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Film: The Monster Maker
Year: 1944
Director: Sam Newfield
Writer: Pierre Gendron and Martin Mooney
Starring: J. Carrol Naish, Ralph Morgan and Tala Birell
Review:
This was a film that I didn't know about until compiling my Foray through the Fours list for 1944. What caught my attention here was that this starred J. Carrol Naish, who I've seen in things previously. It also has Glenn Strange, who I know had great size and was perfect for roles that needed it. Other than that, the title was interesting.
Synopsis: a mad scientist injects his enemies with an acromegaly virus causing them to become hideously deformed.
We start this at a concert where Anthony Lawrence (Ralph Morgan) is performing. In attendance is his daughter, Patricia (Wanda McKay). She is sitting in a box on the balcony with her boyfriend, who is also her father's manager. His name is Bob Blake (Terry Frost). Sitting in the box next to them is Dr. Igor Markoff (Naish). He's joined by his assistant Maxine (Tala Birell). Dr. Markoff can't stop staring at Patricia and it makes her uncomfortable. She decides to go backstage at intermission to see her father.
This doesn't get her away like she thinks. Dr. Markoff goes backstage under the guise of wanting to see Anthony. He then apologizes. The reason he is staring is that she looks like his wife who passed away. She understands and forgives him. That doesn't end this though. Dr. Markoff sends flowers and notes to her. She tells her father and he tells her to ignore it. He does decide to pay the doctor a visit, asking him to stop contacting her. Dr. Markoff reveals that he intends to marry his daughter and then attacks him. While he's passed out, the doctor injects him with something.
What I'll include here is that Dr. Markoff is the foremost expert on acromegaly. This is a real disorder that causes abnormal growth in the body due to excessive hormone production from the pituitary gland. He is looking for a cure. What he's discovered so far is a way to stop the growth, but not how to reverse the effects yet. Maxine is helping in this research. She is harboring a secret though and the doctor might not be who he says he is.
Then the crux of the story is that Anthony has more energy now than he knows what to do with. He practices playing day and night while also going for walks. Patricia doesn't know what to make of it. We then see the cause. Anthony is infected with acromegaly. He seeks out his doctor, Adams (Sam Flint), who provides the diagnosis. He says that he cannot help him and refers him to Dr. Markoff. It is here we learn how Anthony contracted it and the demands that the mad doctor has to help. He wants to marry Patricia. Anthony becomes a hermit to hide his condition while his daughter and Bob try to help.
That is where I'll leave my recap and introduction to the characters. Where I'll start is that we have an interesting film here. The first thing that struck me was using a real condition like acromegaly. Dr. Markoff is doing a good thing in trying to find a cure. There is an interesting reveal that doesn't necessarily go anywhere through Maxine. What truly makes Dr. Markoff go full villain is a weak reason. It is one that we see regularly though, especially in this era. This also is oddly an 'ape film' as we get a man in a gorilla suit.
Now that I've set that stage, let me explore the concept more. Dr. Markoff has fallen in love with Patricia since she looks like his deceased wife. She passed away from acromegaly. There is more to why she passed away from it though. The doctor is a misogynistic character as she turned him down, but he now will do whatever to force her to change her mind. This is good to make us dislike him, I'll say that. If we just stuck with that, this would be better. I'll get into why next, but what hurts this is including the gorilla for no reason. It is used with Maxine to ramp up tension for one scene. There's also an odd reveal that doesn't make sense without more information. Since this is a poverty row film, it looks like they saw what was popular and decided to include more here and it jumps the shark.
Then to get back to what I was referring to and it would be with filmmaking. The look of the infected Anthony is great. I'm guessing this is where Strange comes into play. He is credited as the giant. Since this character is infected with acromegaly, it makes him not only bigger, but more aggressive. I love the practical effects for the look of having this condition. It does feel insensitive to those with this condition, looking at it today. I do love the look of the gorilla suit. Other than that, it doesn't need more. The cinematography and framing of things were fine. The soundtrack also fit what was needed. There were good touches with sound design for the scene with Maxine.
All that is left then is acting. Naish is good as this mad scientist. My issues there come from the writing and less with his performance. Morgan works as this father who tries to help his daughter and then gets caught up. I don't like that he diminishes what she's going through at first, but that feels real. McKay is fine as that daughter. I do wish they would have done a bit more there in listening to her. Frost and Birell are fine in their roles. Strange has good size. Other than that, the rest of the cast rounded this out for what was needed. Ray Corrigan was in the gorilla suit. He made a living there so it was good to cast him.
In conclusion, I thought that this had good things in its favor. Having a mad scientist infecting someone and then extorting them is not a new concept, but it can be effective. The reason that the doctor did what he did is shortsighted. There are also elements here that I don't know if they fully work, like including the gorilla. It also feels insensitive to different things with modern eyes. The acting is solid though. This is made well-enough with the practical effects leading the way. I'd only recommend it to fans of this era of cinema or if you're into poverty row horror.
My Rating: 5.5 out of 10