We’ve been re-thinking the title of this post, namely the “so bad it’s good” part.
Bride of the Monster (1955), directed by Ed Wood, is a sci-fi/horror flick about (you guessed it!) a Mad Scientist who tries to engineer a race of atomic superhumans.
Being an Ed Wood movie, there are some thrift-conscious elements here, such as sparingly-appointed sets and props that are used only when necessary – including the giant rubber octopus, property of Republic Pictures, which was either rented or, uh, “borrowed”.
The acting is uneven, but a person never watches these films for acting lessons. There are, however, two really good performances here. One is Ann Wilner, who plays a file clerk, and the other is an alarmingly-thin Bela Lugosi, in his last speaking role, who plays the mad scientist. (Soon after production ended, Lugosi went to the hospital for a drug addiction which began years earlier with medical prescriptions for his sciatica.)
Here’s the thing: Bride of the Monster has a truly interesting script, and the camerawork is good. With a little more money, and a longer runtime to explore some of its philosophic precepts, it could be a classic in the best possible way.
As it is, though, we feel it is Ed Wood’s best film.
Struggling with a rubber octopus. Image: Moviezine
When you’re making a film on someone else’s Dime, you sometimes have to make unpleasant decisions, and that’s the position in which Wood found himself.
Production on Bride of the Monster was supposed to begin in 1953, but couldn’t proceed due to lack of funds. However, a little money became available in 1954, which lasted all of three days.
Help came from a surprising source. Donald McCoy, the owner of a meat packing plant, agreed to finance the film on two conditions: (1) his son, Tony, was to be cast as the leading man, and (2) the film was to include an atomic blast as an anti-nuclear Statement.
Filming resumed in 1955, but one of the actors lodged a complaint with the Screen Actors Guild, saying he had been underpaid for his work. Production shut down again to allow for an Investigation.
Wood subsequently scrounged for more financing – by selling his shares of the film – to get the thing rolling again.
By the time production was complete, Wood had “oversold” his shares, leaving him with no ownership of the film. This was a shame because Bride of the Monster would be his most profitable movie.
The distributor, Samuel Z. Arkoff, fared much better. He used his share of the profits to help establish his new venture, American International Pictures.
Admittedly, it’s easy for us (yours truly) to look at a 1950s sci-fi/horror film and dismiss it as subpar and cheesy.
And that is unfair. Some of these movies are ridiculous (we’re looking at you, Robot Monster), and they simply exploit the 1950s’ fear of atomic warfare.
But other films have thoughtful things to say about society. In Bride of the Monster, for example, Lugosi has a poignant moment when he talks about being an outcast. The anguish is real: Lugosi himself was forced to flee Hungary in 1919 and was now a Hollywood outcast. “I have no home,” he says. “I’ve been living in the jungle like an animal.”
Lugosi tells this to a visitor from his home country. The visitor has been ordered to find Lugosi and bring him back to further his experiments – and give the technology to the government. Lugosi scorns the offer; he’s not interested in geopolitics. He’ll show everyone he alone can produce “a race of atomic supermen to conquer the world”.
The film also examines volatile changes in climate, thanks to Lugosi’s atomic experiments, and it hints at larger questions about nuclear spillover in the environment.
So, given all this, is it fair to classify Bride of the Monster as a So Bad It’s Good film? Yes, but only because Ed Wood didn’t have access to bigger studio resources.
If only.
Note: A restored 2K colour version is available on Amazon Prime (US).
Bride of the Monster: starring Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson, Tony McCoy. Directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. Written by Edward D. Wood, Jr. & Alex Gordon. Rolling M. Productions, 1955, B&W, 69 mins.
You’ve GOT to see this one. It’s not as cheesy as it appears, but it’s still lots of fun. Its message about nuclear power and the environment is very interesting.
Bride of the Monster is an Ed Wood classic. I love all these classic 50’s sci-fi and horror, even though many look cheesy and clunky by todays standards. As you point out, many of these films tackle difficult subject matters, and often have a wonderfully gothic atmosphere to them. Personally I think films that are so bad they are good are often more worthy and valid despite their flaws.
