HOW TO MAKE A MONSTER (1958)

Director: Herbert L. Strock

Writers: Herman Cohen, Aben Kandel (as Kenneth Langtry)

Producer: Herman Cohen

Cast: Robert H. Harris, Paul Brinegar, Gary Clarke, Gary Conway, Paul Maxwell, Eddie Marr, Dennis Cross, Malcolm Atterbury, Morris Ankrum, Walter Reed, John Phillips, Robert Shayne, Heather Ames, Pauline Myers, John Ashley (as himself), Rod Dana, Joan Chandler, Jacqueline Ebeier, Thomas B. Henry, Herman Cohen (uncredited) 

When the new owners of American International Studios decide that the “horror cycle” is over, they layoff Pete Dumond (Robert H. Harris), the film studio’s monster makeup artist. After 25 years of loyal and profitable service for the company, Dumond is bitter and wants to strike back. Using a special drug-laced foundation cream of his own invention, Dumond can bring two actors he is making up as the Werewolf and Frankenstein under his hypnotic control. Ironically, Dumond uses monsters that he creates with his makeup to enact his murderous revenge. 

The Flashback Fanatic movie review

Once again producer Herman Cohen and writer Aben Kandel have a middle-aged genius turn youths into monsters in How to Make a Monster. They had used this plot template three times before in 1957’s I Was a Teenage Werewolf, I Was a Teenage Frankenstein, and Blood of Dracula. They would employ this story device again in 1959’s Horrors of the Black Museum. Teen angst and terror seemed to be a winning combination. Cohen and Kandel knew that their teenage audience would appreciate young characters as sympathetic monsters exploited by the older generation.

Despite this proven formula in How to Make a Monster, I find myself rooting for the fanatically dedicated makeup artist Pete Dumond. Of all the Cohen/Kandel evil crackpots, his motivation is the most relatable. The very interesting dynamic in this story is that Pete Dumond’s well-being is being threatened by others’ career advancement. Unlike the other villains in the earlier Cohen/Kandel films, Pete Dumond is not trying to prove a scientific theory or achieve academic glory. The poor guy just wants to keep his job. While I have always thought that one should work to live and not live to work, if someone cut off my source of income I would be itching for some payback. In Pete Dumond’s case, those incurring his wrath are such smug bastards that they are practically begging to be butchered.

The most unique aspect of this film is its incorporation of the two previous Cohen/Kandel hits I Was a Teenage Werewolf and I Was a Teenage Frankenstein into this story as past films produced at this movie’s film studio setting. We see the Werewolf and Frankenstein characters as film actors in this story that are turned into assassins when made up as monsters by the mad makeup artist. This movie’s film company setting of American International Studios is a fictionalized version of How to Make a Monster’s actual production company American International Pictures. The film studio tour guide in the story even announces that they will visit the set of Cohen and Kandel’s next production, Horrors of the Black Museum. Here is an innovative example of the meta-story in horror films that long predates director Wes Craven’s New Nightmare (1994) and Scream (1996). 

As Pete Dumond, Robert H. Harris is not only the villain and center of the whole film, he the most sympathetic character in it. While the two young subjects in Dumond’s makeup chair are turned into his hypnotized hitmen, they are oblivious to their acts of murder and only mildly confused afterwards. Unlike the exploited teens in the earlier Cohen/Kandel horror films, we don’t spend a lot of time here with Larry (Gary Clarke) and Tony (Gary Conway), the Werewolf and Frankenstein actors, respectively. Old Pete Dumond is the character we spend the most time with and whose grievances really provide the story’s motivation and sympathy. Sure, he’s the bad guy, but he only becomes evil after being shit on by assholes.

At the top of Pete Dumond’s shit list are the film studio’s new moguls Jeffrey Clayton (Paul Maxwell) and John Nixon (Eddie Marr). They offer the dejected 25-year veteran makeup artist a measly week’s severance pay. The smug Clayton says that telling Pete in person that he is getting canned is “the human way.” Then Clayton is judgmental when Pete angrily refuses to accept the paltry kiss-off check and Clayton tells him that maybe he has been spending too much time with monsters. I can’t think of another horror film victim more deserving of their fate. 

Monahan (Dennis Cross), the movie lot security guard, is nearly as deserving of an untimely demise. After murder in the film studio, Monahan marches into Pete’s makeup room brandishing his “little black book.” He brags about all of the arrival and departure times of studio staff he has been jotting down. He also hints about other notes he thinks are incriminating and all but accuses Pete of murder. Then the anal asshole has the gall to boast to Pete that his undisclosed knowledge will be taken to the police and Monahan thinks it will result in his promotion to the head of security on the movie lot. Sure, this rent-a-cop is doing a thorough job, but the ambitious blowhard is getting off on this petty opportunity to intimidate the very person he implies that he can implicate. This dick must die!

 

Michael Landon, the original Teenage Werewolf, was not available for this flick. Gary Clarke plays the Werewolf actor Larry. However, the original Teenage Frankenstein himself Gary Conway returns to play Frankenstein actor Tony. It is fun to see these two in the makeup chair while old Pete is prepping them to be turned into his murdering monsters. Our actors-turned-teenage monsters are actually almost minor characters in this story. While they do come in handy for some of the rough stuff, old Pete is not afraid to get his hands dirty with more than makeup. 

Another AIP studio reference would be the filming of a musical number featuring John Ashley. He plays himself and was under contract to AIP at the time. He would star in other AIP films and had actually auditioned for the lead role in I Was a Teenage Werewolf. Ashley also starred this same year in the independent production Frankenstein’s Daughter (1958). 

Continuing the meta-story gimmicks, when the film switches from black-and-white to color, we see our mad makeup artist’s home shrine of his creations. Pete Dumond’s private museum is filled with masks of many monsters that horror buffs will recognize from other AIP films. Many of these were Paul Blaisdell creations while the actual creator of the teenage monsters in the previous films and in this one was Phillip Scheer. I must say that Scheer’s Teenage Werewolf and Teenage Frankenstein are two of my favorite movie monsters. 

On a final note, I not only empathize with the villain of How to Make a Monster, but I wonder if Universal Pictures’ dismissal of Jack Pierce, their makeup genius in the '30s and '40s, played any part in the inspiration for this flick. Like this film’s Pete Dumond, Jack Pierce’s innovative designs not only helped create big profits for his studio, he also created characters that are still horror icons. I suppose if Pierce had ever seen How to Make a Monster, he would have rooted for old Pete even more than I do.