Man Made Monster (1941)

If you were to ask any fairly well-versed horror fan what Lon Chaney Jr.'s first foray into the genre was, odds are they would answer The Wolf Man... at least, that's what I would've answered for the longest time. While I know his first major acting triumph was Of Mice and Men, The Wolf Man was the film that ensured his stardom and prompted Universal to make him their big horror icon of the 1940's. But, few other than the most diehard fans know that Chaney's first Universal Horror was actually this obscure item, which was released nine months before The Wolf Man. As much of a fan as I like to consider myself, I had never heard of Man Made Monster until 2010, when I read Don G. Smith's book, Lon Chaney Jr.: Horror Film Star, 1906-1973. Never before had it been mentioned in any of the documentaries I'd seen, including Monster By Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of The Wolf Man, which made it seem as though Chaney actually first played Frankenstein's monster in The Ghost of Frankenstein (I'll elaborate on that in that review). Other than a plot synopsis, the knowledge that it featured Lionel Atwill as a scientist who turns Chaney into a monster, and that it was directed by Wolf Man-director George Waggner, as well as a photo of Chaney in the monster suit, as a technician added the finishing touches to it, I didn't have much to go on about Man Made Monster. James Rolfe also featured it in his eighth edition of Cinemassacre's Monster Madness, which was the first time I saw any clips, but that didn't leave much of an impression, either. Before I finally watched it, all I knew for sure was that it was a cheap programmer that didn't even last a full hour and, at that point, hadn't been released on anything past VHS. In fact, I originally intended it to be part of my "Schlocktober" October Fest back in 2019 but, upon watching it on YouTube, I decided it wasn't that bad or even really cheesy enough to merit it. In order to review it as part of this October Fest, I bought the Universal Horror Collection Vol. 3 Blu-Ray set and re-watched it for the first time since October of 2018. Having now seen it three times in total, I can say that Man Made Monster may not be an obscure classic worth of rediscovery but it does manage to be a fun, fast-paced, and, at times, surprisingly moving little flick, with Chaney giving a very likable and sympathetic performance, while Atwill hams it up as a truly mad scientist.

On a rainy night, a bus skids off the road and crashes into the base of an electrical tower. Of the six people onboard, there's only one survivor: Dan McCormick, who does a sideshow act as "Dynamo Dan, the Electrical Man," where he fools around with electricity. Intrigued by this, Dr. John Lawrence visits Dan, who's not injured at all, at the hospital and asks him to drop by his home when he's released. There, Lawrence tells Dan that he believes he might've become immune to electricity because of his act and that he'd like for him to stay there so he can study him and learn how this immunity came about. During his time at the house, Dan makes friends with the family dog, Corky, while Lawrence's niece, June, is courted by newspaper reporter, Mark Adams. But, while Lawrence is away at a conference, his colleague, Dr. Paul Rigas, is left in charge of the experiment. Rigas, desiring to prove a theory that humans can be given strength and even controlled through electricity, begins subjecting Dan to higher and higher doses. Over time, not only does electrical energy begin to emit from his body but he becomes lethargic and despondent, dependent on the "treatments" to temporarily restore his strength. Finally, one night when June and Mark are out on a date, and Rigas drugs a glass of water he gives to Lawrence, he puts Dan through the final part of the experiment, exposing him to the maximum amount of electricity. Now glowing with energy and influenced by Rigas' will, Dan accidentally kills Lawrence when he attempts to call the police. Rigas tells him to say that he killed him when questioned, ensuring that he will be convicted of murder and sent to the electric chair, so Rigas can see what happens. What does happen is Dan gets supercharged from the chair, escapes the prison, and begins roaming the countryside, a walking mass of electricity whose touch means instant death.

