The Naked Monster
Encyclopedia
The Naked Monster is a 2005
American
ultra low-budget science fiction and horror comedy film written by Ted Newsom
and directed by Newsom and Wayne Berwick as an homage to and spoof of the "giant monster-on-the-loose" films of the 1950s. The final project took 21 years to make, and was actor Kenneth Tobey
's last film.
release under that name in 1985.
In revisiting the project, the filmmakers added scenes from old monster films to make a new version for release on DVD. According to Newsom, he "hauled out the old scripts, took gags and lines, and did a 25-page script, which condensed things to manageable size. That version of the project was designed as a half-hour short which could be shot in about four weekends (plus the time for effects). On that basis, I asked Wayne Berwick to direct "Attack of the B-Movie Monster", since I was 'producing' and had drawn the storyboards for both the live action and effects shots." The film was shot on Super 8 film
during 18 days of shooting in the summer of 1984, although for some days they would only shoot for two hours then quit. Over the following months the animation effects were added and the version was finished by the end of the year. The film was first screened at the now defunct EZTV
in West Hollywood.
In 1992, Newsom professed to have "slop-edited a version of the old show together using the original colour footage, although the FX shots were still in black and white", staing "I wanted to see if it looked any good." However, several of the original stars had died, including Robert Shayne
and John Harmon
, and Ken Tobey had severe problems with his back which made a remake impossible with the original cast members. In 1994, Newsom transferred the Super-8 film to tape on a high-end Rank
Telecine
apparatus and made a deal with Chuck Adleman of Anthem Pictures to use their editing system to cut the 100 minutes down by 16 minutes. In the cutting process several effects shots were lost, such as the whole Titanic and submarine sequences, but Newsom claimed these needlessly slowed down the film.
The character names of the veteran performers all refer to their own past films. Brinke Stevens
stars, with cameos from two of her fellow Scream Queen
s. Kenneth Tobey
returns as Colonel Patrick Hendry, a promotion for his character originally an army Captain in The Thing from Another World
, and Les Tremayne
reprises his General Mann role from War of the Worlds
(1953).
), his transparently uninterested scientist girlfriend (Brinke Stevens
) and a visiting government agent (John Goodwin
). They discover that a giant green monster is at large, the Creaturesaurus Erectus, ("He wrecked us? He nearly KILLED us!") They turn to experienced monster fighter Colonel Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey
), who has been locked in a government asylum for decades. With the help of other monster experts, lots of stock footage and incredibly bad special effects, humanity fights back against the "Thing from Another Time Zone".
reviewer Glenn Erickson
noted that "the generation of baby boomers who grew up watching 'Creature Feature' movies on television has become a substantial fan base and the audience for all manner of nostalgic movie fare, most of it terrible". He explained that with such topics now being the subject of films with major budgets, the only low-budget genre filmmaking being produced is at the direct-to-video
level, and expanded that "finding anything worthwhile in either camp has become an exceptional event". He noted that being assembled by genre enthusiasts, The Naked Monster has an "amusing point of view", and that while it is "Nobody's idea of quality moviemaking, [it] is good fun for the undemanding monster fan" which "follows the tradition of John Landis
' Schlock", but "accelerated with non-stop jokes in the manner of Airplane!
". He clarified that while the jokes are not all funny, "most of the nonsense makes one smile and the occasional mismatched cutaway or individual gag is especially funny", making special note that the film's humor is "fine-tuned to the movie memories of the film's intended audience".
Dread Central wrote that "There is nothing better than a great bad movie", and the film's cast of B-Movie horror and sci-fi celebrities sweetened the deal in creating a film "that epitomizes everything that is so scrumptious about all of your favorite B-Movie entrees". They also wrote that the film acts as a "compilation/montage/homage..." "...of nearly every early monster or sci-fi film ever made". After viewing it, the reviewer wrote that the film began "beyond cheesy and damn near annoying at first, but once I finally understood what the filmmakers were attempting to do I just sat back, set my brain on coast, and enjoyed the ride". He enjoyed that the acting was "intentionally atrocious", the monster "unbelievably ludicrous", the plotline and story "full-blown stupidity at its finest", and the use of nudity "relentlessly gratuitous", writing that "you can't help but take pleasure in watching the brilliantly calculated cinematic train wreck."
