Review of Man Made Monster

That's what reporter Frank Albertson says to ingenue Anne Nagel when she makes suspicious comments about her scientist Uncle's partner Lionel Atwill. Taking over where the kindly Samuel S. Hinds started, Atwill is experimenting on electricity with car accident victim Lon Chaney Jr., who was the only one of five not to be killed when the car he was in came into contact with live wires. Atwill has issues with man's mediocrity, and believes his experiments are a way to improve mankind. In short, a mad scientist of the largest order, and danger to Chaney, the romantic leads, and Nagel's kindly uncle (Samuel S. Hinds), who happens to be his partner. Chaney soon has more electricity running through his body than Southern California Edison, and becomes a walking death ray.

This is a strange little "B" science fiction film, from Universal's second string of horror movies, not nearly as good as the first string ("Dracula", "Frankenstein", "The Mummy", etc.). Atwill is a modern day Shakespearean villain, seemingly well intended, but filled with evil. There are many moments of melodramatic silliness, but it's basically very entertaining overall. Chaney is one of the most one dimensional of all horror actors. Every hint of vulnerability out of him (overdone in the screenplay) seems forced. He even lacks the camp quality in the serious portrayals by the masters of early talkie movie horror-Karloff, Lugosi, and England's Tod Slaughter.