1940s SF film

[peteryoung]

The Mad Monster, 1942, USA   DIRECTED BY SAM NEWFIELD
Lorenzo Cameron, a disgraced and slightly crazed doctor, claims to have created a blood transfusion technique for turning his simpleton gardener Petro into a werewolf killer, and he plans to sell the idea to the government to create a whole army of them. Needless to say, Petro the wolf-man periodically runs loose in the local swamp and kills a few locals, and the game is eventually up for Cameron but not before he tries to conceal the truth from everyone. There are of course two mad monsters at large here therefore the Frankenstein derivation is obvious; there are also two all-but-forgotten big names associated with this mild piece of 1940s horror: Sam Newfield was one of the most prolific Hollywood directors ever, even though most of his productions were distinctly Poverty Row; then there's the British actor and B-movie legend George Zucco, playing to his strengths as the imperious and slippery Cameron, using to great effect those beady eyes of his that could famous nail his antagonists to the wall while he berates them with loud and belligerent self-justifications. The Mad Monster is far from being a classic although its straightforward and predictable story is still very watchable, largely thanks to the distinguished Zucco whose presence gives this all-but-forgotten movie a very atmospheric yet quiet strength.

(Cross-posted with cult_movie)