M. J. Simpson
noted that the final film took 21 years to create, and acts as "both an homage to, and a spoof of, 1950s sci-fi and horror movies". The reviewer's initial impression was that the film was "cobbled together using two VHS
machines, a stopwatch and the complete literary works of Bill Warren
", and that the story was not what mattered in that the script "is basically what you would get if you threw every monster movie plot filmed between 1955 and 1965 into a blender, then scooped out 90 minutes’ worth and baked at gas mark seven." The reviewer praised the film's manner of not taking itself too seriously as such was the "central conceit of Newsom's hugely entertaining film". The reviewer then listed the number of 50s and 60s genre icons that returned to reprise their characters from other films, and noted it as Kenneth Tobey
's last film, and that actors John Agar
, Les Tremayne
, Robert Cornthwaite
, George Fenneman
, Robert Shayne
and Gloria Talbott
died before the film was completed and that Paul Marco
died within a year of the film's release, and remarked that the film "stands as a warm tribute to each and every one of them".
Stuart Galbraith IV
of DVD Talk had a small role in the film, writing "The project began around 1983-84, and was still shooting as late as 1998 or '99, when this reviewer was enthusiastically recruited for a bit part." In reviewing the completed project in 2006, he shared instances where science fiction and horror films of the 50s and 60s had been the target for satire and parody by "neophyte directors", and wrote "Rarely are these misbegotten projects made by filmmakers who actually like or understand the nature of the films they're sending up, and rarer still are they actually funny, striking that delicate balance between an affection for the genre with a recognition of its sometimes silly cliches and successfully translating this into humor." He noted that The Naked Monster was successful in striking that balance, but that it was "overlong and will appeal mainly to an audience weaned on the myriad films it references", and that the film's humor "wisely varies" from sight gags and bizarre non sequiturs to plays on words, in-jokes, and unashamed bawdiness, with its dialogue "played with straight faces", and the film dialogue being "often funny precisely because it's only very slightly askew". He concluded by writing that the film "would probably play a lot better cut even tighter, say trimmed of another 15 minutes or so," as "The style of humor tends to tax the viewer after an hour, and the climax drags on much longer than it should."
Washington Post noted director Ted Newsom's success in his wish to create a '50s-style B-movie for 2005m using footage from many earlier films in creating his homage to the genre.
's grumpy dissatisfaction with the project to his own realization that years after they had originally shot their scenes, some actors from the cast are no longer speaking to him. Also included is a gallery of film stills, six minutes of deleted scenes, a brief video documentary, and a 16-minute interview with Kenneth Tobey with Dr. Frankling Ruehl.
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ultra low-budget science fiction and horror comedy film written by Ted Newsom
Ted Newsom
Ted Newsom is an American writer, director, producer and actor.- Early life and education :Son of Vernon and Patricia Newsom; grew up in Portland, OR, Spokane, WA and the San Fernando Valley; served in the US Army 1972-75 as a surgical assistant in Heidelberg, Germany...
and directed by Newsom and Wayne Berwick as an homage to and spoof of the "giant monster-on-the-loose" films of the 1950s. The final project took 21 years to make, and was actor Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey was an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early years:Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater...
's last film.
Background
The project originated in 1984, after director Ted Newsom was challenged with a bet to produce a movie for $2,500. In response he created "Attack of the B-Movie Monster" which had a limited VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
release under that name in 1985.
