MONSTER MAGAZINE WORLD has unearthed evidence of a version of FRANKENSTEIN that was filmed in 1940 and perhaps lost in the annals of monster movie history. The amateur film predates the "monster kid memories" group of filmmakers such as Don Glut by over 20 years.
Lensed by a group of high school students in San Antonio, Texas, they produced two feature-length monster movies for their "Double Horror Show", FRANKENSTEIN and DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE. They formed their own production company, Pixelated Pictures, in 1937 and sold shares of stock for 10 cents a share (!). Their first production, JEKYLL & HYDE, returned enough from the box office to pay off the film, pay out a 100% dividend to shareholders, and boost the stock to 20 cents a share.
The August 1940 issue of POPULAR SCIENCE covered this amazing story of young filmmakers who, by all accounts, produced professional products, albeit to a limited audience. It is not known if any prints of the two films remain in existence.
The POPULAR SCIENCE article is shown, along with reconstructed exploded views.
For more information on this film see the chapter on it in Michael H. Price and George Turners book Forgotten Horrors volume 2.
ReplyDeleteNot quite forgotten, then. Thanks for elaborating on the subject!
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