Editing Bride of the Monster

{{Short description|1955 American science fiction horror film by Ed Wood}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2016}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Bride of the Monster
| image          = Bride of the Monster (1956 movie poster).jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Original theatrical poster
| director       = [[Ed Wood]]
| producer       = {{ubl|Ed Wood|Donald McCoy|[[Samuel Z. Arkoff]]}}Lyman C. Abbott<br>Don Nagel
| writer         = {{Plainlist|
* [[Alex Gordon (writer-producer)|Alex Gordon]]
* Ed Wood
}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Bela Lugosi]]
* [[Tor Johnson]]
* Tony McCoy
* [[Loretta King Hadler|Loretta King]]
}}
| music          = [[Frank Worth]]
| cinematography = {{Plainlist|
* [[Ted Allan]]
* [[William C. Thompson (cinematographer)|William C. Thompson]]
}}
| editing        = Warren Adams
| studio         = Rolling M. Productions
| distributor    = Banner Pictures
| released       = {{Film date|1955|05|11}}
| runtime        = 68 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = $70,000
}}
[[File:Bride of the Monster photo - 1956.jpg|thumb|right|262px|[[Tor Johnson]] and [[Bela Lugosi]] in ''Bride of the Monster'' (1955)]]
'''''Bride of the Monster''''' is a 1955 American [[Independent film|independent]] [[Science fiction film|science fiction]] [[horror film]], co-written, produced and directed by [[Ed Wood|Edward D. Wood Jr.]], and starring [[Bela Lugosi]] and [[Tor Johnson]] with a supporting cast featuring Tony McCoy and [[Loretta King Hadler|Loretta King]].

The film is considered to have Wood's biggest budget ($70,000). Production commenced in 1954 but, due to further financial problems, was not completed until 1955. It was released in May 1955, initially on a double bill with ''[[Conchita and the Engineer|Macumba]]''.<ref>Weldon, Michael (1983). "The Psychotronic Encyclopedia of Film". Ballantine Books. {{ISBN|0-345-34345-X}}. Page 89</ref>

==Plot==
In a stretch of woods, two hunters are caught in a thunderstorm. They decide to seek refuge in Willows House, supposedly abandoned and [[Haunted house|haunted]]. They find Willows House occupied, and the current owner, scientist Dr. Eric Vornoff, denies them hospitality. They attempt to force their entry into the house, but a giant octopus is released from its tank and sent after them. The octopus kills one of the hunters while Vornoff's mute assistant Lobo captures the other. Vornoff experiments on the unwilling hunter, who dies on the operating table.<ref name="Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster">{{cite book |last1=Rhodes |first1=Gary |title=Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster |last2=Weaver |first2=Tom |date=2015 |publisher=BearManor Media |isbn=978-1593938574}}</ref>

There are now twelve missing victims. Reporter Janet Lawton vows to go to Lake Marsh to investigate. Officer Tom Robbins and Lieutenant Dick Craig, Janet's [[Engagement|fiancé]], talk to Professor Vladimir Strowski, an intellectual from Europe who agrees to assist in investigating the Marsh but not at night. That night, another storm begins. Janet drives alone to Lake Marsh, but visibility is poor, and she drives off the road and into a ravine. Lobo rescues her.<ref name="Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster"/>

Janet awakens to find herself a prisoner of Vornoff, who uses [[hypnosis]] to put her back to sleep. The following day, Craig and Robbins drive to the area around Lake Marsh, a swamp. The partners discuss the strange weather and mention that the newspapers could be right about "the atom bomb explosions distorting the atmosphere". The duo eventually discovers Janet's abandoned car; she becomes the thirteenth missing victim. They leave the swamp while Strowski drives a rented car to the swamp.<ref name="Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster"/>

Janet awakens at Willows House. Vornoff assures her that Lobo is harmless, but the giant seems fascinated with Janet. Lobo is human, and Vornoff found him in the "wilderness of [[Tibet]]". Vornoff hypnotically places Janet back to sleep. He orders Lobo to transport her to Vornoff's private quarters.

