Boris Karloff's last film, this Mexican/American combo platter is really something else. Much like Isle of the Snake People, Fear Chamber and House of Evil, the main action was filmed by Juan Ibáñez while Jack Hill took care of the American footage and anything Karloff appears in.
The story takes place in Gudenberg, as Professor John Mayer (Karloff) has invented a laser weapon that runs on nuclear power. As he tests it, he nearly shoots down a UFO, which leads to aliens coming to our planet to shut down his plans.
That's what they claim the plot is, but man, this has some twists and turns and veers off into some strange places. Which, you know, is just how I like it.
Karloff has an assistant, Dr. Isabel Reed, which is pretty woke for 1890 to have a female mad scientist. She's played by Maura Monti, the Mexican Batwoman and she just might be in love with their Igor, who is named Thomas (Yerye Beirute, who was made for roles like these and as the big heavy in movies like Ladrones de Cadaveres). Sure, he just happens to be a sex murderer and an alien gets in his brain and all his victims suddenly become radioactive and this run-on sentence should explain just how convoluted this movie is.
Somehow, Christa Linder (Night of 1000 Cats) figures into this as Karloff's niece and the eighty-year-old horror hero - never far from oxygen and frequently sitting - gets possessed by aliens who finally make him blow up his entire house just to prove a point that man is not ready for nuclear power.
I watched this whole thing and really was baffled by every single minute, which is often how I judge a movie that I love. Bring on the nonsense!
The story takes place in Gudenberg, as Professor John Mayer (Karloff) has invented a laser weapon that runs on nuclear power. As he tests it, he nearly shoots down a UFO, which leads to aliens coming to our planet to shut down his plans.
That's what they claim the plot is, but man, this has some twists and turns and veers off into some strange places. Which, you know, is just how I like it.
Karloff has an assistant, Dr. Isabel Reed, which is pretty woke for 1890 to have a female mad scientist. She's played by Maura Monti, the Mexican Batwoman and she just might be in love with their Igor, who is named Thomas (Yerye Beirute, who was made for roles like these and as the big heavy in movies like Ladrones de Cadaveres). Sure, he just happens to be a sex murderer and an alien gets in his brain and all his victims suddenly become radioactive and this run-on sentence should explain just how convoluted this movie is.
Somehow, Christa Linder (Night of 1000 Cats) figures into this as Karloff's niece and the eighty-year-old horror hero - never far from oxygen and frequently sitting - gets possessed by aliens who finally make him blow up his entire house just to prove a point that man is not ready for nuclear power.
I watched this whole thing and really was baffled by every single minute, which is often how I judge a movie that I love. Bring on the nonsense!