For more than two centuries now, the tale of Frankenstein has fascinated people, and your Planet 8 crew is no exception! In fact, we are huge fans of Dr. Frankenstein and his monstrous creation. Joining us to do a deep dive on the topic is our good friend, horror host and monster maven Lord Blood-Rah! So come on along with us, as we travel through the many permutations of the Frankenstein legend.
Of course, we must discuss the source of the legend -the Mary Shelley novel. What might have been her inspirations? Was it the first science fiction novel ever written? And what implications does it still have for us today?
The Universal films featuring Boris Karloff, and then later, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi, and Glenn Strange, provided the classic look which most of us associate with the Monster, and which has permeated pop culture. These films had a definite arc for the character through at least the first three, and then the Monster suffered a real decline, being reduced to little more than a shuffling wreck. But the Universal Frankenstein Monster had little resemblance to Shelley's creature.
Hammer films went on to do their own Frankenstein series, but focused on Dr. Frankenstein rather than the Monster. The doctor just can't help himself, he has to keep stitching bodies together! His creations never seem to come out the way he plans, though.
Since Frankenstein is in the public domain, there have been tons of films made that either retell the Frankenstein story, or borrow the name quite liberally. One of the better ones we discuss is Frankenstein the True Story, a 1973 made for TV production that was aired on NBC, and featured Jane Seymour, David McCallum, and Michael Sarazin. This one is a little closer to the book, although it veers off from it too. And there's a shocking moment that none of us ever forgot!
It wouldn't be Planet 8 if we didn't toss a little kaiju your way, so we'll bring in the Japanese Frankenstein connection -namely, Frankenstein Conquers the World, and War of the Gargantuas (aka the Frankenstein Brothers!)
The story has crossed over into comics, and we'll discuss a few of them, from the Marvel series and black and white magazines, to Mike Mignola's Frankenstein character who appeared with Hellboy, and the beautiful Frankenstein, Alive, Alive illustrated by Bernie Wrightson.
For our Sensor Sweep, all our instruments are focused on our wonderful friend, Lord Blood-Rah. If you haven't seen his show, Lord Blood-Rah's Nerve Wrackin' Theatre, you're missing out! Head on over to http://www.lordbloodrah.com/, and check his schedule to find where and how you can catch him. He's also putting together a DVD that collects material he has used in his live Halloween shows. The feature film on the DVD will be House on Haunted Hill, in 3D for the first time! Don't worry, a pair of 3D glasses will be included. Although Creatures Con was cancelled this year, a virtual Creatures Con was put together and you can see interviews and panels at the Facebook Creatures Con page. But next year, if we are free of this terrible pandemic, Creatures Con 2021 will be held August 8th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Concord, California, and will focus on the birth of the Universal Monsters! The special guest will be author David J. Skal, writer of The Monster Show and Death Makes a Holiday, as well as contributor of commentary on many Universal films.
And Engineer Bob reminds everyone that the Arrow box set of Gamera films is out now, including his commentary with Keith Aiken on Gamera the Brave! Check it out!
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