SHORT SHARP SHOCKS # 2 - MONSTERS CRASH THE PAJAMA PARTY (1965)

DIRECTED BY David L. Hewitt

SCREENPLAY BY David L. Hewitt & J. Lister

STARRING - Vic McGee as Mad Doctor/Lieutenant Hudson,  James Reason as Professor Williams,  Clara Nadel as Miss Petrie,  Pauline Hillkurt as Draculina,  Charles Hegen as Igor.

PLOT - A group of teens stay overnight in a supposedly haunted house, little realising that a mad doctor is inhabiting the house's basement.

The Mad Doctor, aided by his Gorilla assistant and a menagerie of evil monsters of his own creation kidnaps the girls with the intention of turning them into gorilla/mutant hybrids. It's up to the girl's intrepid boyfriends to save them...

PERFORMANCES - The acting across the board in this film is TERRIBLE. The main heroes and their girlfriends are so bland that they struggle to even be one dimensional let alone attain the lofty heights of being two dimensional.

Basically these are "the guys" in all thier varsity jacketed brylcreamed glory...

And these are "the gals"...

The girls spend most of the movie's short run time parading about in a variety of skimpy for the early 1960's nighties (although this is supposed to be a "pajama party" not a single character ACTUALLY wears P.J.s). All the "teenagers" don't look a day under thirty five and all of them display the level of acting ability you'd expect to find in a school nativity play.

Probably the "best" actor (although this is a pretty low bar) is Vic McGee who plays the Mad Doctor (he's got a conveniently placed name badge saying "Mad Doctor" affixed to his lab coat, just in case we're in any doubt as to who he is). The Mad Doctor gets a very cheesy opening monologue, it's cheesy in a good way - the sort of thing you'd expect the Crypt Keeper to say in a Tales From The Crypt comic, McGee has also perfected the art of the "OTT manic villain laugh" to perfection. He's a lot of fun and sets the right cheesily atmospheric mood perfectly. He also plays one of the Police Detectives in the film but this character isn't as entertaining.

SEX & VIOLENCE - Theres a vaguely S&M undertone to this movie with the scantily glad girls being chained up and menaced in the Mad Doctor's dungeon, there's also a hint of beastiality (the Gorilla assistant is clearly starting to feel horny at several points).

SFX - The effects in this movie are anything but "special". All the "monsters" are just people in cheap Halloween costumes (this of course adds to the overall fun).

We've got the Gorilla (basically a man in a monkey suit).

Men in monkey suits as a rule NEVER look remotely realistic, this one is no exception.

As far as the other monsters are concerned we get the standard issue hunchbacked assistant called Igor (a guy in a cheap drugstore mask with a cushion shoved up his jumper). A Wolf Man whose trousers randomly fall down at one point (which is undoubtedly THE best bit in the entire film), and a bored looking vampire woman whose face is painted green. This is Draculina, all she does is sit there looking pissed off.

The Mad Doctor also has a killer Ray Gun which looks like a giant hairdryer and seems to fire really weak sounding indoor fireworks. It's the very opposite of spectacular.

RATINGS - This an utter turd of a film but it's undoubtedly a hell of a lot of fun. If you're in the right frame of mind and up for a bit of simple low brow, bargain basement, massively dated fun, then this is an essential watch. 

It's full of seasonal spirit and is the perfect film to have playing in the background of any Halloween party (plus it's only about 30 minutes long, so it doesn't outstay it's welcome).

I'd give this 3 trouserless werewolves out of 5. It's currently on YouTube on Something Weird Video's channel (so you don't even have to pay to watch it - which is probably a good thing).

As a bonus included with the film are a series of trailers for old 50's and 60's "midnite spook shows".

These are arguably even more fun than the film itself. Some of the taglines are hilarious and are the sort of thing you wouldn't get away with today -i.e. - GALS - BRING YOUR GUY TO GRAB HOLD OF IN CASE YOU'RE AFRAID. FIND OUT IF HE'S A HE-MAN OR A MOUSE !!!!

Again these make a great backdrop to any Halloween party and are tons of fun.

ART - All the posters are pretty much a variation on a theme but are pretty cool all the same and capture the movie's "cheap thrills" carnival huckstering perfectly. Good cheap fun for all the family.