Monster on the Campus

Monster on the Campus

Monster on the Campus DVD cover artwork by Reynold Brown
Directed by Jack Arnold
Produced by Joseph Gershenson
Written by David Duncan
Starring Arthur Franz
Joanna Cook Moore
Nancy Walters
Cinematography Russell Metty
Edited by Ted J. Kent
Distributed by Universal-International
Release dates
  • December 17, 1958 (United States)


  • May 1, 1959 (Finland)
Running time
77 min
Language English

Monster on the Campus (Monster in the Night[1] and Stranger on the Campus) is a 1958 American science fiction/horror film, released by Universal-International. It was directed by Jack Arnold, from a script by David Duncan.[2][3]

The film was the last of Universal's science fiction monster films released before Island of Terror (1966).

Plot

Professor Donald Blake (Arthur Franz) acquires a newly discovered coelacanth. He begins to examine the find and is exposed to its irradiated blood. This turns him into a murderous Neanderthal monster that terrorizes the campus.

Cast

Production

Production took place between April and May 1958.[1]

The working title of the film was "Monster in the Night". Although Universal music director Joseph Gershenson had received executive producer credit on some films of the 1940s, Monster on the Campus marked the first film for which he received sole credit as producer.[4] This was the film debut of Nancy Walters.Arthur Franz only played Prof. Donald Blake. Once the makeup transformation scenes were over, stuntman Eddie Parker did every scene as the Monster.[5]

Reception

The film holds a 5.9/10 on the Internet Movie Database and a low 21% from 255 users on Rotten Tomatoes.[6]

Critic Ken Hanke stated upon his review: Agreeably silly Jekyll and Hide with great hokey monster.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 AFI staff (2013). "Monster on the Campus". AFI Catalog of Feature Films (Los Angeles, California, USA: American Film Institute). OCLC 772904208. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
  2. Doherty, Thomas (June 4, 2010). Teenagers and Teenpics: Juvenilization of American Movies (revised ed.). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA: Temple University Press. p. 245. ISBN 9781592137879. OCLC 780726393. Retrieved September 25, 2013.
  3. 'Vampire' in Attack Today Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 22 Oct 1958: B8.
  4. Monster on the Campus TCM Notes
  5. Internet Movie Database Trivia
  6. Rotten Tomatoes

External links