Meanwhile, Strowski approaches Willows House and enters through the unlocked front door. While Strowski searches the house, Vornoff arrives to greet him. Their country of origin is interested in Vornoff's experiments with [[atomic energy]] and wants to recruit him. Two decades prior, Vornoff had suggested using experiments with [[nuclear power]], which could create [[superhuman]]s of great strength and size. In response, he was branded a [[Mad scientist|madman]] and exiled by his country. Strowski dreams of conquest in their country's name, while Vornoff dreams of his creations conquering in his own name. Strowski is then attacked and forced into a cage, where the octopus kills him. Meanwhile, Craig and Robbins return to the swamp and discover Strowski's abandoned car. The partners split up to search the area, Craig heading towards Willows House. In the secret laboratory, Vornoff uses a wave of his hand to [[telepathy|telepathically]] summon Janet to his current location. She arrives dressed as a bride. Vornoff has decided to use her as the next subject of his experiments. Lobo is reluctant to participate in this experiment, and Vornoff uses a whip to re-assert his control over him. Meanwhile, Craig enters the house and accidentally discovers a secret passage. He is himself captured by Vornoff and Lobo.<ref name="Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster"/>
[[File:Bride of the Monster (1955).webm|thumb|thumbtime=18|upright=1.5|left|''Bride of the Monster'' (full film)]]
As the experiment is about to begin, Lobo is distressed. He decides to rebel and knocks Vornoff out. Lobo then releases Janet and transports the unconscious Vornoff to the operating table. Vornoff becomes the subject of his own human experiment. This time the experiment works and Vornoff transforms into an atomic-powered superhuman being. He and Lobo physically struggle, and their fight destroys the laboratory and starts a fire. Vornoff grabs Janet and escapes from the flames. Robbins and other officers arrive to help Craig. The police pursue Vornoff through the woods. There is another thunderstorm, and a lightning strike further destroys Willows House. With his home and equipment destroyed, a distressed Vornoff abandons Janet and attempts to escape. Craig rolls a rock at him and lands him in the water with the octopus. They struggle until a nuclear explosion obliterates both combatants. Apparently, the end result of the chain reaction started at the destroyed laboratory. Robbins says of Vornoff "he tampered in God's domain".<ref name="Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster"/>

==Cast==
{{div col}}
* [[Bela Lugosi]] as Dr. Eric Vornoff
* [[Tor Johnson]] as Lobo
* Tony McCoy as Lt. Dick Craig
* [[Loretta King Hadler|Loretta King]] as Janet Lawton
* [[Harvey B. Dunn]] as Captain Robbins
* George Becwar as Professor Strowski
* [[Paul Marco]] as Officer Kelton
* Don Nagel as Martin
* [[Bud Osborne]] as Mac
* John Warren as Jake
* Ann Wilner as Tillie
* [[Dolores Fuller]] as Margie
* [[William "Billy" Benedict]] as Newsboy
* Ben Frommer as Drunk
{{div col end}}

==Production and release==
[[File:Sunset Drive-In Ad - 16 May 1956, Brownwood, TX.jpg|thumb|[[Drive-in theater|Drive-in]] advertisement from 1956 for ''Bride of the Monster'' and co-feature, ''[[The Beast with a Million Eyes]]'']]
The first incarnation of the film was a 1953 script by [[Alex Gordon (writer-producer)|Alex Gordon]] titled ''The Atomic Monster'', but a lack of financing prevented any production.<ref name="rhodes"/> Later Ed Wood revived the project as ''The Monster of the Marshes''. Actual shooting began in October 1954 at the Ted Allan Studios, but further money problems quickly halted the production.<ref name="rhodes"/> The required funds were supplied by a meat packing plant owner named Donald McCoy, who became credited as the film's producer on the condition that his son Tony was to star as the film's hero.<ref name="rhodes"/> According to screenwriter Dennis Rodriguez, casting the younger McCoy as a protagonist was one of two terms Donald imposed on Wood. The other term was to include an atomic explosion at the film's finale.<ref name="Craig2">Craig (2009), p. 293-294</ref> Production resumed in 1955 at Centaur Studios.<ref name="Rhodes2">Rhodes (2006), p. 142-143</ref>

Actor George Becwar, who played the bearded Russian agent Strowski, after getting paid for his one day of work on the film, complained that he had been underpaid to the Screen Actors Guild and caused the production to be temporarily shut down for an investigation. Wood as a result had to raise more money from backers and lost another piece of the ownership of the film as a result. An actor friend of Wood's, John Andrews, said in an interview: "Eddie hated, loathed, despised, wanted murdered, George Becwar ....I'm not overdoin' it man, I'm telling you straight. He hated George Becwar to the day he deceased, and I mean with a passion!"<ref>Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). pg. 69. {{ISBN|978-0-922915-24-8}}.</ref>

