Blackenstein (1973)

Director:

William A. Levey

Writer:

Frank R. Saletri (writer)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

Warning! To people with weak hearts... No doctors or nurses in attendance.

Plot:

Eddie is a Vietnam veteran who loses his arms and legs when he steps on a land mine, but a brilliant surgeon is able to attach new limbs...

Plot Keywords:

Vietnam Veteran | Experiment | Frankenstein's Monster | Blaxploitation | African American

Cast

John Hart	...	Dr. Stein
Ivory Stone	...	Dr. Winifred Walker
Joe De Sue	...	Eddie Turner
Roosevelt Jackson	...	Malcomb, the servant
Andrea King	...	Eleanor, a patient
Nick Bolin	...	Bruno Strager, patient
Karin Lind	...	Mrs. Wayne, Hospital Supervisor
Yvonne Robinson	...	Hospital Receptionist
Bob Brophy	...	Hospital Attendant
Liz Renay	...	Nelson's Bed-mate
Gerald Soucie	...	Nelson (as Jerry Soucie)
Beverly Haggerty	...	Beth
Daniel Fauré	...	Beth's Date
Andy-C	...	Nightclub Comedian
Cardella Di Milo	...	Nightclub Singer (as Cardella De Milo)
Marva Farmer	...	Black Woman in Alley
Robert L. Hurd	...	Black Man in Alley
James Cousar	...	Police Lt. Jim Jackson (as Jim Cousar)
Don Brodie	...	Police Capt. Tucker
Dale Bach	...	Girl in Dune Buggy

Directed by
William A. Levey

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Frank R. Saletri		writer

Produced by
Frank R. Saletri	....	producer
Ted Tetrick	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Cardella Di Milo
Lou Frohman

Cinematography by
Robert Caramico

Film Editing by
William A. Levey		(as Bill Levey)

Makeup Department
Gordon Freed	....	makeup designer
Gerald Soucie	....	makeup staff member (as Jerry Soucie)

Production Management
F.A. Miller	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Don Goldman	....	second assistant director
Paul Heslin	....	assistant director

Art Department
Bud Costello	....	property master

Sound Department
Dick Damon	....	sound
Ray Hill	....	boom operator

Special Effects by
Ken Strickfaden	....	special electrical effects

Stunts
Jay Goldner	....	stunts
Robert L. Hurd	....	stunts
Joe Pronto	....	stunt advisor

Camera and Electrical Department
Robert Isenberg	....	assistant camera (as Bob Isenberg)
Larry Lapointe	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sharon Lally	....	wardrobe supervisor

Other crew
Don Brodie	....	assistant to producer
William Munns	....	prosthetics constructor
Judy Redlin	....	script supervisor (as Judy Redland)
Frank R. Saletri	....	special electrical effects

Production Companies

• Frisco Productions Limited

Distributors

• Exclusive International (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• Teitel Amusement (1975) (USA: Midwest) (theatrical)
• Media Home Entertainment (1978) (USA) (VHS)
• Prestige Pictures
• World Beyond Video (video)
• Xenon Entertainment Group

Also Known As:

Black Frankenstein
Return of Blackenstein

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | USA:R

Company:

Frisco Productions Limited

Trivia:

The set used for Dr. Stein's lab uses items from Universal's original Frankenstein (1931).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Though Eddie is supposed to have had both arms and legs blown off by a land mine, when he arrives at Dr. Stein's home, both legs and feet are clearly visible underneath the sheet as he is removed from the ambulance.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sweets to the Sweet: The Candyman Mythos (2004) (V)

Not as good as it sounds...and it sounds truly awful!

BLACKENSTEIN is a terrible movie and its title wouldn't suggest otherwise. Like ABBY (sort of like a Black version of THE EXORCIST), BLACKENSTEIN has practically no budget whatsoever and the acting is just terrible. Believe it or not, the two Blacula movies aren't that bad--BLACKENSTEIN, however, is abysmally bad--so bad that bad movie fans might (but probably won't) love it. Others with taste, however, won't!

One of the first things you'll notice on the DVD is that the print is really, really bad--though it does get a bit better later. This is because there just isn't much money to be made from this film and adding closed captions or digitally restoring the picture just isn't going to happen! You also will probably notice how odd Los Angeles is in the film. Most nights, there seems to be thunder and lightning and often there is an eerie fog about as well (perhaps this is just smog). Regardless, it's pretty funky weather for sunny Southern California! As for the plot, it's really not like the traditional Frankenstein story. There is no mad scientist and no dead people are reanimated. Instead, a sane researcher and his assistant work to attach dead limbs to living people who lost theirs in accidents. However, instead of working in a hospital, they work in the doctor's home which is more like a castle (in Los Angeles, okay?). Heck, the place even has a dungeon and Frankenstein-like laboratory! The assistant is a young Black lady whose boyfriend lost his limbs in an explosion in Vietnam. While the transplant looks promising, no one realizes that the doctor's evil butler switches the genetic formulas and the poor Black man starts to mutate and become evil. He, of course, goes on some obligatory rampages and since this is a so-called "Blaxploitation" film, you see two ladies' breasts--though it really made no sense at all and was very, very contrived. It's amazing to see how this made no sense at all, but given that NONE of the film makes sense, it's understandable.

So what is to like about the film......well,....nothing really except for the small sequence involving the comedian. One of the jokes, though a bit crude, is funny and he was pretty cute. The acting is purely amateur, the script is amazingly static and dull (something you'd never expect in a horror film--even a bad one) and the sets are cheap and make no sense. It's really too dull for bad movie fans to enjoy and I found myself falling asleep from time to time--it was that unexciting. By contrast, even the very worst Hammer horror film was light years better.