In revisiting the project, the filmmakers added scenes from old monster films to make a new version for release on DVD. According to Newsom, he "hauled out the old scripts, took gags and lines, and did a 25-page script, which condensed things to manageable size. That version of the project was designed as a half-hour short which could be shot in about four weekends (plus the time for effects). On that basis, I asked Wayne Berwick to direct "Attack of the B-Movie Monster", since I was 'producing' and had drawn the storyboards for both the live action and effects shots." The film was shot on Super 8 film
Super 8 mm film
Super 8 mm film is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format....
during 18 days of shooting in the summer of 1984, although for some days they would only shoot for two hours then quit. Over the following months the animation effects were added and the version was finished by the end of the year. The film was first screened at the now defunct EZTV
EZTV
EZTV is a production company and exhibition venue founded Los Angeles in 1979 by film scholar, writer and video producer John Dorr, along with several filmmakers, actors, writers, musicians and artists. EZTV is credited with creating one of the world's first video theaters, computer art gallery and...
in West Hollywood.
In 1992, Newsom professed to have "slop-edited a version of the old show together using the original colour footage, although the FX shots were still in black and white", staing "I wanted to see if it looked any good." However, several of the original stars had died, including Robert Shayne
Robert Shayne
Robert Shayne , born Robert Shaen Dawe, was an American actor.-Career:Shayne played many character roles in movies and television, such as a 1943 movie entitled Wagon Wheels West, but he is best remembered for his portrayal of the recurring character Police Inspector William "Bill" Henderson on the...
and John Harmon
John Harmon (actor)
John Harmon was an American actor.Harmon was a very prolific bit actor. His career spanned over six decades and almost 300 movie and television roles in a wide variety of genres. Many of his earlier appearances are uncredited. His first major screen credit was in I was framed...
, and Ken Tobey had severe problems with his back which made a remake impossible with the original cast members. In 1994, Newsom transferred the Super-8 film to tape on a high-end Rank
Rank Organisation
The Rank Organisation was a British entertainment company formed during 1937 and absorbed in 1996 by The Rank Group Plc. It was the largest and most vertically-integrated film company in Britain, owning production, distribution and exhibition facilities....
Telecine
Telecine
Telecine is transferring motion picture film into video and is performed in a color suite. The term is also used to refer to the equipment used in the post-production process....
apparatus and made a deal with Chuck Adleman of Anthem Pictures to use their editing system to cut the 100 minutes down by 16 minutes. In the cutting process several effects shots were lost, such as the whole Titanic and submarine sequences, but Newsom claimed these needlessly slowed down the film.
The character names of the veteran performers all refer to their own past films. Brinke Stevens
Brinke Stevens
Brinke Stevens is an American actress, model and writer.-Life and career:Born in San Diego, California, Stevens has studied several foreign languages, including Esperanto, and gained a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology from San Diego State University and a Master of Science in Marine...
stars, with cameos from two of her fellow Scream Queen
Scream queen
A scream queen is an actress who has become associated with horror films, either through an appearance in a notable entry in the genre as a frequent victim or through constant appearances as the female protagonist...
s. Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey was an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early years:Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater...
returns as Colonel Patrick Hendry, a promotion for his character originally an army Captain in The Thing from Another World
The Thing from Another World
The Thing from Another World , is a 1951 science fiction film based on the 1938 novella "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell . It tells the story of an Air Force crew and scientists at a remote Arctic research outpost who fight a malevolent plant-based alien being...
, and Les Tremayne
Les Tremayne
Les Tremayne was a radio, film, and television actor. Born Lester Tremayne in England, he moved with his family at the age four to Chicago, where he began in community theatre. He danced as a vaudeville performer and worked as amusement park barker...
reprises his General Mann role from War of the Worlds
The War of the Worlds (1953 film)
The War of the Worlds is a 1953 science fiction film starring Gene Barry and Ann Robinson. It was the first on-screen loose adaptation of the H. G. Wells classic novel of the same name...
(1953).
Synopsis
A colossal series of disasters releases something monstrous from a glacier. Strange disappearances in a small California town attract the attention of a thick-headed sheriff (R.G. WilsonRon Wilson
Ronald Lawrence Wilson is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey player and current head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League and the United States men's national ice hockey team at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He is also the former head coach of the San Jose...
