Welcome back for another daily horror digest! Not a lot happened in the world of horror movies over the weekend, and when it’s a slow day I often like to re-watch old movies. So, today’s digest begins with something I’ve seen before, but it’s weird and silly enough that I like to revisit every once in a while.
Movie of the Day
Today’s movie is another “classic.” Well, maybe it’s not a classic, but it is old. Last night I watched Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (1965). This is definitely one of those movies that falls into the realm of “so bad it’s good.”
The Frankenstein in the movie is Frank Saunders, a cyborg built from human and mechanical parts who is supposed to fly a solo NASA mission to Mars. Immediately after his ship launches, it is shot down by aliens who are observing Earth from orbit. Frank survives, but he’s shot with a ray gun after the aliens land their ship. With Frank’s programming scrambled, he goes on a murderous rampage. Meanwhile, the aliens are kidnapping Earth women to repopulate their planet. Also, there’s a space monster, but it doesn’t do anything until the end of the movie. Yeah, there’s a lot going on.
Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster is one of those movies I put on late at night sometimes. It’s a fun movie to fall asleep to, but it’s not necessarily something I choose to sit down and watch seriously. I enjoy it for its ultra-cheesiness, but it’s not as fun and funny as some other bad b-movies of the era like The Horror at Party Beach (1964) or Horrors of Spider Island (1960).
Still, it’s good for a laugh. Plus, James Karen is in it! He played Frank in The Return of the Living Dead (1985), the guy who breaks open the barrel of Trioxin at the beginning of the movie. In Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster, James plays one of the scientists who created Frank. If you want to watch, Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster is streaming on Tubi.
Related Movie Recommendation
I just mentioned it, so I’m going to go ahead and recommend Horrors of Spider Island as my bonus movie today. But, I suggest watching the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version. I’ve never seen it otherwise, and I imagine it’s pretty rough with Mike and the bots. The movie is about a troupe of dancers who are stranded on an island after their plane crashes into the ocean. There aren’t many spiders, but I guess that’s why they titled it “Spider Island” and not “Spiders Island.” You can watch the MST3K version of the movie on Tubi.
Birthdays
Robert Eggers was born on July 7th, 1983. Ever since his 2015 movie The Witch, Eggers has proven over and over again that he is a remarkable filmmaker. My favorite movie he’s done is either The Lighthouse (2019) or Nosferatu (2024). I can’t decide.
Also born today, in 1949, is Shelley Duvall. She sadly passed away just under a year ago on July 11, 2024, but her performances will live on. When it comes to horror movies, she is best known as Wendy in The Shining (1980). Her final credited film is also a horror movie, The Forest Hills which had its premiere in 2023.
Events on This Day
Species was released in North American theaters on this day in 1995. With Michael Madsen sadly passing away last week, Species was the first horror movie that came to mind for a re-watch in his honor. Madsen is part of a really good cast, and the movie is extremely fun.
Also released in theaters on July 7th, in 2023, is Insidious: The Red Door. This is probably my least favorite of the franchise, though The Last Key is neck and neck with it.
Other horror movies released on July 7th are Scary Movie (2000) and Night Train (2009, DVD).
Yesterday was another day of no significant horror news, so I’ll wrap up this digest early again. I’ll get back on watching more new stuff tomorrow!
