of his beautiful work in the hope of claiming the insurance. Jarrod is believed to have died in the fire but he unexpectedly reappears some 18 months later when he opens a new exhibit. This time, his displays focus on the macabre but he has yet to reproduce his most cherished work, Marie Antoinette. When he meets his new assistant’s beautiful friend, Sue Allen, he knows he’s found the perfect model – only unbeknown to anyone, he has a very particular way of making his wax creations.

Note From Matt: This was apart of a MonsterVision event that was called “Our Favorite Movies” that had director Tim Burton not only hosting House Of Wax bust also the films Mysterious Island, The Time Machine and 7 Faces Of Dr. Lao. This originally aired on July 28, 1994 on a Thursday night and my friend Scott only recorded this movie.

TNT Monstervision: Fiend Fiesta Pt. 2
Starring – William Hooper & Ray Corrigan Not Rated 1957/1958

Host: The Narrator ushers us in and out of the film over clips of films with his spooky voice echoing out. This also the classic colorized film bumpers that helped push Monstervision into super popularity. Plus we get cool Monstervision bumpers and ads.

Movie: 20 Million Miles To Earth: The first spaceship to visit Venus crash lands in the sea, freeing a small native Venusian creature called the Ymir. Eventually growing to enormous size, it threatens the city of Rome. IT! The Terror From Beyond Space: In 1973, the first manned expedition to Mars is marooned; by the time a rescue mission arrives, there is only one survivor: the leader, Col. Edward Carruthers, who appears to have murdered the others! According to Carruthers, an unknown life form killed his comrades during a sandstorm. But the skeptical rescuers little suspect that “it” has stowed away for the voyage back to Earth.

Note From Matt: These are two of the films that showed on August 27, 1994 as part of the “Famous Last Words/Fiend Fiesta” themed marathon and was the last two films of the night! The first three minutes or so of 20 Million Miles To Earth is missing

TNT Monstervision in all its forums and all its hosts over the years has always been something very special to those of us who grew up watching it and is truly missed by late night TV watchers. I for one would like to see it return to air with a new host (as Joe Bob Briggs is hosting the Last Drive In on Shudder and is delivering one of the best Horror Host programs going) or even just bring back The Moon and Narrator as the world truly needs this and I feel that if Ted Turner was still in charge of TNT the show would have never went away fully as by 2001 most of what made stations like TNT and TBS special was washed away by AOL and Time Warner and as I have stated before they are both just a shell of what they use to be and only delivering a small amount of programing that is worth watching with most programs being aired are just bad reruns of crime shows. For me The Moon and Narrator for TNT Monstervision are true Icons in the world of Horror Hosting and helped make my childhood amazing! Sadly I don’t think Monstervision will ever come back on TNT, but what will be coming back in my next blog update as I will be doing another in my From Horror Movie To Horror Comic updates to help ring in the Halloween season as I will be talking about Wolf Cop and the comic mini series based around it! So until next time read a Horror Comic or three, watch a Horror Movie or two and as always support your local Horror Host. See you soon for a ride along with a werewolf who has a badge that likes beer and doughnuts.