PRC poverty row horror The Monster Maker stars J. Carrol Naish as boo-hiss mad scientist Dr. Igor Markoff, an expert in glandular disorders. When Markoff sees Patricia (Wanda McKay), beautiful daughter of concert pianist Lawrence (Ralph Morgan), at a recital, he is struck by her resemblance to his dead wife and becomes obsessed, vowing to marry her. Lawrence goes to see Markoff to warn him not to continue pestering his daughter, but winds up in a scuffle and being injected with a serum that causes acromegaly, a disease that results in enlargement of the extremities. Markoff tells Lawrence that he can cure his condition, but only if he persuades Patricia to be - how shall we put it? - more co-operative.
I've only seen two of director Sam Newfield's 200+ films before this one-The Flying Serpent and White Pongo-and they were both terrible. The Monster Maker is surprisingly watchable by comparison, a fun potboiler with solid performances from a decent cast, some nifty 'monster' make-up, and a snappy runtime of just 62 minutes, meaning that it's too short for boredom to set in. There's not a lot in the way of genuine horror, since Lawrence-the monster-is sympathetic and kind-natured, but there is plenty to enjoy here, including a killer gorilla of the man-in-a-monkey-suit variety, an appearance by Glenn 'Frankenstein's monster' Strange as Markoff's henchman Steve, and a brave hound played by none other than Ace the Wonder Dog!