Very interesting read about the movie’s backstory! It’s a story that unfortunately was repeated over and over – a filmmaker takes desperate measures to secure funding and personally ends up with nothing to show for all the hard work. Oh well, at least Bride of the Monster helped to establish AIP, which went on to gift us many more so-bad-they’re-good gems!
Ed Wood is a curious enigma in the world of cinema, he had the passion and drive to wanna create, but often times the deck was stacked against him, especially with the supporting actors, and the product was far from what he had in his mind, but dang it he worked to the best of his ability.
He really did, and that kind of determination is admirable. The more I learn about his early films, the more I appreciate his vision and observations of 1950s society.
His addiction is a shame, and like with so many others, it started with prescribed pain medication. He’s very thin in this movie, but still pulls off a memorable performance.
A lovely film, boosted in modern times by its re-creation for Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood.” I’ve loved it for years. It’s not my favorite Wood, though. For that, see “Night of the Ghouls” which was something of a sequel, and was unseen by audiences until after Wood’s demise.
I haven’t seen this movie and I’m afraid it would be very difficult to find it, but you have made me very curious about it. I remember Tim Burton’s Ed Wood and the octopuss scene very well, but I totally agree with you when you say that sometimes this 50’s sci-fi movies are not so stupid as they could seem at first sight, I’ve liked some of those very much, more than some modern ones. Thanks for this review!
Thanks! As you say, these 1950s movies can have a lot of insight – even moreso than some modern films. It would be fun to go to a 1950s sci-fi film festival, wouldn’t it?
I love Ed Wood–such a thrifty pioneer. And as for so bad, it’s good, I’m hearing the same thing about Cocaine Bear. I’m still not going to pay money to see it though!
I like the way your review brought out Wood’s passion for this film and his determination to finish it, even with all sorts of obstacles. I wonder if in the end he was ever satisfied with it.
Wow, Ed Wood’s tenacity deserves all the kudos–the rubber octopus alone would make this movie worth it. Thanks again for joining the blogathon, Ruth! It was a pleasure, as always. 🙂
Very nice article. Whatever the limitations he was facing, you always get the feeling that Wood gave his best and legitimately loved film making. It’s hard to dislike any of his films for that reason. There is a wide-eyed optimism and devotion in their production. As for his Plan 9 being deemed “the worst film ever made”, I have seen far worse made with many more resources at their disposal.
You make a good point about Plan 9. When I first saw it, I was all What Is This, but there have been worse films made with more money. Bride of the Monster is my fave Ed Wood film so far, because it really does have some philosophical meat to it. And it’s impressive considering the budget and other obstacles.
From the way you talk about ‘Bride of the Monster’, you make the production drama sound more interesting than the film itself! I’ve never seen any of Ed Wood’s movies, so this seems like a good place to start! I also participated in the So Bad It’s Good Blogathon, where I reviewed ‘Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter’. I nominated you for The Pick My Movie Tag as well! Here are the links to those posts:
Silver Screenings 
It sounds like something I’d love!
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You’ve GOT to see this one. It’s not as cheesy as it appears, but it’s still lots of fun. Its message about nuclear power and the environment is very interesting.
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Bride of the Monster is an Ed Wood classic. I love all these classic 50’s sci-fi and horror, even though many look cheesy and clunky by todays standards. As you point out, many of these films tackle difficult subject matters, and often have a wonderfully gothic atmosphere to them. Personally I think films that are so bad they are good are often more worthy and valid despite their flaws.
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Amen, brother! They tackle some tricky subjects, and you have to love ’em for it.
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I like your review. You make excellent points. Still, I’ll skip this movie!
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Ah, I failed to convince you. Well, I won’t give up! 😉
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Very interesting read about the movie’s backstory! It’s a story that unfortunately was repeated over and over – a filmmaker takes desperate measures to secure funding and personally ends up with nothing to show for all the hard work. Oh well, at least Bride of the Monster helped to establish AIP, which went on to gift us many more so-bad-they’re-good gems!
