And we are back! Welcome back to
Rotten Reelz Reviews and... I have a ridiculous over the top film.
Yeah you knew the first review of the year would be something just
odd. This time around we are step into the duo genre of Horror
Western. While this phenomenon has been a constant replenishing
itself in the last 4 decades, this film is part of the first notion
of introducing historical figures with fictional characters. Okay
enough positive. Now let's get through this.
This is Jesse James Meets
Frankenstein's Daughter.
First off the title is wrong. Yes
Jesse James is the key character but he meets Frankenstein's
Granddaughter. So yeah already right out of the gate and we got
issues.
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| No, not a ten gallon hat, I'm just pleased to meet ya. |
This film is part of a drive-in/marque
double feature also directed by director/actor William Beaudine
who did TV episodes of Naked
City, The Green
Hornet and dozens of Lassie
episodes. Both features were
shot in 8 days at the Corriganville Movie Ranch and you can honestly
say, that was clearly shot in 8 days. Along with this opus came the
Horror Western, Billy the Kid vs Dracula. Oh don't worry, we will
have a video review coming soon all about that stink nugget.
Jesse
James (John Lupton of Airport 1975, Julius Caesar, Red
River, B.J. And the Bear, Miracle on Ice, Charlie's Angels, The
Rockford Files) is the
notorious Kansas City outlaw hiding out in Mexico avoiding the
Marshal MacPhee (character actor Jim Davis of Big Jake,
Time Tunnel, Dallas, The Day Time Ended, Comes a Horseman, Project
U.F.O., Oregon Trail and The Choirboys).
Brother Frank is, well he's not here. Maybe they went their
separate ways, maybe he died from syphilis and maybe he atoned and
became a priest. All those options would be theatrically sound and
a decent flashback sequence but nope! Not this film.
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| Doll, my milkshake brings all the dead to the yard. |
So
the other oddity in this here one horse town is a European castle in
Mexico. A tad out of place wouldn't you say? The castle is owned by
a Frankenstine? Frodrick perhaps? No it is in fact granddaughter
Maria Frankenstein (Narda Onyx of Wire Service, Broken
Arrow, Steve Canyon, The Third Man, 77 Sunset Strip, Richard Diamond,
Private Detective, North to Alaska and The Tall Man)
who has taken up the family business. And by that, yes digging up
corpses attempting to reanimate them. You lack Dr. West's formula!
Back
to Jesse, who is not traveling alone as he has a huge slab of beef
watching his back. Seriously this dude makes Jason Vorhees' Kane
Hodder look small. Hank (not Hardware but Cal Bolder
of Bonanza, One of Our Spies Is Missing, Daniel Boone, The Girl from
U.N.C.L.E., Star Trek and Cimarron Strip)
looks like he could wrestle a Kodak bear and the bear would tap out.
After a gunfight
ensues and Jesse is the victor, Hank got injured and the villagers
tell him of Lady Frankenstein (no not the Italian Softcore Porn/Horror)
and how far her castle was. Given you could see this gaudy out of
place castle quite easily I guess pointing to the matte painting
wasn't really needed. Over a half hour into the movie and our leads
finally meet up. That robbery subplot was vital I guess.
Maria is
overwhelmed by these visitors and goes right to assisting Hank...with
of course her own ideas in mind. Frankly I thought she was going to
jump his bones from all the eye banging she was doing.
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| Me and Boomstick's getting hitched. IT'S NOT WEIRD!!! |
Will Hank be okay?
Can Jesse stay above the law? Will Maria turn to outlaws into
walking corpses?
Hey kids! Who
wants a fun, film fact?! No one? Tough titty.
Bought and built
by Stuntman Ray "Crash" Corrigan, this ranch has
been the scenic background for movie and TV such as: Star Trek,
Fort Apache, The Lone Ranger, The Robe and The
Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. With a oak woodland providing terrain
like caves,lakes, mountains and rock outcroppings. There is even a
man made lake and waterfall giving a bunker with thick windows gives
way to underwater shooting, allowing camera and crew to stay nice and
dry.
Now thankfully we
have an older man rather than the usual fresh faced twenty something
portraying this bandit and well, his performance is better than this
film deserves. No I do not think it rivals Robert Duvall in
The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid nor do I feel it comes
close to Bill Paxton's depiction in Frank and Jesse but
at least we have a harden cat playing like a man on the run.
Twitchy, on edge and sharp to dealing with trouble with his coffin
nail driver. Or if you prefer, six shooter.
With the charming
location, the deep woods and the quaint folksy environment, the stage
is set but alas the film is too confusing for this to be deemed
worthy of a Hammer productions or the Universal Studios Movie
Monsters alumni. I took away from a professional creation in the
allotted 8 days they shot it and with the quality it is a sound
production but again just felt silly.
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| Damn, these castle orgies do go on all night. |
