Brennan Camacho Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

hrkepler Bela Lugosi gives magnificently hammy performance as a mad scientist Eric Vornoff whose only intention is to create an 'atomic super beast'. This was the last time horror master played charismatic villain and it was Lugosi's last speaking role in general. This Ed Wood directed science-fiction horror piece is by the numbers genre film with Cold War paranoia theme of the 1950's. Except this one has Wood's inept directing, editing and ingenious use of stock footage. Overall 'Bride of the Monster' is above usual Wood's camp, as again the screenplay was written together with Alex Gordon who probably had much more knowledge about structuring the screenplay. Most of the cast did the best they could with such tedious lines, so one can say 'Bride of the Monster' is probably best acted Ed Wood film, well, at least not so woodenly acted. The film uses almost every genre clichés from that era, and it does it with such a proud appearance like every idea and plot device had been genially original. The pathetically unmovable octopus has become one of the greatest golds of unintentional comedy when actors roll themselves over the rubber puppet while screaming.Some people claim that Ed Wood was behind his times, but no one cannot say that his movies doesn't have that certain charm and feeling of filmmaker's warm heart to it. Wood was untalented, but he was determined to create these wonderfully awful movies with aplomb and artistry that only disillusioned madman certain in his own talents can produce.

William Samuel There has long been a good deal of debate within certain circles about the identity of the worst director ever. These days, the most common response would probably be Michal Bey. True, his movies suck, but they're still good enough to bring in millions for their studios. Others would point to German director Uwe Bol, whose series of video game adaptations has resulted in a petition calling for him to never direct again. Last I heard, this petition has over 10,000 signatures. I personally would choose the little known Coleman Francis, creator of such atrocities as The Beast of Yucca Flats and Night Train to Mundo Fine.But one name that keeps popping up is that of Edward T Wood. Unlike most B movie directors, Wood wasn't in it just to get a paycheck and see his name in the credits. Wood was hardworking, earnest, and oh so eager to make a good movie. But the fact was, he lacked any formal training or innate skill. He has a reputation for making guys like Roger Corman and Bert I. Gordon look like Spielberg. I've known for some time now that I had to see (and most likely ridicule) his work, and I decided to start with his second film, Bride of the Monster.Bride is truly remarkable in that it is made entirely of clichés. The mad scientist, the hulking, mute henchman, the hard nosed reporter and her boyfriend the cop, the mysterious character who may know more than he's telling, even the dark and stormy night; they're all here. The scientist (played by Bella Lugosi!) has created a process that can turn normal human beings into giants with 'the strength of twenty men'- if it doesn't kill them, which is what's happened to every test subject so far. With this process, he seeks to- all together now- conquer the world and gain vengeance on those who have wronged him.Like all self respecting mad scientists, he has a monster to guard his lab, in this case an octopus. In most scenes, the octopus is brought to life through the magic of stock footage. But for scenes where the creature deals with the professor's unwanted guests, Wood used a mechanical octopus, reportedly stolen from the Republic Studios lot. But he forgot to steal the motor, so it's painfully obvious that the actors are just writhing around and moving the tentacles themselves. Fortunately for viewers, this spectacle is as funny as it is pathetic.It's also worth noting that most of the people in this movie are idiots. For instance, the pair of hunters in the opening scene run from the mad scientist and his henchman even though both of them have guns. And the pretty young reporter thinks that it's a good idea for her to go investigate the old house in the middle of the swamp on her own. For that matter, why is she the first one to look into the house? By this point, twelve people have gone missing in the swamp, and rumors of a monster abound. Hasn't it occurred to the police that they might want to take a look at the only building in the swamp? I suppose if they had the pretty girl never would have found herself in peril, and then we wouldn't get the climactic final scene in which the police arrive to save her. Oops, I just gave away the ending! The bottom line is that nothing in this movie is done right. The actors convey no more emotion than if they had been reading from a teleprompter, their lines sound like they were written by an eight year old, production values are abysmal, and the entire plot is an exercise in predictability, which relies on people doing the dumbest thing possible in every situation.But the whole thing has such an earnest, amateurish feel that it's still watchable. It's a bad movie, no doubt about that, but it does have an almost endearing campiness to it. This is the kind of movie that Mystery Science Theatre 3000 was made to showcase, and show it they did, in one of their best episodes.

TheLittleSongbird Ed Wood Jnr has often been cited as the worst director of all time, and his films(Plan 9 From Outer Space especially) also get a similar reputation. I personally think that the distinction is unfair, there are certainly better directors than Wood and better made, written and acted films/movies out there of course, but- unlike something like anything Friedberg and Seltzer- Wood's films are entertaining and kind of like guilty pleasures. Great movies no they're not, but when someone says that they are among the worst of all time I'll respectfully disagree on that one. Bride of the Monster does have things wrong, the sets are wobbly, the special effects especially the octopus are fake, the story does drag at times and Loretta King displays no kind of acting talent whatsoever. (Paul Murco's small role is also rather embarrassing) Even with these, Bride of the Monster is still one of Ed Wood Jnr's better movies. Wood is never going to be up there with the greatest directors, but not the worst either, at least he directed with heart. Lugosi's fight with the octopus is absolutely hilarious and has to be seen with be believed, easily one of the memorable scenes of any of Ed Wood's movies. The dialogue has some very funny moments(of what I can remember only the final line really made me groan), but the I have no home monologue is really quite poignant. The ending is senseless indeed but a lot of fun, and while the story does drag at times and also a little senseless, I didn't ever feel my intelligence being insulted to unbearable degree(unlike the SyFy/Asylum movies). The acting is not amazing, but King was the only one really that came across as really, really bad. Tony McCoy is handsome and does manage to give some of his lines credibility and Harvey B.Dunn is very amusing. Tor Johnson is somewhat stiff but looks the part of a monster figure and he does provide some of the movie's most entertaining scenes. But it is really Bela Lugosi's movie, in his final role he gives a commanding and heartfelt performance, succeeding also in giving moments of banality some genuine meaning. Overall, not great but better than I expected it to be. 6/10 Bethany Cox

lepoisson-1 Having enjoyed Plan 9 many times and Glen or Glenda once, I really expected this to be a serious turkey...and it wasn't! It's not overly good, but (since it came before Plan 9) I had ASSUMED Ed Wood had used this as a movie making dress rehearsal. Wrong! Lugosi is great! Tor Johnson is certainly more believable here than in Plan 9.It's a dumb movie with a dumb monster and dumb effects, but it works...almost. It's a fun watch: grab some popcorn and your buddies, set the bar low, and enjoy. Lugosi's performance makes me wonder what Plan 9 would have been like had he lived beyond 3 days into Plan 9's filming.