George Waggner was yet another director who initially started out as an actor in the silent era. But, even though he managed to appear in notable films like The Sheik and The Iron Horse, his acting career went nowhere and he switched to screenwriting, as well as songwriting, and, eventually, directing. He started out directing B-level westerns, both at Universal and Monogram Pictures, but then, when the former began its second horror cycle, they put Waggner on a film called Horror Island, which was released on a double bill with Man Made Monster, which he also wrote the screenplay for under the pseudonym of Joseph West. In addition to directing The Wolf Man, his most famous movie by far, Waggner would go on to be a constant presence during Universal's second horror cycle, acting as a producer on films like The Ghost of Frankenstein, Invisible Agent, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, and the 1943 remake of Phantom of the Opera, as well as producing and directing 1944's The Climax, a spiritual follow-up to the Phantom remake, starring Boris Karloff.

Man Made Monster was a revised version of a screenplay called The Electric Man, written in 1936 and meant as yet another vehicle for Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. But because it was too similar to The Invisible Ray, which they'd just starred in, it was shelved, then dusted off once the success of Son of Frankenstein prompted Universal to begin producing horror films again. And while Karloff would've likely done a good job, as he always did, the lead role of Dan McCormick seemed tailor-made for Lon Chaney Jr. As Dan, he really gets to show off two of the qualities that made him so endearing: his likable blue-collar, everyman vibe, and his innate ability to arouse sympathy. When we first see Dan after he survives the opening bus crash, he's in a hospital room, playfully trying to get his pants away from a nurse so he can walk out, and when the doctor coaxes him back into bed, he says, "I guess I ain't as tough as I thought I was." He's then introduced to Dr. John Lawrence and when he's told he wants to ask him some questions, Dan happily replies, "Sure! Glad to have somebody to talk to! You know, for a minute, I thought you was one of those reporters." Not that that bothers him; when Lawrence tells Dan there are several waiting to talk to him, he says, "Oh, say, that's great! I can use a couple of good write-ups in my business." And he's then more than happy to tell them about his act as "Dynamo Dan, the Electrical Man," further solidifying himself as a very gregarious, free-spirited, happy-go-lucky guy. Granted, while he's not too concerned about the five people in the crash who didn't make it, at one point commenting, "I'm the one who lived," Dan is, otherwise, as likable as you can get. When Lawrence asks him to come by his house when he's released from the hospital and then tells him of his plan to test his immunity against electricity, Dan is more than happy to have a place to stay and get free food. He also really bonds with Lawrence's dog, Corky, and the two of them have a lot of fun playing catch and Dan teaching him some tricks.

Because of that, it's quite sad to see what happens to Dan when Dr. Rigas begins exposing him to higher doses of electricity. After the first of these "treatments," Dan feels a bit dazed and weak, saying his hands feel numb. He's then disturbed when Corky begins avoiding him, and when sparks of electricity emit from his fingertips, which cause him to accidentally kill some goldfish in a bowl. By the time Dr. Lawrence has returned from his convention, Dan is a lethargic shell of his former

self, walking around with no energy and no appetite. He comes to depend upon the doses of electricity, as they make him feel as strong as he once was, but the effect wears off very quickly. After Rigas puts him through the final experiment, Dan's body glows as it pulses with electrical energy, but his mind has been destroyed and he's now totally subservient to Rigas' commands. He's also full of so much electricity that he has to wear a rubber suit in order to insulate himself and keep it

from draining. When Lawrence comes in and sees what Rigas has done, he goes to call the police. Rigas, in turn, sics Dan on him, and he accidentally kills Lawrence by breaking his neck. With that, Rigas drains the energy out of Dan and uses his influence to make him confess to June Lawrence and Mark Adams that he killed the doctor of his own will. Throughout the entire trial, all Dan says is, "I killed him," although there is one moment during the examination process where a psychiatrist tries to insinuate that Dan killed

Lawrence because he reminded him of a man who abused him when he was young and Dan yells, "No!", before sinking back down into his chair and repeating, "I killed him." With this, as well as more of Rigas' plotting, Dan is eventually sent to the electric chair, only for it to charge him up with electricity, to the point where he can kill by just a touch, and allow him to escape the prison. Roaming the countryside, he manages to steal a pair of rubber boots to insulate himself long enough to get back to the Lawrence house. There, he manages to kill Rigas and puts on the rubber suit, before walking off with June in his arms, in true classic monster fashion. But, also in true classic monster fashion, Dan eventually suffers a tragic end.

