Movie Review: The Mad Monster (1942)
Synopsis: Rejected and ridiculed for his theories, Dr. Lorenzo Cameron has isolated himself with his daughter while conducting his experiments on his kind but slow-witted handyman, Petro. When he successfully uses a serum made with wolf's blood to turn Pedro into a wolf man, he deems the experiment a success. However, as the transformed Pedro roams the countryside and brutally murders the locals, he finds his colleagues are even less interested in accepting his work and he uses Pedro to get his revenge.
Who's in it? The movie stars George Zucco, Glenn Strange, Johnny Downs, Anne Nagel and Gordon De Main.
Review: I had The Mad Monster in my movie library for so long, I had completely forgotten it was there. So, when I came across the film last night, I decided to watch it this morning before I forgot about it again. Ironically, while not a terrible movie, it also proved to be a film that isn't very memorable.
I think my biggest problem with this film is it is a bit too much like The Wolf Man, which came out only a year earlier. In fact, other than Petro (Strange) transforming because of a serum rather than a werewolf bite, there weren't many differences. If I were to catch only a few scenes from this, I might even briefly mistake it for that better-known (and better) film.
I did think Dr. Cameron (Zucco) was an intriguing character, especially when the movie made it clear he truly was a "mad" scientist by having him talk to imaginary versions of his colleagues. That said, I still am a bit confused about the motivations behind his experiments and his desire to create a monster. It's one of those things where it felt like his colleagues didn't necessarily believe it couldn't be done, just that it shouldn't be done.
The movie also lacked a strong protagonist. I think Tom (Downs) was supposed to fill that role, but he really doesn't do a whole heck of a lot, if anything. He throws around a couple accusations but isn't the one who finds evidence of Cameron's wrong doings or stops the scientist. He's just sort of there and the movie happens and ends without him contributing much of anything.
One redeeming thing from this movie, however, was Petro himself. While he was a deadly creature when transformed, there were also signs that he kept some of his humanity, or at least memories. Since he seemed to have a thing for Cameron's daughter, Lenora (Nagel), I wondered if that would come into play.
There was also the question about how the movie would end for him. It was one of those situations where he could have been considered a victim and I didn't want to see him pay for Cameron's crimes. That, alone, made me watch the movie just to see how it ended, though the ending itself turned out to be both predictable and cliché.
Final Opinion: It's not a terrible movie. It's just a film that's too similar to another movie that was better and there's nothing special or memorable about it as a result.
My Grade: C
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Here are some reviews of other mad scientist movies:
Movie Review: The Devil Bat (1940)
Movie Review: The Neanderthal Man (1953)
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