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Say What You Will About the Narrative, But There's No Taking Away How The Undying Monster LOOKS

Pumpkins X 2: The Undying Monster and Dementia 13

THE UNDYING MONSTER (1942) --- This ran a scant 63 minutes, being a Fox werewolf movie with barely a werewolf, it spun off what Universal had done with The Wolf Man, minus as good result. To first glimpse your monster within seconds of an end title would not help word of mouth. Twentieth kept largely clear of horror but would answer a market’s call, to recognize Universal’s success and find some way to feed off it. No major could ignore a genre earning profit for others, whatever indifference to the brand within creative ranks. Any Fox, Metro, or Paramount chiller went far afield from what Universal brewed. Only RKO of rivals issued a serious challenge to U with their Val Lewton series. Latter years frustration was The Undying Monster and obscure ones like it being hard if not impossible to locate on television, Fox not owing enough monsters to give them a syndicated package of their own. The Undying Monster was made for $207K and realized but $330K in worldwide rentals, final profit a mere $1,600, this despite stunner of a physical production with borrowed sets off bigger Fox ventures (Son of Fury is echoed here). Lucien Ballard photographed under John Brahm direction. They make a little go remarkably far ways. Who’s for voting Fox B’s among most handsome in the industry?

Rummage Sale Sets, Most, If Not All, Borrowed, But They Sure Pack a Visual Wallop

We want much for The Undying Monster to take flight but must in an end be content with what is visually an equal of anyone’s work within the genre. Again I cite scare moments among least crucial aspect to Classic Era horror films, atmosphere always the gift to go on giving. A class company like Fox leaned more toward gothic as outlined by literature, being respectable base from which to launch gothic themes (Dragonwyck a similar, and safe, instance). Family secrets, perhaps a subterranean crypt, but outright supernatural themes? These if explored were done so tentatively, chance of fanciful content fending off a wider audience that might find such themes silly, or worse, childish. All-out approach seemed something only Universal would do as ongoing policy. Selling however was different. Local showmen depending on their market could run with a ball like The Undying Monster and spill blood all over local ad art. However humble The Undying Monster was at creation level, managers gave it push unknown but to biggest mainstream attractions. Venue energy and inclination could bring The Undying Monster into town at the head of marching bands, like here in Memphis where it played as a virtual single in by far the largest display ad for January 15, 1943’s edition of The Memphis Press-Scimitar, the town’s leading daily. The Undying Monster in other situations ran tandem with Dr. Renault’s Secret, two-for-one policy with Fox the supplier of both. In Memphis there'd be no co-feature, Vaudeville Days a two-reel short courtesy Warner Bros. The ad itself was nowhere among recommended art from Fox, likely the Warner Theatre’s own creation. A theatre if so inspired could get behind any small effort and make something large of it, at least in terms of promoting if not profits counted by close of the engagement. The Undying Monster is available from Kino in a fine Blu-Ray.

Dementia 13 Wasn't Part of the Liberty's Terror Tandem. Had It Been, Would I Have Stayed to Watch?

DEMENTIA 13 (1963) --- Dementia 13 was the first feature Francis Coppola directed. There might have been student films I’m not aware of; in fact there was at least one that won laurels for him at UCLA. Coppola and friends were among first “film students” to crack industry’s mainstream. He was practical enough to know you had to finish a movie in order to earn from it. Coppola also understand that getting a best movie deal was to write your movie, then find someone to finance it. Dementia 13 was such a venture. Roger Corman unsurprisingly backed him, for practically no money it’s true, but Coppola knew value lay in Roger’s willingness to give him entrée to a creative playground even if surrounded by moats. Dementia 13 was shot in Ireland after Coppola finished working the sound for The Young Racers, Corman figuring a trip across the Atlantic was better worth the expense if two movies came of it rather than just one. He also knew plebes would happily work eighteen-hour days just to for-real make movies. What Corman wanted was to rip off Psycho. Coppola understood and gave him more-less that. Dementia 13 is properly “sick” like others spun off Hitchcock’s loom. By 1963 release date, everyone from Hammer down to William Castle had re-fried Psycho to lesser outcome, but what matter so long as the mold sold, even where moldier as more emerged. Few confused Dementia 13 with good picture making, yet parts showed Coppola had gifts to share, mere fact he finished, and on time, reason to trust his future. Amazing that within ten years, there would be The Godfather. Dementia 13 went out with The Terror under American-International auspices, The Terror billed first because it was in color and featured Boris Karloff. I went to The Terror for Karloff. If Dementia 13 was the Liberty’s co-feature that day, I wasn’t conscious of it. The picture seemed so obscure to me not to bother about until recent, go-ahead thanks to a Blu-Ray released by “Film Chest, Inc.”

Plentiful Effort in Evidence Here, So Why Couldn't They Spring for the Copyright Registration Fee?

Francis Coppola is said to have restored Dementia 13 himself some years back, but I don’t know where it is available, if it is available. For meantime, Film Chest’s is OK. At least it is the intended 1.85. Dementia 13 appears to be Public Domain. I’m wondering if the camera negative lies at bottom of a same ocean as The Terror, also PD. They make an effective combo, The Terror had on Blu from Film Masters with bonus The Little Shop of Horrors. The Terror has been mocked for paste-up it was, Corman assists sent one after other into maelstrom that was making, Coppola fed as well into said chipper. No one in the end could claim credit, despite how titles read. I like The Terror more than most for having been there in 1963. Much of what came from AIP requires early exposure, preferably from age eight up. See a thing when tenderest and they own you from there on. I recall resenting notion that Targets used The Terror for reclaimed stock, said “terrible movie” useful only as chunks to show how far into tripe the Karloff character had descended. To have admired The Terror was to lifetime commit. Why otherwise evangelize for Black Sabbath, the Poes, Planet of the Vampires, even 50’s B/W? Is it true that The Terror and Dementia 13 fell into the Public Doman because Corman didn’t want to pay the registration fee? There are more interview accounts of The Terror in gestation than for almost feature made during the sixties. Fly-by-night has that sort of fascination. Dementia 13 too has a litany of truth-tellers who were there and later talked. Mary Mitchel was one. She spoke at length with Tom Weaver for Earth vs. the Sci-Fi Filmmakers, a fascinating look-back book. The Terror and Dementia 13 for all of latter attention made little enough noise when they were new, The Terror down on AIP books as earning $360K from 7,030 bookings, Dementia 13 taking but $116K from 2,927 stands.