This was the first of many times Lon Chaney Jr. and makeup artist Jack Pierce had to work together but I doubt their relationship was quite as combative here as it would become later, when Chaney had to wear more elaborate and uncomfortable makeups. This makeup is rather simple, meant to simulate the draining and almost aging effect the electricity overdoses have on Dan. He goes from looking haggard to, after the final experiment, very aged and unhealthy, with pale

skin, black around the eyes, and more creases and furrows than there were before. But the true signature look of the "man made monster" that Dan becomes is achieved through visual effects and wardrobe. Despite the very low budget of just around $86,000, special effects wizard John P. Fulton was able to achieve a well-done glowing effect around Chaney's head and arms to simulate how Dan is full of electricity (it is very similar to an effect used on Boris Karloff in The Invisible Ray, as is the concept of him having a lethal

touch). As for the rubber suit Rigas has him wear in order to conserve his energy (which I've read weighed 70 pounds), it's... pretty ridiculous-looking. I thought that when I first saw the photograph in Don G. Smith's book and I still feel that way, as it looks like a really bad knockoff Frankenstein monster costume. Fortunately, he only wears it twice. And speaking of Frankenstein, his performance during the third act, where he's lumbering around without speaking, is sort of a prelude to his performance as the Monster in The Ghost of Frankenstein (although, I find this more affecting).

While she's nothing amazing, one thing I will give the film's leading lady, June Lawrence (Anne Nagel), is that she never becomes a screaming damsel in distress. In fact, she's portrayed as a competent, strong-willed young woman who looks after her Uncle John, making a list of references for his speech at the convention he attends and also makes sure he doesn't overwork himself. She's also very friendly and welcoming towards Dan, and the two of them have a bit of a flirtatious relationship but it never becomes serious. Thus, when Dan starts to slow down and become nothing like the gregarious, energetic guy he once was, she really starts to worry and begins to believe it's Dr. Rigas' doing. She also worries when her uncle becomes woozy and fatigued and goes to bed early. So much so that she cuts a date short and returns to the house to find that Lawrence has been murdered, apparently by Dan. However, June doesn't believe Dan is capable of murdering anybody, and tries to tell the district attorney this, although Rigas renders her efforts useless when he meets with the DA himself. On the night of Dan's execution, June enters the laboratory, where she's confronted by Rigas, who admits to what he did to Dan. He then attempts to kill her using the same electrical machine, but Dan bursts in and kills Rigas, then dons his rubber suit and carries June off. What I like is how, while she does faint when he first picks her up, June, instead of screaming her head off, tries to reason with Dan, telling him not to run away and that they might be able to help him, and then merely struggles to get out of his grip. At the end of the movie, she talks her fiancee, reporter Mark Adams, into burning Rigas' notes rather than printing them, in order to ensure this experiment isn't repeated elsewhere.

As for Mark (Frank Albertson), his and June's relationship goes from contentious, as June finds his articles focusing on Dan's miraculous recovery, rather than those who died in the accident, distasteful, to dating and then engaged very quickly. In their first scene, Mark drops by the Lawrence house to see Dan, knowing he went there because he bribed the nurse, and learn Dr. Lawrence's interest in him. June is initially reluctant to tell him, denying that Dan is even there, but later on, Mark not only knows of the experiment but attempts to ask June out on a date. He gets rejected but, later on, the two of them are going out. At least, they try to, but June is too concerned about what's happened with Dan to concentrate on it. And while he initially seems like an overly ambitious reporter, as well as disappointed by June's distracted worrying, Mark proves to be a decent enough guy in that, like June, he has a hard time believing that Dan actually murdered Lawrence. Having distrusted Dr. Rigas from the start, Mark agrees with June that he did something to Dan, and tells her that he tried to get his paper to help but his boss wouldn't believe him. Mark is questioned at the trial but there's little he can do to sway the jury, and he's also present at Dan's execution, having to cover it. He witnesses what happens when Dan breaks out of the death chamber and escapes the prison, taking the warden prisoner to ensure there's no interference. As Dan rampages across the countryside, Mark realizes he's heading back to the Lawrence household and he and the police get there just as Dan has killed Rigas and made off with June. When they pursue them through the woods, Mark tries to warn Dan about a barbwire fence he comes across, as it will drain him of his energy if it rips his rubber suit. But, as you can guess, that's exactly what happens. At the end of the movie, Mark considers printing the contents of Rigas' journal about the experiments, but when June warns him against it, he realizes she's right and tosses it into the fireplace.