), his transparently uninterested scientist girlfriend (Brinke Stevens
Brinke Stevens
Brinke Stevens is an American actress, model and writer.-Life and career:Born in San Diego, California, Stevens has studied several foreign languages, including Esperanto, and gained a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology from San Diego State University and a Master of Science in Marine...
) and a visiting government agent (John Goodwin
John Goodwin
John Goodwin may refer to:*John Goodwin , English preacher and religious writer*John B. Goodwin, Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia in the late 1880s...
). They discover that a giant green monster is at large, the Creaturesaurus Erectus, ("He wrecked us? He nearly KILLED us!") They turn to experienced monster fighter Colonel Patrick Hendry (Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey was an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early years:Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater...
), who has been locked in a government asylum for decades. With the help of other monster experts, lots of stock footage and incredibly bad special effects, humanity fights back against the "Thing from Another Time Zone".
Cast
- Kenneth TobeyKenneth TobeyKenneth Tobey was an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early years:Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater...
as Col. Patrick Hendry (from The Thing from Another WorldThe Thing from Another WorldThe Thing from Another World , is a 1951 science fiction film based on the 1938 novella "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell . It tells the story of an Air Force crew and scientists at a remote Arctic research outpost who fight a malevolent plant-based alien being...
(1951)) - Brinke StevensBrinke StevensBrinke Stevens is an American actress, model and writer.-Life and career:Born in San Diego, California, Stevens has studied several foreign languages, including Esperanto, and gained a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology from San Diego State University and a Master of Science in Marine...
as Dr. Nikki Carlton - R.G. WilsonRon WilsonRonald Lawrence Wilson is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey player and current head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League and the United States men's national ice hockey team at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He is also the former head coach of the San Jose...
as Sheriff Lance Boiler - John GoodwinJohn GoodwinJohn Goodwin may refer to:*John Goodwin , English preacher and religious writer*John B. Goodwin, Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia in the late 1880s...
as Agent Jeff T. Stewart - Cathy Cahn as Connie Lingus
- Forrest J AckermanForrest J AckermanForrest J Ackerman was an American collector of science fiction books and movie memorabilia and a science fiction fan...
as Flustered Man - John AgarJohn AgarJohn George Agar was an American actor. He starred alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, but was later relegated to B movies, such as Tarantula, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Flesh and the Spur, and Hand of Death...
as Dr. Clete Ferguson (from Revenge of the CreatureRevenge of the CreatureRevenge of the Creature is the first sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon. The film is notable for being the only 3-D film to be released in 1955; the only 3-D sequel to a 3-D film; and for being the first screen role for Clint Eastwood. The movie was released May 11, 1955, in the United States...
(1955)) - Michelle BauerMichelle BauerMichelle Bauer is an American B-movie actress, scream queen, pornographic actress, and bondage model.Bauer was Penthouse magazine's Pet of the Month for July 1981....
as Second Mom - Bob Burns IIIBob Burns IIIBob Burns III is an actor, consultant, producer, archivist and historian of props, costumes, and other screen used paraphernalia from some of the greatest science fiction, fantasy, and horror motion pictures. He is best known for his work with and collection of movie props, particularly from...
as Admiral Burns - Jeanne CarmenJeanne CarmenJeanne Carmen was an American model, pin-up girl, trick-shot golfer, and B movie actress.-Early life and career:...
as Mrs. Lipschitz - Robert ClarkeRobert ClarkeRobert Irby Clarke was an American actor best known for his cult classic science fiction films of the 1950s.-Early life:...
as Major Allison (from Beyond the Time BarrierBeyond the Time BarrierBeyond the Time Barrier is a 1959 Cold War era black and white time travel science fiction film filmed in ten days in Texas. It was produced by and starred Robert Clarke and was directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. Ulmer's wife Shirley acted as a script editor whilst their daughter Arianne Arden...
