Frankenstein’s Daughter — Frankenstein’s Daughter( Blu Ray)

Frankenstein’s Daughter is a 1958 cult classic from Hawaiian born director Richard E Cunha (She Demons, Girl in Room 13, Missile to the Moon), starring the near-legendary cult film star John Ashley (How to Stuff A Wild Bikini, Mad Doctor of Blood Island, The Twilight People), who took on the role of protagonist in a clutch of much loved Filipino horror movies during the 1970s working with director Eddie Romero. Frankenstein’s Daughter is an earlier entry in Ashley’s career and remains a much-loved classic of the low budget sci-fi horror genre that was popular in the late 1950s.

Alongside Ashley, the film stars Sandra Knight (Thunder Road, The Terror, Tower of London) as Ashley’s love interest Trudy Morton, Donald Murphy (Swamp Girl, Cavalcade of America, The United States Steel Hour) as Oliver Frank, the grandson of Dr Frankenstein, and playboy playmate Sally Todd (Viking Women, The Unearthly, 77 Sunset Strip) as Suzie Lawler.

Trudy Morton (Knight) has been experiencing vivid dreams in which she is a monster prowling the streets at night. The dreams appear real to Trudy, however, her boyfriend, Johnny Bruder (Ashley) and her friends Suzie (Todd) and Don (Harold Lloyd Jr, the son of the silent film legend of the same name) all fob them off as nothing more than nightmares. Little do they know, but lab assistant Oliver Frank (Murphy) who works for Trudy’s uncle, Carter Morton (Felix Locher) with whom she lives, has been spiking her drinks with a formula the pair have been working on that her uncle believes is intended to eliminate all disease, but for which, Frank has another purpose. Frank and his assistant Elsu (Wolfe Barzell, Atlantis: The Lost Continent, The Blue Angel) are trying to carry on the work begun by Frank’s Grandfather, the original Frankenstein. 

The film is an enjoyable slice of late fifties sci-fi that updates the Frankenstein story to that period. The performances are solid enough and both Knight and Ashley are likeable leads. As is often the case with movies of this period, the film is punctuated with contemporary pop songs ala several other films in which Ashley appeared including Beach Blanket Bingo and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini. The monster effects are typically poor, but have a certain charm, as do many of this period. 

This Blu-ray release from The Film Detective features a nice clean print of the film, and some interesting bonus materials, including two separate audio commentaries, one from author and historian Tom Weaver and one from filmmaker Larry Blamire. On top of that, there are fascinating documentaries on both Richard E Cunha and John Ashley. The package is rounded out with a nice booklet featuring an essay from Tom Weaver. Overall, The Film Detective have done a really nice job of preserving this low budget classic for future generations. If you love low-budget fifties sci-fi horror then this disc comes highly recommended.