The film premiered at Hollywood's [[El Capitan Theatre|Paramount theater]] on May 11, 1955, under the title ''Bride of the Atom''.<ref name="rhodes">{{cite book | last = Rhodes | first = Gary D. | title = ''Lugosi: his life in films, on stage, and in the hearts of horror lovers'' | year = 1997 | publisher = McFarland | isbn = 0-7864-0257-1}}</ref> Wood related the story of how, after the film played, he asked the theater's manager what he thought of the picture, to which the manager replied "Stinks". Wood took scissors and physically cut the man out of an 8 X 10 group shot that was taken that night after the premiere as a publicity photo. When asked "Who was that you cut out?", Wood replied "Well, he's not there any more, so it doesn't matter".<ref>Rudolph Grey, Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr. (1992). pg.69. {{ISBN|978-0-922915-24-8}}.</ref>

The film was reportedly completed and released through a deal with attorney [[Samuel Z. Arkoff]]. Arkoff profited from the film more than Wood, and his earnings contributed to the funding of his [[American International Pictures]]. Wood had oversold shares in the picture and wound up owning none of it himself.<ref name="Craig">Craig (2009), p. 83–103</ref> The ending credits identify the copyright holder of the film as "Filmakers Releasing Organization".<ref name=Craig2/><ref name=Reid>Reid (2007), p. 26–27</ref> Distribution rights were held by Banner Films in the United States, and by Exclusive in the United Kingdom.<ref name=Reid/>

==Analysis==
===Genre and background===
The film combines elements of [[science fiction]] and [[horror fiction]], genres which were frequently combined in films of the 1950s. Like many of these contemporaries, ''Bride'' serves in part as a [[Cold War]] [[propaganda film]].<ref name=Craig/> The country of origin for Vornoff and Strowski is left unnamed. The only clues is that it is European and has its own dreams of conquest. By implication, the country which exiled Vornoff in the 1930s could be [[Nazi Germany]] or the [[Soviet Union]]. Their role as villains for the American cinema had already been solidified by the 1950s, and Wood could be alluding to both of them. Strowski uses the term master race, which is a key concept in [[Nazism]].<ref name=Craig/>

Both the working title "Bride of the Atom" and the final title ''Bride of the Monster'' allude to the film ''[[Bride of Frankenstein]]'' (1935).<ref name=Craig/> The film otherwise follows the template of the [[Poverty Row]] horror films of the 1940s. The [[Atomic Age]] influences the film in its ominous implications concerning nuclear weapons and the threat they posed towards human civilization.<ref name=Craig/>

===Content===
This was [[Bela Lugosi]]'s last speaking role in a feature film.<ref name="Rhodes2"/> Lugosi subsequently played a silent part in ''[[The Black Sleep]]'' (1956). ''[[Plan 9 from Outer Space]]'' (1957) uses silent archive footage of Lugosi, since he died prior to the creation of its script.<ref name="Rhodes3">Rhodes (2006), p. 143–145</ref> ''[[Lock Up Your Daughters (1959 film)|Lock Up Your Daughters]]'' (1959) recycled footage from Lugosi's earlier films, possibly mixed with some new material.<ref name="Rhodes3"/>

According to Rob Craig, in ''Bride'', Lugosi for the last time plays "a charismatic [[villain]] whose [[wiktionary:megalomania|megalomania]] leads to downfall and destruction". Craig considers this to be one of Lugosi's finest roles, citing the surprisingly energetic performance of the aging actor.<ref name="Craig"/> The scenes involving hypnosis contain [[close-up]]s of Lugosi's eyes. Wood was probably trying to recreate similar scenes from an older film of Lugosi's, ''[[White Zombie (film)|White Zombie]]'' (1932).<ref name="Craig"/> Lugosi did not actually play Vornoff in the scenes demanding physicality. The film made use of [[body double]]s for Lugosi: [[Eddie Parker (actor)|Eddie Parker]] and Red Reagan.<ref name="Craig"/><ref name="Reid"/> Parker was also the body-double of Lugosi in ''[[Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man]]'' (1943).<ref name="Rhodes2"/> Lugosi's fee for the film is estimated to have been $1,000.00.<ref name="Rhodes2"/>