(1960)) - Robert O. CornthwaiteRobert O. CornthwaiteRobert O. Cornthwaite was an American film and television character actor who began his acting career in 1937, appearing in a college production of Twelfth Night, while attending Reed College in Portland, Oregon....
as Dr. Carrington (from The Thing from Another WorldThe Thing from Another WorldThe Thing from Another World , is a 1951 science fiction film based on the 1938 novella "Who Goes There?" by John W. Campbell . It tells the story of an Air Force crew and scientists at a remote Arctic research outpost who fight a malevolent plant-based alien being...
(1951)) - George FennemanGeorge FennemanGeorge Watt Fenneman was an American radio and television announcer.Fenneman was born in Beijing, China, the only child of American parents in the import-export business. He was nine months old when his parents moved to San Francisco, California, United States, where he grew up...
as Narrator - Robert ShayneRobert ShayneRobert Shayne , born Robert Shaen Dawe, was an American actor.-Career:Shayne played many character roles in movies and television, such as a 1943 movie entitled Wagon Wheels West, but he is best remembered for his portrayal of the recurring character Police Inspector William "Bill" Henderson on the...
as Professor Bradshaw (from Indestructible ManIndestructible ManIndestructible Man is an American black-and-white science fiction film, an original screenplay by Vy Russell and Sue Dwiggins for producer-director Jack Pollexfen and starring Lon Chaney, Jr.. It was produced independently, and picked up after completion for distribution in the United States by...
(1956)) - John HarmonJohn Harmon (actor)John Harmon was an American actor.Harmon was a very prolific bit actor. His career spanned over six decades and almost 300 movie and television roles in a wide variety of genres. Many of his earlier appearances are uncredited. His first major screen credit was in I was framed...
as Mr. Lipschitz - Paul MarcoPaul MarcoPaul Marco was an American actor who often appeared in movies made by Ed Wood, including the "Kelton Trilogy" of Bride of the Monster, Night of the Ghouls and Plan 9 from Outer Space, in which he played a bumbling, fearful policeman named Kelton.-Career:Born in Los Angeles, Marco started taking...
as Kelton the Cop (from Plan 9 from Outer SpacePlan 9 from Outer SpacePlan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
(1959) and other films) - Lori NelsonLori NelsonLori Nelson is an American actress born in Santa Fe, New Mexico on August 15, 1933. She began as a performer, dancing at the young age of 4, as well as winning a Little Miss America title. Many of her early auditions were unsuccessful. However, in 1952, she made it into her first role as Marjie...
as Dr. Helen Dobson (from Revenge of the CreatureRevenge of the CreatureRevenge of the Creature is the first sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon. The film is notable for being the only 3-D film to be released in 1955; the only 3-D sequel to a 3-D film; and for being the first screen role for Clint Eastwood. The movie was released May 11, 1955, in the United States...
(1955)) - Linnea QuigleyLinnea QuigleyLinnea Barbara Quigley is an American scream queen, B movie actress, and film producer.-Early life:Quigley was born in Davenport, Iowa, the daughter of Dorothy and W. Heath Quigley, a chiropractor and psychologist. She moved to Los Angeles in the late 1970s to pursue her dreams of acting...
as Deaf Girl - Daniel RoebuckDaniel RoebuckDaniel James Roebuck is an American television film actor, writer and producer, primarily in films, soap operas and television.-Life and career:...
as Captain Company - Ann RobinsonAnn RobinsonAnn Robinson is an American actress and stunt horse rider, perhaps best known for her work in the film, The War of the Worlds and in the 1947 to 1970 radio and television series, Dragnet, in which she starred opposite Jack Webb....
as Dr. Sylvia Van Buren (from The War of the WorldsThe War of the WorldsThe War of the Worlds is an 1898 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells.The War of the Worlds may also refer to:- Radio broadcasts :* The War of the Worlds , the 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles...
