"In the war on terror.. the ultimate terror will win. We’ve created the ultimate terror.. the Frankenstein monster!"

William Winckler’s "Frankenstein vs the Creature from Blood Cove is not just a film that pays homage to the horror classics of yesterday, using elements from films of the 1930s and 1940s, as well as combining them with the Atomic Age monster movies of the 1950s and 1960s… but it is also one that is a labor of love.

FVTCFBC was for the most part "entertaining" and "fun" but after viewing the film (twice), I did come away with a feeling that this film could have been so much more.

The synopsis of the film goes like this: "Near an isolated beach on the California coast, in a laboratory of horror, three renegade scientist have resurrected Frankenstein’s long dead monster… the legendary, indestructible corpse has come back to life yet again! At the same time, they’ve biogenetically engineered a half-man, half-fish abomination, intending to use both brutes as weapons in the worldwide fight against terrorism.

However, disaster strikes when the chemical brainwashing used to control the terrifying beasts fails – instead of stopping terror, these invincible fiends spread terror!

The horror begins when the amphibious beast claims it’s first victims – gorgeous models and their crew shooting a glamorous photo spread on the beach! Rescued and held hostage by the scientists, the survivors of the grisly rampage must find a way to escape both their mad captors and the rampaging monsters, and warn the world of the horrific dangers!"

Now let’s break this bad boy down and start off with what worked well.

The overall acting in FVTCFBC was surprising very well. Usually, in independent films, this is the first to take a hit, but the core cast of Dr. Monroe Lazaroff (G. Larry Butler), Dr. Ula Foranti (Alison Lees-Taylor) (note: I’m still trying to figure out if shes "hot" or "not"), Salisbury (Rich Knight), as well as Bill Grant (William Winckler) held the film together quite well.

With the right mix of over-the-top dialogue, "The Creature is part Human, Barracuda and Black Mamba, created as the ultimate Navy Seal." along with some of the best use of facial expressions in a film - FVTCFBC goes a long way in bringing some of the more subtle elements that made creature features from the past so loveable.

I would find myself smiling when Dr. Lazaroff would be explaining EVERYTHING – as well as laughing at some of his facial expressions, to his wickedly bushy eyebrows (best use of eyebrows in a film – hands down).

I would also have to give special props to Lloyd Kaufman for his guest appearance.. Outstanding! A scene-stealer! I would have loved to have seen more of him… but he was a great treat, in which viewers will love.

Another strong point that FVTCFBC has going for is it’s score. The over-all music of the film is very good and sets the scenes up well.. it also helped set the mood, as well as the tone of FVTCFBC, and I must give William Wincker, as well as Mel Lewis props for a job well done.

Now when it comes to "Direction" and "SFX" – it is here, where I have a split of opinions. Again, in both categories they did some things right, but it was the "wrongs" that really stuck with me and really is what hindered this movie from not receiving a higher rating. 

Rich Knight (Salisbury) was in charge of the SFX for this film and he did a very admirable job, especially with all the constraints an independent film would have (time/money).. and I know it’s very hard to re-invent the classic creatures that have already been ingrained into our minds.. so props for all your work.

The SFX for FVTCFBC has an old school type of feel to it. Of course since this film is paying homage to the classic’s of old, the majority of the creatures are in some type of full body suit – which works really well - The Creature (Sea Monster), and not so well - the Werewolf.

The Creature (Sea Monster) was my favorite monster in the film – and in my opinion, the best designed. Corey Marshall did an excellent job at bringing the creature to life and made him more than just a "man in a rubber suit."

Also, for the short time she was on the screen, Lisa Hammer also did an excellent job as the "Monsters Bride." Those quick scenes with her was shot perfect and helped add a little more depth to the overall story.

Frankenstein is also another one of the main monsters in this film and his overall look was decent. I liked the work on the face.. but everything else screamed "wild peasant farm boy with a mullet." Lawrence Furbish’s overall performance as Frankenstein was solid, but I still felt that he could of brought a little more life and anguish onto the screen.

Another creature that received some minor screen time was "The Werewolf" and I’m tending to think that this was something added for the "fan boys" or that William has a personal love for the creature.. because he really didn’t add anything to the overall film, except for a nice Butch Patrick moment – "Yvonne!"

The facial make-up for the werewolf was pretty good.. it was the furry body suit that I had a problem with. "Rich, what were you thinking?" "The werewolf looked more like Bigfoot from the Krofft Superstar’s." Maybe this was when they ran out of money for creature effects.. I don’t know, but personally I feel that the werewolf scenes could have been edited out and I wouldn't of missed anything.

Now I’m going to throw this next part in under "Direction" because it is here that I felt that William loses some of the momentum that he previously gained. In the mixing of genre’s, William adds a character (The Ghost of Frankenstein) that might have gotten it’s influence from the Hammer Films. This character comes and goes throughout the whole movie and really doesn’t add anything to mix. I’m not to sure, he could of symbolized the conscience of Dr. Lazaroff or something totally different, but "The Ghost" left more questions then answers – and I feel the film would have been more solid without him.

The next element that William added might be his own personal touch to the film or a special nod to all the fan boys of his Double-D Avenger film – but we get some serious T&A action in this film. Now this is something that I really didn’t expect (thanks William) being that this is a homage to the classic horror films, but I really felt that it wasn’t needed.

The movie on it’s own is really good, but when these elements are pulled in, I felt that it cheapened the film in some ways and went a direction that it didn’t need to go.

But to loop this back around and end on a positive note, William and Matthias Schubert (Cinematographer) did have a firm grip on the overall style and look of the film.

I did really enjoyed seeing only parts of the creature (in the beginning).. before the big reveal. Even though I knew what it looked like.. it still let my imagination wander and added a hint of excitement. Also, all the close-up and facial expressions were straight from the "days gone by" and I loved it.

Frankenstein vs the Creature from Blood Cove is an attempt at bringing the elements from the classics of old back to the big screen again and I applaud William for all the dedication and effort he went into doing that. And even though the film has it’s faults, it is still one that will be enjoyed by many. Yes, I believe that it could have been so much more.. but I’m thankful with what we did get, cause I’m "old school" at heart.