The story is similar to an earlier Bela Lugosi movie, ''[[The Corpse Vanishes]]'' (1942).<ref>{{cite web | url = http://publicdomainmovie.net/movie/the-corpse-vanishes | title = The Corpse Vanishes | access-date = 2020-02-23}}</ref> In both movies, each bride at her wedding was given an orchid, which she sniffed before passing out. In ''The Corpse Vanishes'', Lugosi played a doctor who captured the brides and took some kind of liquid from each bride's body and injected it into his wife to make her temporarily young again. Characters included his wife, an old woman, the old woman's grown son, and a dwarf. In ''Bride of the Monster'', Lugosi again plays a doctor doing experiments, but his only housemate/assistant is Lobo, and when his experiment fails to turn someone into an "atomic-powered superman", he throws the dead subject to an octopus or an alligator, similar to Lugosi throwing a body into a river in [[Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932 film)|''Murders in the Rue Morgue'']] (1932).<ref>{{cite web | url = https://immortalephemera.com/55426/murders-in-the-rue-morgue-1932/ | title = Murders in the Rue Morgue | date = October 25, 2014 | access-date = 2020-02-23}}</ref>

The hunters of the opening scenes, Jake Long and Blake "Mac" McCreigh, were played by John Warren and [[Bud Osborne]].<ref name="Reid"/> The police station scenes feature cameos by a drunk and a newspaper seller. The former is played by Ben Frommer (known for playing Count Bloodcount in ''[[Transylvania 6-5000 (1963 film)|Transylvania 6-5000]]''). The latter is played by [[William Benedict]] (known as one of [[The Bowery Boys]]).<ref name="Reid"/> Janet Lawton briefly speaks with a co-worker called Margie. Margie is played by [[Dolores Fuller]] (Ed Wood's girlfriend at the time). Dick Craig's partner, Martin, is played by Don Nagel. Both Fuller and Nagel had worked with Wood in Wood's previous film ''[[Jail Bait (1954 film)|Jail Bait]]'' (1954).<ref name="Craig"/><ref name="Reid"/>

The film uses stock footage of a real octopus, and a fake, rubber octopus in scenes where "the monster" interacts with the actors. It is widely believed this was a prop from the John Wayne film ''[[Wake of the Red Witch]]'' (1948). Contradictory accounts claim that Wood either stole or legally rented the prop from [[Republic Pictures]], which produced the earlier film.<ref name=Craig2/><ref name=Rhodes2/><ref name=Craig/> The struggle between Vornoff and the octopus was filmed at [[Griffith Park]].<ref name=Rhodes2/>

Craig comments that there is a stark contrast between the characters of Dick Craig and Janet Lawton. Dick speaks in a [[deadpan]] unemotional way and seems to be a rather lethargic character. Janet is a "brassy girl reporter", a dynamic character with a sense of autonomy.<ref name="Craig"/> The role of Janet was reportedly intended for [[Dolores Fuller]]. According to Fuller's recollections, [[Loretta King]] bribed Wood into casting her as Janet, with promises of securing further funding for the film. Fuller was thus reduced to playing a cameo role, "Margie", and this led to her later breakup with Ed Wood and her moving to New York to start a songwriting career with Elvis Presley.<ref name="Craig2"/> King always vehemently denied bribing Wood in any way, saying the story was ridiculous since she never had any money to invest in films in the 1950s.<ref name="Craig2"/>

In a subplot of the film, there are storms every night for three months and strange weather patterns. The characters attribute the phenomenon to the effects the nuclear explosions have on the atmosphere. This probably reflects actual anxiety of the 1950s about potential [[climate change]]. Until the [[Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty]] (1963), atmospheric [[nuclear weapons testing]] was used widely and recklessly.<ref name=Craig/> Rob Craig suggests that the months of constant storms could be inspired by the [[Genesis flood narrative]].<ref name=Craig/> In the context of the film, the strange weather is implied to be a side-effect of the experiments of Vornoff which apparently release radioactivity into the atmosphere.<ref name=Craig/>