(1953)) - Gloria TalbottGloria TalbottGloria Talbott was an American film and television actress.-Early life and career:She grew up in Glendale, California...
as Nikki's Mom (archive footage) - Les TremayneLes TremayneLes Tremayne was a radio, film, and television actor. Born Lester Tremayne in England, he moved with his family at the age four to Chicago, where he began in community theatre. He danced as a vaudeville performer and worked as amusement park barker...
as General Mann (from The War of the WorldsThe War of the WorldsThe War of the Worlds is an 1898 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells.The War of the Worlds may also refer to:- Radio broadcasts :* The War of the Worlds , the 1938 radio broadcast by Orson Welles...
(1953)) - Ted NewsomTed NewsomTed Newsom is an American writer, director, producer and actor.- Early life and education :Son of Vernon and Patricia Newsom; grew up in Portland, OR, Spokane, WA and the San Fernando Valley; served in the US Army 1972-75 as a surgical assistant in Heidelberg, Germany...
as Hospital Orderly - Jimmy WilliamsJimmy WilliamsJames Franklin Williams, Jr. is an American football cornerback who is currently a free agent serving a one year suspension from the NFL for violating the league's banned substances policy. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
as Sgt. Paisley - Brady HicksBrady HicksBrady Hicks is a Philadelphia area journalist, radio personality, blogger, columnist, wrestling reporter, professional wrestling manager, color analyst, and occasional Pro Wrestling Illustrated contributing writer....
as Lt. Nyby - Robert WeaverRobert WeaverRobert Weaver is the name of:*Robert Weaver , 20th century Canadian editor and broadcaster*Robert C. Weaver, 20th century American politician*Robert Weaver , American illustrator*Robert Weaver , American surfer...
as Foreman Gorman - Tim MurphyTim MurphyTimothy John Murphy is a former politician and was the chief of staff of the Canadian Prime Minister's Office under Paul Martin's government.-Background:...
as Tank Commander - Tim Sullivan as Dr. Howard
- Richard NathanRichard NathanRichard P. Nathan is the former director of the Rockefeller Institute of Government and the Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the State University of New York at Albany. Nathan has written and edited books on the implementation of domestic public program in the...
as Dr. Howard - Jason SechrestJason SechrestJason Sechrest is an on-screen personality and writer in the adult industry. He has starred in numerous adult films, straight and gay, but only in non-sexual roles...
as Cat Scan Tech - Bill WarrenBill WarrenWilliam Bond Warren , better known as Bill Warren, is an American film historian and critic generally regarded as one of the leading authorities on science fiction, horror and fantasy films....
as Panicked Man - Stuart Galbraith IVStuart Galbraith IVStuart Galbraith IV is an American cinema historian, film critic, and DVD special features producer, essayist, and audio commentator.-Early life and education:...
as Not So Panicked Man - Danny Berwick as Baby
- Tina CheriTina CheriTina Cheri is an American pornographic actress. Tina worked as a contract performer for Metro Entertainment.-Awards:*2000 Venus Award winner – Best Actress...
as Honey - MilosMilosMilos , is a volcanic Greek island in the Aegean Sea, just north of the Sea of Crete...
as Guy with Honey - Mike ReissMike ReissMichael "Mike" Reiss is an American television comedy writer. He served as a show-runner, writer and producer for the animated series The Simpsons and co-created the animated series The Critic...
as Oil Can Guzzler - Debbie WatsonDebbie Watson (actor)Debbie Watson, is an American movie and television actress.-Career:Born in Culver City, Los Angeles County, California, Watson got her start on television, starring as the boy-struck teenage girl Karen Scott in the 1964 sitcom TV series Karen, the only portion of the largely unsuccessful "90...
as Screaming Babe - Lonn FriendLonn FriendLonn Friend is an American journalist and author. Friend is best known for his work in the late 1980s and '90s as editor of RIP Magazine, which covered the debaucherous world of heavy metal music and the rock stars who led the movement...
as Crushed Man - Del HowisonDel HowisonDel Howison is an American horror author, editor and actor.-Life and career:Howison was born in Detroit, Michigan but moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting; with his distinctive long white hair, he was a natural for low-budget horror films, and has since played the character "Renfield"...
