PENNY DREADFUL (JOHN LOGAN'S MONSTERVERSE) REVISITED

My wife and I experienced a power outage, which went on for several days. With a little MacGyver ingenuity, I was able activate my portable, Blu-ray player, and what did Donna and I end up (re)watching? Ah, none other than the prolific John (Alien: Covenant/Star Trek: Nemesis) Logan's Penny Dreadful, that fascinating, monster rally that's been compared to Dan Curtis' Dark Shadows in both format and scope. For the sake of the Showtime saga, we went right down the line, absorbing all three seasons (twenty-seven episodes in total). 

Of course, Penny Dreadful aspires to be its own thing, brewing an overlapping and nip-and-tucking, Multi/Monsterverse of classic, horror literature/cinema, with dashes of Universal and Hammer, where no character is ever quite as he/she seems, with some even swapped among legends (case in point, Abraham Van Helsing becoming Frankenstein's associate instead of Dracula's). This revitalized turn may strike some as blasphemous, but the redesign beckons Ray Bradbury's notion of keeping old sources interesting by reimagining their traditions, though never obscuring such beyond recognition. 

The Penny Dreadful ensemble consists of (to list but a few): Harry Treadaway as Victor Frankenstein, Rory Kinnear as Frankenstein's Monster/John Clare, Billie Piper as Brona Croft/the Bride of Frankenstein, Alex Price as Proteus/a second Frankenstein Monster, Reeve Carney as Dorian Gray, Josh Harnett as Ethan Chandler/Lawrence Talbot (the Wolfman), Brian Cox as Jared Talbot, Wes Studi as Kaetenay (a surrogate Maleva), Eva Green as Vanessa Ives, Timothy Dalton as Sir Malcolm Murray, Olivia Llewellyn as Mina Murray, David Warner as Van Helsing, Cristian Carmargo as Count Dracula/Alexander Sweet, Samuel Barnett as Renfield, Patti LuPune as Dr. Seward, Shazard Latif as Henry Jekyll, Helen McCrory as Evelyn Poole, Sarah Greene as Hecate Poole, and there are more...ah, yes, so many more in this grand, Devil's brew. 

The who's-who rundown works well for the characters, who sometimes carry aliases (as one can deduce from the above). It all comes out in the wash, though, with (as the aforementioned, Bradbury assertion indicates) the archetypes still satisfying their classic motives.

For those who know and appreciate its purpose and plan, I've no need to rehash it. For those who may be unaware, to experience Penny Dreadful from a fresh viewpoint (even with a few tidbits revealed, as in this post) is only proper. Give Logan's reimagining a try or hell, a retry. Either way (as Donna and I can attest), you'll gain an ideal means to pass the time, whether the electric is on or not. 

WISE WORDS:

MR. LOBO'S CINEMA INSOMNIA: SUPERWHEELS, BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION

Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia presents Superwheels (Full Throttle), aka The Maddest Car in the World and Superbug, the Craziest Car in the World, the fourth chapter in the German, film franchise inspired by Disney's Herbie the Love Bug series. This imitation counterpart features a cognitive, gadget-loaded Volkswagen beetle named Dudu, which for this outing inserts a nun-spun backdrop that predates John Landis' madcap The Blues Brothers by five years. 

The movie was written and directed by Rudolf Zehetgerber, who stars as Jimmy Bondi (a role he also holds in the series' other submissions), with Dudu going the extra mile to save the day to win a Cannonball Run-esque rally in the Swiss Alps. 

The production exudes child-like glee, which is ideal for Mr. Lobo's personable personality. In fact, the enthusiastic, Superwheels episode shares the same carefree cheer of the host's family-friendly presentations of Santa Claus Conquers the Martians and his popular, Godzilla and Gamera gigs. 

As an extra-gaseous treat, this Cinema Insomnia episode includes the expected, thematic trailers and interluding gags that fans have come to expect, in what works as a perfect vehicle (ahem) for all to relish. And to add further fuel to the free-wheeling fun, Sally the Zombie Cheerleader, Yella Fever (aka Eric Sabo) and his Yella Mobile, Miss Mittens and her Mittens Mobile, Dr. Sarcofiguy (aka John Dimes), Rob Floyd, Rad Abrams and Commander Micronauti are on board for the Sacramento-to-Chesapeake, wraparound trip. 

One can preorder the rollicking good, Superwheels, Blu-ray special edition at 

https://osi74.square.site/product/blu-ray-backer-pre-order-cinema-insomnia-superwheels-full-throttle-with-credit/187?cp=true&sa=false&sbp=false&q=true

WELCOME SPRING 2026 (3/20)

 

CASTLE OF FRANKENSTEIN #43: WHITE ZOMBIE MEETS WEREWOLF OF LONDON

Castle of Frankenstein #43 offers a new crop of dark surprises, with a frontrunner focus on Bela Lugosi in White Zombie and (for its 90th Anniversary) Henry Hull in Werewolf of London.

