Roy Ward Baker (director)
Network On Air (studio)
Cert 15 (certificate)
94min (length)
18 August 2014 (released)
03 September 2014
The Monster Cub from 1980, considered by many to be a cult film, is quite frankly nonsense albeit very entertaining nonsense! The film is a comical homage to the classic Amicus Portmanteau horror flicks and it even has the same producer.
Based on stories by horror author Ronald Chetwynd-Hayes, which were written exclusively for this film, The Monster Club comprises three stories plus one framing story from his book of the same title. When author R. Chetwynd-Hayes (played by the ageing and arthritic John Carradine) takes a nightly stroll and finds himself looking into the window of a bookshop, which happens to have a display of his own work on show, he is approached by ageing vampire Eramus (Vincent Price) asking him for help. Of course, him being a famished vampire, he is not referring to money… The kindly and unassuming author is only too willing to help, especially when Eramus reveals that he is a fan of his books. Little does he know that his fan means blood! Eramus, being a gentleman just like the author, doesn’t bite deeply however and as a thank you invites him to his club, The Monster Club, where he might find fresh inspiration for his stories. It must be said that one doesn’t feel terribly inspired by the rather shoddily made up and absurd looking ‘monsters’ – all of them sporting daft Halloween-style rubber masks. Mixing together with werewolves, ghouls, vampires, and Go-Go dancers are seriously bad 80’s pop/rock bands (B.A. Robertson, Pretty Things, Night).
Sitting in a corner of the venue, Eramus explains to his guest the hierarchy of ‘monsterdom’ by pointing at an illustrated chart on the wall and the first of the three stories, THE SHADMOCK, begins. What is a Shadmock? Watch the film and you’ll find out but let me tell you this much: beware the Shadmock’s whistle!
The second tale, titled THE VAMPIRES, features a staggering performance by ‘top actress’ Britt Ekland and concerns a little schoolboy, Lintom, who attends the local comprehensive and is bullied for being different. After all, he’s half a vampire! Lintom is befriended by a creepy and fake clergyman, who is played by horror veteran Donald Pleasence.
Last story, THE GHOULS, has Stuart Whitman as top producer/director Sam in search for real horror for his next project. Just off the motorway he comes across a place called Loughville (an anagram for Ghoulville). As the name suggests, the local inhabitants are a strange lot indeed. In an inn, he is not exactly warmly welcomed by ghoulish innkeeper, actor Patrick Magee. A little later, Sam makes the acquaintance of the innkeeper’s daughter, Luna (Lesley Dunlop), a so-called ‘Humghoul’ (the offspring of a human and a ghoul). Yes, I know what you mean… ! Needless to say, this story does not have a happy ending.
Returning to the Monster Club and the framing story, Eramus puts the author up for membership, on the grounds that humans are the greatest monsters of them all. This is followed by a passionate speech (worthy of Shakespeare) by Vincent Price, who else could do it, explaining why this is so. In the final scene, we are ‘treated’ to another crappy rock band, during which Vincent shows off his dancing skills – not bad for a bloke pushing 70!
This Blu-ray release, part of the British Film Collection, has the following Extras:
Isolated music score audio track
Original theatrical trailer
Textless Material and Promo
Image gallery