The dialogue of the film includes lines such as "Home? I have no home!", "One is always considered mad, when one discovers something which others cannot grasp", and the closing "He tampered in God's domain."<ref>Rhodes, Gary; Weaver, Tom (2015). Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster. BearManor Media. {{ISBN|1593938578}}.</ref> The phrases could well apply to the fates of [[avant-garde]] artists and thinkers.<ref name="Craig"/> The title "''Bride of the Atom"'', which Vornoff uses for Janet in the bridal dress, is inexplicable unless the scientist is actually attempting to use Janet to replace his long-lost wife. One of his reassuring lines to Janet concerning the experiment, "It hurts, just for a moment, but then you will emerge a woman...", sounds as if he is preparing her for the loss of her virginity.<ref name="Craig"/> The scene of a young woman, in a bridal gown, restrained by leather shackles seems to be sadomasochistic in nature.<ref name="Craig"/>

Throughout the film, the mute Lobo is implied to have an unspecified [[intellectual disability]] and to be of sub-human intelligence. Yet he successfully operates complex machinery as if trained to do so. Craig views this scene as implying that supposedly "dumb" servants can have a capacity of learning the secrets of their masters.<ref name="Craig"/>

The final scenes, with the [[mushroom cloud]] of the nuclear explosion, use stock footage from the blast of a thermonuclear weapon ("hydrogen bomb").<ref name="Craig"/>

The apparent fetish of Lobo with [[angora wool]] is a reflection of Wood's own fetish for the material. This serves as the film's connection to ''[[Glen or Glenda]]'' (1953), where the fetish plays a more prominent role. In 1961's ''The Beast of Yucca Flats'', Johnson strangely pets and hugs a rabbit as he dies in that film's finale.<ref name="Hayes">Hayes (2006), p. 137</ref>

The character of Lobo appeared again in Wood's ''[[Night of the Ghouls]]'', horribly burned but still alive. This film serves as a sequel of sorts to ''Bride''. Vornoff is absent from the later film, but there are references to the activities of "the mad doctor".<ref name="Rhodes2"/> [[Tor Johnson]] also plays a character called Lobo in ''[[The Unearthly]]'' (1957) who also serves as a henchman to the main villain.<ref name="Craig3">Craig (2013), p. 135–137</ref>

This film is part of what Wood aficionados refer to as "The Kelton Trilogy", a trio of films featuring [[Paul Marco]] as Officer Kelton, a whining, reluctant policeman. The other two films are ''Plan 9 from Outer Space'' and ''Night of the Ghouls''. Kelton is the only character to appear in all three films.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/35298/Night-of-the-Ghouls/overview | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114134824/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/movie/35298/Night-of-the-Ghouls/overview | url-status=dead | archive-date=November 14, 2013 |title=''Night of the Ghouls (1959)'' | access-date=November 10, 2013 | department=Movies & TV Dept. | work=[[The New York Times]] | date=2013 |author= Bruce Eder}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
Writing for ''Famous Monsters'' in 1962, [[Joe Dante|Joe Dante, Jr.]] included ''Bride of the Monster'' on his list of the worst horror films of all time. Dante declared it as "definitely one of the most inexpensive thrillers ever. The sets were cardboard, and the direction card-boring."{{sfn|Dante, Jr.|1962|p=71}} Film critic [[Glenn Erickson]] wrote in  [[DVD Talk]] that "nearly every dialogue exchange is an embarrassment and every camera setup somehow wrong," but noted that Lugosi's performance "is better than okay, rising to the demands of the awful script," and that the film is "too endearing to hate."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Erickson |first1=Glenn |title=Legend Horror and Sci-fi, Now in Color for the First Time! |url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s2720lege.html |website=DVD Talk |publisher=DVDTalk.com |access-date=2023-10-25}}</ref> A review by Bruce Eder in [[AllMovie]] noted that the film "is ineptly made and it has seams - including mismatched interior and exterior sets and scenery that shakes during the fight scenes," that it has "some of the strangest incidental dialogue that anyone had ever heard," and that "there is a lot to laugh at in the movie, most of it unintentional."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Eder |first1=Bruce |title=Bride of the Monster (1955) |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/bride-of-the-monster-vm1059645/review |website=AllMovie |publisher=Netaktion LLC |access-date=2023-10-25}}</ref> A review of the film in [[TV Guide]] described it as a "masterpiece of involuntary farce," that the "marvelously idiotic dialog keeps things moving along without stopping for breath [or] logic," and that the "final images of poor old decrepit Lugosi struggling in the arms of a motionless rubber octopus are incomparably bathetic."<ref>{{cite web |title=Bride of the Monster |url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/bride-of-the-monster/review/2000279504/ |website=TV Guide |access-date=2023-10-25}}</ref>

==Legacy==
In 1986, the film was featured in the syndicated series the ''[[Canned Film Festival]]'', and was later featured on the comedy series, ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]''. The episode also features a musical parody of the [[Jam Handy]] short film  [[Jam Handy|"Hired!"]], with [[Joel Robinson]], [[Crow T. Robot]], [[Tom Servo]] and [[GPC (Mystery Science Theater 3000)|Gypsy]] performing "Hired! The Musical".