as Screaming Townsfolk
Critical reception
DVD TalkDVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
reviewer Glenn Erickson
Glenn Erickson
Glenn Erickson is an American film editor and film critic. He started in the film industry in 1975 as an editor of low budget films and later worked in minor technical crew capacities in such major films as Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 1941...
noted that "the generation of baby boomers who grew up watching 'Creature Feature' movies on television has become a substantial fan base and the audience for all manner of nostalgic movie fare, most of it terrible". He explained that with such topics now being the subject of films with major budgets, the only low-budget genre filmmaking being produced is at the direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
level, and expanded that "finding anything worthwhile in either camp has become an exceptional event". He noted that being assembled by genre enthusiasts, The Naked Monster has an "amusing point of view", and that while it is "Nobody's idea of quality moviemaking, [it] is good fun for the undemanding monster fan" which "follows the tradition of John Landis
John Landis
John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
' Schlock", but "accelerated with non-stop jokes in the manner of Airplane!
Airplane!
Airplane! is a 1980 American satirical comedy film directed and written by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and released by Paramount Pictures...
". He clarified that while the jokes are not all funny, "most of the nonsense makes one smile and the occasional mismatched cutaway or individual gag is especially funny", making special note that the film's humor is "fine-tuned to the movie memories of the film's intended audience".
Dread Central wrote that "There is nothing better than a great bad movie", and the film's cast of B-Movie horror and sci-fi celebrities sweetened the deal in creating a film "that epitomizes everything that is so scrumptious about all of your favorite B-Movie entrees". They also wrote that the film acts as a "compilation/montage/homage..." "...of nearly every early monster or sci-fi film ever made". After viewing it, the reviewer wrote that the film began "beyond cheesy and damn near annoying at first, but once I finally understood what the filmmakers were attempting to do I just sat back, set my brain on coast, and enjoyed the ride". He enjoyed that the acting was "intentionally atrocious", the monster "unbelievably ludicrous", the plotline and story "full-blown stupidity at its finest", and the use of nudity "relentlessly gratuitous", writing that "you can't help but take pleasure in watching the brilliantly calculated cinematic train wreck."
M. J. Simpson
M. J. Simpson
Mike "Simo" Simpson, professionally known as MJ Simpson, is a former deputy editor of the British science fiction magazine SFX. The Leicester-based freelance journalist is the author of two books on the television writer and novelist Douglas Adams and his work:* The Pocket Essentials Hitchhiker's...
noted that the final film took 21 years to create, and acts as "both an homage to, and a spoof of, 1950s sci-fi and horror movies". The reviewer's initial impression was that the film was "cobbled together using two VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
machines, a stopwatch and the complete literary works of Bill Warren
Bill Warren
William Bond Warren , better known as Bill Warren, is an American film historian and critic generally regarded as one of the leading authorities on science fiction, horror and fantasy films....
", and that the story was not what mattered in that the script "is basically what you would get if you threw every monster movie plot filmed between 1955 and 1965 into a blender, then scooped out 90 minutes’ worth and baked at gas mark seven." The reviewer praised the film's manner of not taking itself too seriously as such was the "central conceit of Newsom's hugely entertaining film". The reviewer then listed the number of 50s and 60s genre icons that returned to reprise their characters from other films, and noted it as Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey was an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early years:Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater...
's last film, and that actors John Agar
John Agar
John George Agar was an American actor. He starred alongside John Wayne in the films Sands of Iwo Jima, Fort Apache and She Wore a Yellow Ribbon, but was later relegated to B movies, such as Tarantula, The Mole People, The Brain from Planet Arous, Flesh and the Spur, and Hand of Death...
, Les Tremayne
Les Tremayne
Les Tremayne was a radio, film, and television actor. Born Lester Tremayne in England, he moved with his family at the age four to Chicago, where he began in community theatre. He danced as a vaudeville performer and worked as amusement park barker...
