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Tuesday, November 7, 2017

RETURN OF THE APE MAN 1944 (OLIVE) BLU-RAY

One of the most sought after Bela Lugosi films gets a surprise release on Blu-ray!!

I hadn't seen this movie for at least 10 years and then it was on a VHS bootleg I managed to get ahold of. Was I disappointed to see this come back into my collection? OH HELL NO!!

This ultra low budget rarity stars Lugosi as a scientist who is experimenting with freezing humans in suspended animation. We are introduced to his character of Prof. Dexter and his assistant Prof. John Gilmore (John Carradine) ending a four moth experiment with a hobo who has been reported missing.

They wake him up, give him 5 bucks and send him on his way! Dexter wants to push the experiments further, but Gilmore has his doubts. However they travel to the Arctic and find a prehistoric man frozen in the ice. Before you know it, the ice encased body is back in the lab and Dexter thaws him out.

The cave man is violent and Dexter uses a blow torch to control the beast and he locks him in a cell. He finally ends up transplanting part of Gilmore's brain into the cave man and the monster goes on a rampage.

This little Monogram thriller is full of scenes you'll never forget such as Lugosi chasing the cave man thru a part of new York with a blow torch! The 60 minute running time is loaded with bizarre imagery and is simply a MUST for any Lugosi fan and lover of Monogram films.

The cast also includes Tod Andrews under the name of Michael Ames, Frank Moran as the apeman and Teala Loring under the name Judith Gibson. The print from Olive is a good as it gets with a film like this, and is actually the best I have ever seen the film looking.

George Zucco gets high billing, but only appears in the film for a nanosecond as the frozen apeman. he had to leave the production and Moran took his place. A one of a kind film that I have to say hats off to Olive for bringing this out. Another top release of the year.

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