In addition to these titans of terror, #43 scrutinizes additional, iconic-star productions, including Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde 1931 (with Frederic March); The Mask of Fu Manchu (with Boris Karloff); Colossus: The Forbin Project (with Eric Braeden); The Most Dangerous Game (with Robert Armstrong and Fay Wray); The Satanic Rites of Dracula (with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing); Billy the Kid vs Dracula (with John Carradine); The Hunchback of the Morgue (with Paul Naschy); and The Last Performance (with Conrad Veidt).

Ah, but that's not all! Issue #43 also browses Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein, King Dinosaur, Anna and the Infinite Power, Attack of the Beast Creatures, Deluge, The House in Marsh Road, Dismembered, Dream Divas, The 9th Guest, Mama Dracula, The Vampire's Ghost, The Devil's Mistress, Sting of Death, There's Nothing Out There, joined by an exploration of early, time-travel tales; fruitful, horror flicks of the 1930s; a frightful "Mr. Flip Flap" yarn; a Lalo (Mission: Impossible/Mannix/The Amityville Horror) Schifrin salute; and a saucy, Valentina Von Frankenstein (and friends) comic strip. 

This latest Castle is sure overflowing with imagi-gems, and the whole, thrilling kit and kaboodle can be ordered at  

https://www.mymoviemonsters.com/

PINUP TIME: TRACI LORDS IS NADINE (NOT OF THIS EARTH)

 

I SAW FRANKENSTEIN'S BRIDE

The Asylum has wasted no time entering the latest Frankenstein renaissance with its own extension of Mary Shelley's enduring legend. 

Directed by Erica Duke and written M.L. Miller and Ryan Ebert, Frankenstein's Bride begins with Nick Launchbury's Victor Frankenstein presiding over the marriage of his creatures, portrayed by Rob C. Wells and Emma D. Maria, only to be interrupted by Henry Clerval's clan, played by Lucas Andrews, Will Hodgson, Lisa Fanto and Heather Crawford, who insist that Frankenstein took his knowledge of corpse reanimation from their patriarch, played by Joshua David. They attack the Monster, kidnap Frankenstein and leave the Bride a smoldering mess. She yearns for vengeance, while the crafty Clervals prepare an army of super soldiers to wreak havoc upon the world (in an apparent nod to Bela Lugosi's Dr. Vornoff in Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster; yep, nice touch).  

Aiding the principals is Vincent Donato as Clerval enabler, Clancy (named, perhaps, after Clancy Brown for his Victor portrayal in Franc Roddam's The Bride), whose double-dealing is offset by the fable's sentimental blind man, De Lacy, played by Ian Hart, and his children, played by Tayla Cecera and Connor Kennedy, who join the Bride's crusade. As a result, characters perish along the way, leaving Henry Clerval to rise high in the final act, thanks to his own shocking (pun intended) resurrection and in larger part to David's virtuoso performance, which becomes the most original interpretation of Shelley's supporting character since David McCallum gave him a crotchety spin in Frankenstein: The True Story.

Frankenstein's Bride isn't just another counterpart to James Whale's Bride of Frankenstein, but more a thematic cousin to Richard Raaphorst's Frankenstein's Army and Ryan Bellgardt's Army of Frankensteins. Like those efforts, its ambition exceeds its low budget, with Kenneth Strickfaden-geared, laboratory equipment and corpses galore, all itchin' for their big, climactic jolt. (SPOILER: When the collective resurrection does occur, it smacks more of The Walking Dead than Frankenstein, but even so, it more than delivers the ghoulish goods.)  

Despite its more than a few admirable traits, Frankenstein's Bride also holds some drawbacks. One is the deletion of the Frankenstein Monster from most of the plot. The Bride also falls to the wayside on occasion, and since she's the story's vengeful catalyst, her presence should have dominated every phase, even though her 50 Foot Woman/Frankenstein Conquers the World stint (as inexplicable as that may sound and is) compensates for the short comings (again pun intended), as long as one is willing to roll with it. 

Some will dismiss this Asylum effort as yet another in the company's long line of quickie knockoffs, but at least this one dares to do something different with its subject matter, while adhering to a hodgepodge of faithful, monster-movie tropes. Moreover, it's short, bittersweet and by gosh, a Frankenstein movie. If one is a sincere fan of such Gothic lore, how can one turn a blind eye? For those willing to give it a try, Frankenstein's Bride can be viewed on Apple TV and Amazon Prime.