Dr. John Lawrence (Samuel S. Hinds) is as kindly and well-meaning as he is famous, and when he hears how Dan McCormick survived a crash and an electrical jolt that killed five other people, he's interested in studying him to find out how he became immune to electricity in order to save the lives of those who die from such accidents all the time. But, while he intends on exposing Dan to just a little bit of electricity at a time, his colleague, Dr. Paul Rigas, seriously ups the ante on the exposure while Lawrence is away at a science convention. When he arrives home and sees how lethargic Dan has become, he, at first, is inclined to believe Rigas that it's a side-effect of their experiment. But then, after June tells him about how the goldfish were electrocuted, he examines a sample of Dan's blood and finds there's a major decrease in red corpuscles. Before he can examine it further, Lawrence feels weak and fatigued and is sent to bed. Late that night, while June is out with Mark, Lawrence sees the lights blinking from Rigas' exposing Dan to the maximum amount of electricity and goes down to the lab to investigate. When he enters and sees what Rigas has done to Dan, Lawrence, who was already opposed to Rigas' theory on electro-biology, is aghast and goes to call the police. Rigas orders Dan to stop him and Dan ends up killing him.

Though he played a mad but, ultimately, sympathetic artist in Mystery of the Wax Museum, and would play a similar role to this one in The Ghost of Frankenstein, this is the movie where Lionel Atwill gets to be a true mad scientist and he absolutely hams it up. His Dr. Paul Rigas is the typical overzealous scientist who has a theory and is willing to go to any lengths to prove it, even if it means sacrificing a human life. In this case, he believes people can be controlled by and become dependent on electricity, to the point where they can be used as living weapons. Dr. Lawrence, naturally, doesn't approve, telling him, " But, man, you're challenging the forces of creation!", leading Rigas to give a classic impassioned speech justifying himself: "The forces of Creation? Bah! You know as well as I do that more than half the people of the world are doomed to a life of mediocrity. Born to be nonentities, millstones around the neck of progress, men who have to be fed, watched, looked over, and taken care of by a superior intelligence. My theory is to make these people of more use to the world. By successive treatments their bodies can be so electrolyzed that they are no longer subject to the pains and frailties of ordinary mankind." Lawrence, as you can expect, calls him mad and Rigas retorts, "I am! So was Archimedes, Galileo, Newton, Pasteur, Lister, and all the others who dared to dream. Fifty years ago, a man was mad to think of anesthesia. Forty years ago, the idea of operating on the brain was madness. Today, we hold a human heart in our hands and watch it beat. Who can tell what tomorrow's madness may be?" Though Lawrence agrees with that last sentiment, he tells Rigas that science is meant for the betterment of mankind. Standard stuff, yes, but Atwill is one of those actors who is such a delight to watch when he's unhinged, making these impassioned speeches as though he were doing Shakespeare. 

Rigas' dismissive and even disdainful attitude towards human life, coupled with his obsession over his theory, leads him to experiment on Dan while Lawrence is away at a science convention. As he subjects him to higher and higher doses of electricity, he writes about what a perfect subject he is and the effect it's having on him. When Lawrence returns from the convention and becomes concerned about Dan's condition, Rigas drugs a drink he gives him, sending him to bed.