The late 1990s dream trance track "Alright", by DJ Taucher, sampled a monologue from Bela Lugosi during the interlude of the song.

In 2005, ''[[The Devil's Rejects]]'' footage of the film was played in the movie.

In 2008, a [[Film colorization|colorized]] version was released by [[Legend Films]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BSBBKI |title=ASIN: B001BSBBKI |website=Amazon |access-date=2009-01-30}}</ref> This version was also released on [[Amazon Video on Demand]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001LNV63U/ |title=ASIN: B001LNV63U |website=Amazon |access-date=2009-01-30}}</ref>

In 2010, a retrospective on the movie entitled ''Citizen Wood: Making 'The Bride', Unmaking the Legend'' was included in the ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' Volume 19 DVD set as a bonus feature for said episode featuring the movie.<ref name="Film Threat">{{cite web |url=https://filmthreat.com/reviews/27760/|title=Film Threat – Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume Xix (dvd)|author=Brad Cook|date=12 November 2010|publisher=[[Film Threat]]|access-date=15 November 2010}}</ref> [[Horror host]] [[Mr. Lobo]] is among the interviewees of the 27 minute documentary.<ref name="Film Threat"/>

==Controversies==
In 1980, the book ''[[The Golden Turkey Awards]]'' claims that Lugosi's character declares his manservant Lobo ([[Tor Johnson]]) is "as harmless as a kitchen" {{sic}}. This allegedly misspoken line is cited as evidence of either Lugosi's failing health/mental faculties, or as further evidence of Wood's incompetence as a director.<ref name="medved">{{cite book| last = Medved| first = Harry|author2=Michael Medved|author2-link=Michael Medved| title = [[The Golden Turkey Awards|The Golden Turkey Awards: Nominees and Winners, the Worst Achievements in Hollywood History]]| year = 1980| publisher = Putnam| location = New York| isbn = 0-399-50463-X| page = 178}}</ref> However, a viewing of the film itself reveals that Lugosi said this line correctly, the exact words being, "Don't be afraid of Lobo; he's as gentle as a kitten." The easier explanation would be that authors [[Michael Medved]] and Harry Medved saw the film in a theater setting with inferior sound quality, or viewed a damaged print. A single viewing in such conditions could result in mishearing some lines of dialogue. The inaccurate claim managed to achieve [[urban legend]] status, and continues circulating.<ref name="Craig2"/><ref name="Rhodes2"/>

The biopic ''[[Ed Wood (film)|Ed Wood]]'' portrays the filmmakers stealing the mechanical [[octopus]] (previously used in the film ''[[Wake of the Red Witch]]'') from the [[Republic Pictures|Republic Studios]] backlot, while failing to steal the motor which enabled the prop to move realistically. These events are alleged to have actually occurred in the 2004 documentary ''The 50 Worst Movies Ever Made''. However, other stories circulated that Wood legitimately rented the octopus, along with some cars, for the picture.<ref>Lennig, Arthur (2010). "The Immortal Count: The Life and Films of Bela Lugosi". University Press of Kentucky. {{ISBN|0813126614}}. Page 519</ref> To remedy the lack of movement from the octopus prop, whenever someone was killed by the monster in the film, they simply flailed around in the shallow water while holding the tentacles around themselves to imitate its movements.

