“What if the machine breaks? Or something goes wrong with his brain?”
Aliens from another planet, which has been ravaged by nuclear war, are the last of a dying race. They have come to Earth led by their ruler Princess Marcuzan (Marilyn Hanold) and her aid Dr. Nadir (Lou Cutell). Thinking they are being attacked they destroy several space probes. The last rocket they destroy contains a human looking android named Frank Saunders (Robert Reilly).
Frank was designed by Dr. Adam Steele (James Karen). When the ship is destroyed Frank's damaged capsule winds up landing in Puerto Rico. When the aliens realize that the space ship wasn’t a missile they are worried that their diabolical plans will go awry. When the aliens catch up to Frank they try to kill him. They damage him but he is not totally destroyed. The damage causes Frank to go on a rampage throughout the island. He is now a Frankenstein. Steele and his assistant Karen Grant (Nancy Marshall) head for the island to try to stop Frank. By the time they arrive on the island Princess Marcuzan and Dr. Nadir have launched their main plan.
Due to the war, and other than the princess, they have no women. Their mission is to gather as many Earth women as they can to have enough breeding stock to re-populate their planet. The aliens start kidnapping women. Eventually Karen is captured and it is up to Adam and Frank to help save her and the other women who have been taken.
“Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster” was released in 1965 and was directed by Robert Gaffney. Stock footage of a real NASA flight is accompanied by cool go-go music. Apparently the aliens are supposed to be from Mars, but I don’t remember them saying that. I’m not sure if the movie makers intended for the film to be serious. If so they failed. The movie looks more like a bunch of kids made it in their basement. Anything not in their basement was either shot in their backyard or is stock footage. Then there are the driving montages. The make-up is bad. The music score is a combination of 60’s pop music and crime jazz. The move includes the song “That’s the way it’s got to be” by The Poets.
If you’re looking for a big show down between a classic Frankenstein monster and the Space Monster (Bruce Glover) you need to set your sights lower. The “Space Monster” is a creature that the aliens brought along with them called Mull. He doesn’t make much of an appearance until the end. The movie would have been better called “Aliens kidnap bikini girls” or “Robot goes wacko”. Still it ended up being quite amusing. Lots of camp and silliness. So sit back… Relax… And now, maximum energy!