And while June and Mark are out, he completes his experiment, subjecting Dan to the maximum amount of electricity and turning him into a mindless zombie with energy flowing through him. Ecstatic at the result, he has Dan put on a rubber suit to conserve his energy. Once he's fully insulated, Rigas proclaims, "There you are! Not Dan McCormick, but something I created, obeying my will! I can give you life, or take it from you." When Lawrence walks in on them, Rigas makes no

effort to hide Dan. On the contrary, he presents him to Lawrence: "Look, there he stands! The shell of a man, electrically alive! Every impulse controlled by me!... While you were fooling around with the conventions, I have conquered destiny! Think of an army of such creatures, doing the work of the world, fighting its battles! Look at him! The worker of the future! Controlled by a superior intelligence!" Much to Rigas' surprise and chagrin, Lawrence goes to phone the police, telling him he's destroyed a human being. Rigas asks, "What is one

life compared to this discovery?!", but when Lawrence ignores him and begins dialing, he tells Dan to stop him. When Dan ends up killing Lawrence, Rigas tells him to say that he did so, as well as to remember nothing else, then drains the electricity out of him before June and Mark return. During the ensuing murder trial, Rigas does everything to ensure that Dan is doomed: he shows the district attorney a record of Lawrence's treatments on him and is also present at the sanity examination to ensure that Dan says nothing but, "I killed him."

While Dan, after being supercharged by the electric chair, is wandering the countryside, Rigas finds June snooping around in the lab. Again, like with her uncle, he flat-out admits what he's done, even giving her his journal. Also, he, once again, insists that he's done Dan a favor, that he's given him life, and adds that he intended for Dan to go to the electric chair as part of the experiment, calling it a "fantastic demonstration" that everyone is talking about. He even admits that Dan killed Lawrence

while under his control and doesn't deny that he's a madman. He finally says, "Dan McCormick, as you knew him, was doomed from the first day he came into this laboratory... I killed one human life in order to prove one great scientific truth." Horrifically, Rigas attempts to kill June by strapping her to the table and blasting her with electricity. That's when Dan breaks in and, seeing what's happening, lurches towards Rigas. Unable to control him anymore, Rigas backs away from Dan and attempts to drain his energy, only for Dan to kill him through electrocution.

Even in their low budget quickies, Universal was often able to give their films a stamp of quality you wouldn't see in movies of this sort produced by the Poverty Row. While George Waggner's direction is nothing amazing, it's certainly competent and the film comes off as well-crafted, making use of editing and montage as a cinematic shorthand to show the effect Dr. Rigas' experiments have on Dan. We get close-ups of Rigas' journal entries, describing what's happening to Dan, and montages of various images from the experiments, such as

close-ups of their faces, the electrical equipment sparking and zapping (some of this is stock footage from the first two Frankenstein movies), and another shot of Rigas' journal, overlaid on each other, with a very telling one being a journal page on top of Dan's face. When Dan's execution date is set for May 29th, the camera pans from Rigas listening to the report on the radio to a close-up of a calendar in the lab. We then see the dates fly off the calendar, while behind it, Rigas continues

working in the lab, as well as Dan sitting in a prison cell. And when the 29th arrive, we cut to Dan in his cell, as the door is opened and the warden and guards prepare to lead him to the death chamber. As per usual, we also get montages of newspaper clippings telling us how Dan has left the hospital and when he's been condemned to die, in addition to occasional cutaways to this radio announcer relaying the news, such as after the crash at the beginning and about the stages of

Dan's trial. The film is also well-shot by cinematographer Elwood Bredell, going for a film noir type of look with the lighting, being especially shadowy in scenes and shots where Rigas is meant to come off as menacing. One bit of Expressionism is seen after Dan is led into the execution chamber, as a guard's shadow opens the door to and approaches the lever that activates the electric chair.

The production design is just kind of so-so, as the main setting of Dr. Lawrence's home is pretty ordinary. In fact, I have a feeling these interiors are left over from The Raven as, minus the torture devices, they're that same sort of upper class house, with a large foyer with a slightly spiraling staircase; nice bedrooms upstairs; an office and study for Lawrence that has shelves filled with books on either side of a large fireplace, with a painting above the mantle, a pair of cozy couches, a desk, and a bowl with some goldfish in it; and the

laboratory, which is behind a door on the study's right wall. The lab itself is nothing that special, either, filled with the expected electrical equipment, the most striking of which is the enormous table Dan is strapped to in order to expose him to the electricity, a chemistry set on a table, and experimental animals kept in cages by the door. In the back is a closet containing the rubber suit that Rigas has Dan wear when he becomes fully electrified. There's also a nice patio

and garden out front where Dan is shown playing with Corky during his first days there. As for the other sets, the interiors of the hospital at the beginning, the courtroom, and the prison all serve their purpose well, the latter coming off as especially oppressing. Finally, during the third act, Dan wanders the countryside in some shots that do look as though they were filmed outdoors, while others, like the misty forest he carries June through during the climax, were very likely sets.