Rudolph Grey's book ''Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood Jr.'' contains anecdotes regarding the making of this film.<ref name="grey">{{cite book | last = Grey | first = Rudolph | author-link = Rudolph Grey | title = ''Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood Jr.'' | year = 1992 | publisher = Feral House | location = Los Angeles | isbn = 0-922915-04-0 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/nightmareofecsta00rudo}}</ref> Grey notes that participants in the original events sometimes contradict one another, but he relates each person's information for posterity. He also includes Ed Wood's claim that only one of his films made a profit and surmises that it was most likely ''Bride of the Monster'', but that Wood had oversold the film and could not reimburse all of the backers afterward. Most biographies mention ''The Violent Years'' as being Wood's most profitable film.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

==See also==
* [[List of American films of 1955]]
* [[List of killer octopus films]]
* [[Ed Wood filmography]]

==Further reading==
* ''Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster'' by Gary D. Rhodes and Tom Weaver (2015) BearManor Media, {{ISBN|1593938578}}
* ''Bela Lugosi: Dreams and Nightmares'' by Gary D. Rhodes, with Richard Sheffield, (2007) Collectables/Alpha Video Publishers, {{ISBN|0-9773798-1-7}} (hardcover)
* {{citation | last1=Craig | first1=Rob| title=''Ed Wood, Mad Genius: A Critical Study of the Films'' | chapter=Bride of the Monster (1956)|year=2009 | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | isbn= 978-0-7864-5423-5 | chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=XrjzCGsiyWEC&pg=PA83}}
* {{citation | last1=Craig | first1=Rob | title=''Ed Wood, Mad Genius: A Critical Study of the Films'' | chapter=Notes|year=2009 | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | isbn= 978-0-7864-5423-5 | chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=XrjzCGsiyWEC&pg=PA294}}
* {{citation | last1=Craig | first1=Rob | title=''It Came from 1957'' | chapter= The Unearthly | year=2013 | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | isbn=978-0786477777 | chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=DZDqAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA137}}
* [[Rudolph Grey]], ''Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood, Jr.'' (1992) {{ISBN|978-0-922915-24-8}}
* {{citation | last1=Hayes | first1=David C. | title=''Muddled Mind: The Complete Works of Edward D. Wood, Jr.'' | chapter=On Identifying Wood-work | year=2006 | publisher=[[Lulu (company)|Lulu]] | isbn= 978-1-6054-3053-9| chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=WWLna_OuIokC&pg=PA27}}
* {{citation | last1=Reid | first1=John Howard | title=''Science Fiction & Fantasy Cinema: Classic Films of Horror, Sci-Fi & and the Supernatural'' | chapter=Bride of the Monster|year=2007 | publisher=[[Lulu (company)|Lulu]] | isbn= 978-1-4303-0113-4 | chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=WWLna_OuIokC&pg=PA27}}
* {{citation | last1=Rhodes | first1=Gary Don | title=''Lugosi: His Life in Films, on Stage, and in the Hearts of Horror Lovers'' | chapter=Feature-Length Films – United States and United Kingdom|year=2006 | publisher=[[McFarland & Company]] | isbn= 978-0-7864-2765-9 | chapter-url =https://books.google.com/books?id=E4hflza6Jo4C&pg=PA143}}
* {{cite journal | last = Sloan | first = Will | date=April 2005 | title = Can Your Heart Stand the Shocking Facts About Kelton the Cop A/K/A Paul Marco? | journal = Filmfax | issue = 106 | pages = 88–89}}
* ''The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood, Jr.'' (1996), documentary film directed by Brett Thompson

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{cite magazine|magazine=[[Famous Monsters of Filmland|Famous Monsters]]|date=July 1962|volume=4|issue=3|publisher=Central Publications, Inc.|last=Dante, Jr.|first=Joe|author-link=Joe Dante|title=Dante's Inferno}}
 

{{Wikiquote}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Bride of the Monster}}
* {{IMDb title|0047898|Bride of the Monster}}
* {{Internet Archive film|id=brideofthemonsteredwood}}

{{Ed Wood}}

[[Category:1955 films]]
[[Category:1950s monster movies]]
[[Category:1950s science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:American black-and-white films]]
[[Category:American science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:American monster movies]]
[[Category:American natural horror films]]
[[Category:Films about journalists]]
[[Category:Films about hypnosis]]
[[Category:Films directed by Ed Wood]]
[[Category:Films produced by Ed Wood]]
[[Category:Films set in the United States]]
[[Category:Films shot in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:American mad scientist films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Ed Wood]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:1955 horror films]]
[[Category:American exploitation films]]
[[Category:American independent films]]
[[Category:1950s English-language films]]
[[Category:1950s American films]]
[[Category:Films about mutants]]
[[Category:Fictional octopuses]]
[[Category:Films about human experimentation]]
[[Category:1955 independent films]]
[[Category:English-language science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:Mystery Science Theater 3000]]