, Robert Cornthwaite
Robert Cornthwaite
Robert Richard Cornthwaite is an English-Australian football player. He is a centre back or right full back who currently plays for Chunnam Dragons in the South Korean K-League....
, George Fenneman
George Fenneman
George Watt Fenneman was an American radio and television announcer.Fenneman was born in Beijing, China, the only child of American parents in the import-export business. He was nine months old when his parents moved to San Francisco, California, United States, where he grew up...
, Robert Shayne
Robert Shayne
Robert Shayne , born Robert Shaen Dawe, was an American actor.-Career:Shayne played many character roles in movies and television, such as a 1943 movie entitled Wagon Wheels West, but he is best remembered for his portrayal of the recurring character Police Inspector William "Bill" Henderson on the...
and Gloria Talbott
Gloria Talbott
Gloria Talbott was an American film and television actress.-Early life and career:She grew up in Glendale, California...
died before the film was completed and that Paul Marco
Paul Marco
Paul Marco was an American actor who often appeared in movies made by Ed Wood, including the "Kelton Trilogy" of Bride of the Monster, Night of the Ghouls and Plan 9 from Outer Space, in which he played a bumbling, fearful policeman named Kelton.-Career:Born in Los Angeles, Marco started taking...
died within a year of the film's release, and remarked that the film "stands as a warm tribute to each and every one of them".
Stuart Galbraith IV
Stuart Galbraith IV
Stuart Galbraith IV is an American cinema historian, film critic, and DVD special features producer, essayist, and audio commentator.-Early life and education:...
of DVD Talk had a small role in the film, writing "The project began around 1983-84, and was still shooting as late as 1998 or '99, when this reviewer was enthusiastically recruited for a bit part." In reviewing the completed project in 2006, he shared instances where science fiction and horror films of the 50s and 60s had been the target for satire and parody by "neophyte directors", and wrote "Rarely are these misbegotten projects made by filmmakers who actually like or understand the nature of the films they're sending up, and rarer still are they actually funny, striking that delicate balance between an affection for the genre with a recognition of its sometimes silly cliches and successfully translating this into humor." He noted that The Naked Monster was successful in striking that balance, but that it was "overlong and will appeal mainly to an audience weaned on the myriad films it references", and that the film's humor "wisely varies" from sight gags and bizarre non sequiturs to plays on words, in-jokes, and unashamed bawdiness, with its dialogue "played with straight faces", and the film dialogue being "often funny precisely because it's only very slightly askew". He concluded by writing that the film "would probably play a lot better cut even tighter, say trimmed of another 15 minutes or so," as "The style of humor tends to tax the viewer after an hour, and the climax drags on much longer than it should."
Washington Post noted director Ted Newsom's success in his wish to create a '50s-style B-movie for 2005m using footage from many earlier films in creating his homage to the genre.
DVD extras
The DVD includes an audio commentary with directors Wayne Berwick and Ted Newsom with Newsom discussing everything from TobeyKenneth Tobey
Kenneth Tobey was an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early years:Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater...
's grumpy dissatisfaction with the project to his own realization that years after they had originally shot their scenes, some actors from the cast are no longer speaking to him. Also included is a gallery of film stills, six minutes of deleted scenes, a brief video documentary, and a 16-minute interview with Kenneth Tobey with Dr. Frankling Ruehl.
Awards & nominations
- 2005, Shockerfest nomination, 'Best Actress Science Fiction' for Brinke StevensBrinke StevensBrinke Stevens is an American actress, model and writer.-Life and career:Born in San Diego, California, Stevens has studied several foreign languages, including Esperanto, and gained a Bachelor of Science in Biology and Psychology from San Diego State University and a Master of Science in Marine...
- 2005, Shckerfest nomination, 'Best Actor Science Fiction' for Kenneth TobeyKenneth TobeyKenneth Tobey was an American stage, television, and film actor.-Early years:Born in Oakland, California, Tobey was headed for a law career when he first dabbled in acting at the University of California Little Theater...