Ismail Yassin Meets Frankenstein

One of the great curios of the Frankenstein films list is the 1953 Egyptian-made HARAM ALEK, sometimes spelled HRAAM ALEEK and otherwise known as ISMAIL YASSIN MEETS FRANKENSTEIN. The film is notorious as a straight up, nearly scene-for-scene remake of the classic ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948).

The A&C classic was massively influencial — not to mention, box-office gold — inspiring several knock-offs, many of them from Mexico, with local comics stepping in and squaring off with the famous monsters, complete with key gags lifted from the original. The formula had also re-ignited Abbott and Costello’s movie career and spurred them to a series of “Meet the Monsters” films of their own.

Long unseen in the West, copies of HARAM ALEK have popped up on YouTube now and then, mostly as low quality video, sometimes sporting an annoying TV logo. The cleanest, sharpest copy is here, in its original language. Worth a peek, with its devilish, pointy-beard Dracula, a downscale Wolf Man and the curious, Herman Munster-like Frankenstein Monster. It’s required viewing if you’re a serious fan of the Abbott & Costello original.

See HAREM ALAK/HRAAM ALEEK.

Related:

Frankenstein Gets Knocked-Off

Haram Alek Screencaps

Penny Dreadful: Introducing Frankenstein

The new Penny Dreadful TV series has been playing to excellent reviews, assisted by an ongoing “viral” campaign that includes a busy, well-done website. Here, first shown to promote the series on the UK’s Sky network, is a beautifully animated introduction to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein directed by Gergely Wootsch for London-based Beakus studio.

The short piece was written and narrated by historian and broadcaster Matthew Sweet, author of Inventing the Victorians and Shepperton Babylon: The Lost Worlds of British Cinema.

This Frankenstein is the first of three animated shorts promoting the series, with Dracula and Dorian Gray to follow.

The Dracula animation is here.

Beakus Animation Studio.

Penny Dreadful website.

Rondo Awards XII Announced

The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards for 2014 have been announced. I am grateful to our Frankensteinia friends and supporters for earning us an Honorable Mention in the Blog category. The Best Blog Rondo this year goes to the unique and handsome Vincent Price Journal, in which editor Peter Fuller shares and annotates Price’s European travel journal as a young man of 17.

A few other commendations of direct interest to us: An Honorable Mention in the Best Classic DVD/Blu-Ray Collection goes to HAMMER HORROR, which includes FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN, and Richard Raaphorst’s FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY is a Runner-Up in the Best Independent Film category. Honorable Mentions in the Best Article category go to Greg Mank’s 70th Anniversary article on FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN for Monsters from the Vault #32, and Doc Gangrene’s piece on Jack Pierce’s makeup for the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN, published in Scary Monsters #85.

Inductees in the Monster Kid Hall of Fame include the estimable Gregory William Mank, expert on classic horror and essential chronicler of Frankenstein films, and The Don Post Studio, creators of seminal Frankenstein rubber masks. Also honored were two men who left us this year, contributors to the fabled Castle of Frankenstein magazine: Editor Bhob Stewart and artist Larry Ivie. 

We send special congratulations to longtime Frankensteinia friends Mark Redfield, a Best Multi-Media/Podcast Rondo Award winner for the Poe Forevermore Radio Theater, and Ted Newsom, who scored a Best Article Honorable Mention for his piece on Peter Cushing, His Last Bow, published in Famous Monsters #268.

The full list of winners appears on the Rondo website. The Awards will be handed out on May 31 at the Wonderfest Convention in Louisville.

As ever and always, a million thanks go to indefatigable organizer David Colton, without whom there simply wouldn’t be any Rondo Awards!

Penny Dreadful's Frankenstein

A new horror series is launching on the American Showtime network this month under the evocative title of Penny Dreadful. Set in a highly atmospheric Victorian London, the show is described as a psychological thriller weaving together classic horror origin stories into a new adult drama. An impressive cast is headed by Eva Green as the enigmatic Vanessa Ives, Josh Harnett as a “man of action” and Timothy Dalton as the father of Mina Harker, whom we know as one of Dracula’s victims. Iconic horror characters present include Dorian Gray and, of immediate interest to us, Victor Frankenstein and his Monster. Other characters include a spiritualist, an Egyptologist and assorted mysterious types. No doubt parallels will be drawn between this and Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

The series, eight episodes in all, comes with sterling credentials. Penny Dreadful creator and writer is Josh Logan, whose screenwriting credits include such titles as GLADIATOR, THE TIME MACHINE, THE AVIATOR, SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET, HUGO and SKYFALL. Producer Sam Mendes directed AMERICAN BEAUTY, SKYFALL and he'll helm the next Bond as well. Director Juan Antonio Bayona directed THE IMPOSSIBLE and THE ORPHANAGE.

The series’ first chapter, "Night Work", cablecasting on May 11^th, is available now, free online to North American viewers. Note: The episode includes the surprising, must-see creation scene where the young Victor Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway) animates his Creature (Alex Price).

Viewers in the US need to access the show’s official page and click the “view series premiere” link. In Canada, go to TMN: The Movie Network site and follow the link to Penny Dreadful.

Showtime keeps an excellent dedicated website featuring character profiles, trailers, a blog and production videos.

The cast, creators, top-notch production values and the perfectly unnerving premiere episode make for a very promising series.