As I already hinted at, despite the budget, the special effects are very well-done, especially the glowing effects they created around Lon Chaney Jr.'s head and arms during the film's latter half. Not only do they succeed in keeping it consistent but, in one of the first shots where it's utilized, there's a flask in the foreground and they manage to make the glowing image of Dan's right arm look distorted through the glass. They're only onscreen for split seconds but the bits of electricity that zap from Dan's fingers also look nice, as does the matte

work in those shots. The opening bus crash involves some great miniature work, combined with animation depicting sparking electricity (different footage of it was later used in the 1944 serial, Mystery of the River Boat), and a scene where Dan accidentally sets a horse-drawn cart on fire has some nice physical effects and stunt work.

After the sudden bus crash that opens it, the movie goes along at a leisurely but not at all boring pace, showing what happens to Dan once Dr. Rigas begins putting him through the experiments. Then, when Rigas turns him into a creature glowing with electrical energy, the pace begins to ratchet up, as Rigas has Dan attack Dr. Lawrence, only for him to unintentionally kill him, and then ensures that, when he's put on trial, he'll end up getting the death penalty. Sure enough, thanks to Rigas' own testimony, as well as the very wrong opinions of a

psychiatrist, Dan is found guilty and sentenced to die in the electric chair on May 29th. When the date comes, we watch as Dan is literally lifted up out of his cell and walked down the corridor towards the death chamber. It's actually quite sad, seeing what this once energetic, free-spirited man has been reduced to, and then, we see a guard push a button that alerts those who monitor the output of electricity. We don't get to see the inside of the room housing the chair; we just see Dan as he's walked through it and the door is closed behind

him, as well as the shadow of the executioner approaching the switch. A reporter outside telephones his boss about it, while the two technicians watch the meter spike as the chair is activated. But just when they think it's over, the hand starts swaying back and forth. One of the technicians calls upstairs, asking the guard what's going on, when the guard overhears the reporter mention that they've zapped Dan three times but he's still alive. The meter then spikes again, as they

try once more, but upstairs, Mark Adams and the other reporter call their boss, telling him that Dan won't die; moreover, he's killed two guards. Dan, now glowing with energy again, forces the warden out of the execution chamber and makes him walk to the yard. A guard tries to stop him but Dan kills him instantly with his deadly touch. The warden warns another guard not to touch him, and he and Dan walk outside, towards the main gate, as Mark relays what's happening on the phone. When they reach the gate, Dan's electricity sparks on it.

Later, they've disappeared into the countryside. Though the experts feel that Dan's power will run out within three hours, shortly after the warden's body is reported to have been found, he approaches a car parked outside the gate of a sportsman's club. He frightens the woman sitting in the passenger seat but doesn't harm her; instead, he takes a pair of rubber boots from the back in order to insulate his energy and walks off. Just when everyone believes the danger has passed, the district attorney receives a call from the woman's husband, telling him what

happened. He then orders up a search party and tells the reporters about it, with Mark realizing that club isn't far from the Lawrence house. Meanwhile, Dan comes across a horse-drawn buggy, full of people in the back. He motions for help from them but the shocks from his electricity panic the horses. The driver grabs a whip and hits him with it, but the electricity goes right up the whip and kills him. He falls off the wagon and the horses take off in a panic. Dan reaches for the back of the buggy, igniting the hay lining it and forcing those in the

back to jump off. The horses run until they break free of the burning buggy, which overturns on a ridge. Dan makes his way to the Lawrence house, where June is confronted by Rigas in the laboratory, admitting what he did to Dan and attempting to kill her. But then, Dan arrives at the house, enters, and heads into the lab. Seeing what Rigas is doing, he lurches towards him, ignoring his commands to stop, and Rigas ducks inside the small closet housing the rubber suit. Dan grabs the 

doorknob at the same time Rigas is holding it on the other side, electrocuting him to death. With that, Dan, wanting to get June to safety, puts on the rubber suit so he can handle her safely. As the police approach outside, June tries to reason with him, telling him they may be able to cure him. But Dan doesn't listen; he rips June free of the table Rigas strapped her to, picks her up, and makes off with her, heading out the back door. The police and reporters arrive and head inside. In the lab, they find Rigas' body and Mark, knowing that it was Dan, runs back outside with the cops.

