Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

How to Make a Monster Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 4, 2020

Trying to stretch a trend as far as possible, American International Pictures aimed to keep the money train rolling with 1958’s “How to Make a Monster,” which is a follow-up to studio hits “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” and “I Was a Teenage Frankenstein.” However, instead of dreaming up another fantasy, the writing turns self-referential, transforming AIP into a villain of sorts with tale of horror set inside a movie studio. The idea has the potential to be outrageously fun, but the material only gets so far before it grows exhausted, offering a talky nightmare instead of something more energized.

Robert H. Harris portrays Pete, an AIP master monster makeup man who’s being fired after 25 years of service, replaced by new studio chiefs interested in making musicals and comedies. Pete doesn’t take the news well, using a special foundation cream to hypnotized teen stars into becoming murderous monsters. “How to Make a Monster” finds early creativity in studio bustle, with Harris giving the part his all, cranking up sinister business as Pete masterminds a crazy revenge plan that has him preying on actor insecurities and dabbling in mad science, looking to take down suits who’ve wronged him. Good heavens, what a plot, and “How to Make a Monster” spends most of its first half doing something with it, watching the made-up kids stalk and kill old men inside a screening room and the studio commissary. It’s terrific fun, made even more interesting by its ties to the real AIP, acting as a sort of admission that the studio is running out of ideas, punishing those who make the magic.

How to Make a Monster Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is sourced from a "New 2K Scan of a Fine-Grain Film Element." While not a particularly flashy picture to begin with, cinematographic essentials are preserved during the viewing experience, delivering an appealing level of detail with monster makeup additions and studio tours. Facial surfaces retain texture, and costuming is fibrous. Delineation is satisfactory, doing well with shadowy encounters. Color emerges in the final reel, with stable hues preserving violent encounters, offering very ketchup-y red blood. Source has some rough areas, with scratches periodic and speckling common. A few jumpy frames as well.

How to Make a Monster Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix offers a basic listening experience, with dialogue exchanges clear throughout, managing heated dramatic offerings and monstrous surges. Scoring supports comfortably. Instrumentation isn't sharp, but movie moods are communicated without overwhelming performances.

How to Make a Monster Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary #1 features film historian C. Courtney Joyner and David Del Valle.

• Commentary #2 features film historian Tom Weaver.

• "How to Make a Monster Moviemaker: Herman Cohen at American International Pictures" (14:59, HD) is an appreciation piece, featuring interviews with film historians Ted Newsome, Didier Chatelain, and C. Courtney Joyner. Biographical information is provided, with Cohen working his way up in the industry, eventually settling in with AIP. Filmmaking trends of the 1950s are highlighted, with AIP having luck making features for teenagers, riding formula into 1958's "How to Make a Monster." Production information is shared about the endeavor, including the creation of a fake studio space and casting achievements. The interviewees also point out commentary on AIP's declining interest in making teen diversions. Transition to color cinematography is also detailed.

• "The Ghastly Ghouls: Q&A with Gary Clarke and Gary Conway" (48:31, SD) is an undated Monster Bash Convention appearance from the stars of "How to Make a Monster," who share professional and personal memories, revealing playful chemistry along the way.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:59, SD) is included.

How to Make a Monster Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"How to Make a Monster" runs out of gas at the midway point, offering a musical number to pad the feature, while the payoff to all the early mayhem is more about declarations of vicious intent instead of the real thing. The picture dissolves into conversations instead of action, but it does manage real verve and cleverness in its early scenes. The production doesn't stick the landing, but the initial leap is quite thrilling.