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Ha! So true! And it’s a shame filmmakers have to make such desperate decisions, especially when you’re halfway through production.
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Ed Wood is a curious enigma in the world of cinema, he had the passion and drive to wanna create, but often times the deck was stacked against him, especially with the supporting actors, and the product was far from what he had in his mind, but dang it he worked to the best of his ability.
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He really did, and that kind of determination is admirable. The more I learn about his early films, the more I appreciate his vision and observations of 1950s society.
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Sounds like a fun movie 🙂
I didn’t know about Lugosi’s addition – such a shame!
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His addiction is a shame, and like with so many others, it started with prescribed pain medication. He’s very thin in this movie, but still pulls off a memorable performance.
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A lovely film, boosted in modern times by its re-creation for Tim Burton’s “Ed Wood.” I’ve loved it for years. It’s not my favorite Wood, though. For that, see “Night of the Ghouls” which was something of a sequel, and was unseen by audiences until after Wood’s demise.
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I’ve heard about Night of the Hhouls, but haven’t yet crossed paths with it.
Have seen Tim Burton’s Ed Wood, and I love the performances. Martin Landau was sensational, wasn’t he?
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Absolutely!
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I haven’t seen this movie and I’m afraid it would be very difficult to find it, but you have made me very curious about it. I remember Tim Burton’s Ed Wood and the octopuss scene very well, but I totally agree with you when you say that sometimes this 50’s sci-fi movies are not so stupid as they could seem at first sight, I’ve liked some of those very much, more than some modern ones. Thanks for this review!
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Thanks! As you say, these 1950s movies can have a lot of insight – even moreso than some modern films. It would be fun to go to a 1950s sci-fi film festival, wouldn’t it?
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I love Ed Wood–such a thrifty pioneer. And as for so bad, it’s good, I’m hearing the same thing about Cocaine Bear. I’m still not going to pay money to see it though!
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Me either, but I hear it’s a wild ride!
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I like the way your review brought out Wood’s passion for this film and his determination to finish it, even with all sorts of obstacles. I wonder if in the end he was ever satisfied with it.
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I hope Wood was happy with the end result. It’s a philosophical, entertaining film – and can you ask for anything more than that?
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Wow, Ed Wood’s tenacity deserves all the kudos–the rubber octopus alone would make this movie worth it. Thanks again for joining the blogathon, Ruth! It was a pleasure, as always. 🙂
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The rubber octopus is fabulous, isn’t it? I can’t believe more movies don’t have one.
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Very nice article. Whatever the limitations he was facing, you always get the feeling that Wood gave his best and legitimately loved film making. It’s hard to dislike any of his films for that reason. There is a wide-eyed optimism and devotion in their production. As for his Plan 9 being deemed “the worst film ever made”, I have seen far worse made with many more resources at their disposal.
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You make a good point about Plan 9. When I first saw it, I was all What Is This, but there have been worse films made with more money. Bride of the Monster is my fave Ed Wood film so far, because it really does have some philosophical meat to it. And it’s impressive considering the budget and other obstacles.
Thanks for stopping by!
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From the way you talk about ‘Bride of the Monster’, you make the production drama sound more interesting than the film itself! I’ve never seen any of Ed Wood’s movies, so this seems like a good place to start! I also participated in the So Bad It’s Good Blogathon, where I reviewed ‘Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter’. I nominated you for The Pick My Movie Tag as well! Here are the links to those posts:
https://18cinemalane.com/2023/03/08/why-francesca-quinn-pi-is-the-worst-hallmark-movie-ive-ever-seen/
https://18cinemalane.com/2023/02/25/take-3-jesse-james-meets-frankensteins-daughter-review/
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I hope you get the chance to see Bride of the Monster. The 1994 biopic, Ed Wood, also talks about the making of this film.
Thanks for the links! I’m sorry I missed your entry in the So Bad It’s Good Blogathon, but I’m heading there now to check it out.
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