It doesn't take them long to find Dan, as he walks through the woods while carrying June in his arms; Corky, the little dog who Dan befriended, also follows them. Dan exits the woods and heads across a field, towards a barbwire fence. Mark, realizing he has June, runs ahead of the others, yelling for her, while she awakens and struggles in Dan's arms. Dan reaches the barbwire and gets caught on it. Knowing that Dan's a goner if the wire rips open the suit, Mark runs ahead and tries to warn him. He puts June down and she runs to

Mark, while Dan, in his struggling, does, indeed, tear open the rubber. The electricity begins running out of him, arcing through the fence, and as his strength leaves him, his struggling slows. Corky reaches the crowd watching this and howls and yelps in despair. Dan sinks to the ground and his head stops glowing as the last bit of the energy leaves him. He collapses, dead, and as the others watch, Corky, who'd become afraid of him after Rigas first experimented on him, approaches his

body. Sniffing him, he walks around to his side and solemnly rests his head on Dan's torso. Afterward, in the movie's final scene, June talks Mark out of printing the contents of Rigas' journal and he, instead, tosses it into the fireplace. The two of them watch as it burns.

Here's an interesting bit of trivia that I wasn't expecting: Man Made Monster indirectly led to the creation of American-International Pictures. Like many of Universal's classic horror films, it was re-released in the 1950's by Realart Pictures, but re-titled as The Atomic Monster in order to cash in on the fad of atomic age-centered science fiction and monster movies. Film producer and screenwriter Alex Gordon felt that Realart took the title from a script he'd given them and decided to have his attorney meet with someone from the company's advertising department. Said lawyer and advertiser happened to be Samuel Z. Arkoff and James H. Nicholson, respectively, and the two of them became friends and, following this case, co-founded AIP together, with Gordon initially coming along as a frequent producer, although he left fairly early in the company's history.

Being a B-movie made during this period in the studio's history, the movie's music score, created by Hans J. Salter, has music recycled from previous films, most notably its main title, which is taken from the opening credits for The Invisible Man Returns, as well as themes and motifs that would be heard many, many times in the coming years. In fact, there's a lot of music that would later be used in The Wolf Man, including the low-key piece that James Rolfe once said reminds him of Danny Elfman's Batman theme. One bit of music that particularly sticks in my mind is the memorable one that plays whenever Dr. Rigas experiments on Dan, which is a driving, activity-filled motif that builds to a large crescendo. It would later be reused in other movies, such as House of Dracula, but I first heard it as a little kid as part of the score for the American version of King Kong vs. Godzilla, which was made up of a lot of Universal stock music. Salter also comes up with some effective music for the moment when Dan momentarily breaks through Rigas' control of his mind and plenty of sad, touching music that hints at the tragedy of what's happened to Dan. In all, as usual with Salter's music for these B-movies, it may not be memorable from beginning to end but it does its job.

Man Made Monster isn't exactly an obscure gem in the Universal Horror canon and it's not surprising how, after The Wolf Man and Lon Chaney Jr.'s other more well-known movies at the studio, it faded into obscurity, but it's not a bad movie at all; just a serviceable one. It benefits greatly from Chaney's likable performance, Lionel Atwill's scenery chewing, and the other actors being likable, as well as some surprisingly good special effects, despite the low budget, a good pace that makes the 59 minutes fly by, and a decent amount of pathos. Unlike Dan's show-name, it's not a dynamo, as it was clearly shot on the cheap, and the music score sounds like just about every other B-horror flick Universal produced around this time, but it is an enjoyable little movie and one I would recommend if you need to kill an hour.