Monster on the Campus [Blu-ray]

Director: Jack Arnold Jack Arnold

Overview

A scientist falls victim to a strange, contagious force that causes creatures to regress down the evolutionary ladder to their primal states. This bloody sci-fi thriller depicts the carnage that results as the once mild-mannered professor transforms into a murderous Neanderthal.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/25/2019
UPC:	0826663199239
Original Release:	1958
Rating:	NR
Source:	Shout Factory
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W, Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:17:00
Sales rank:	20,201

Special Features

NEW audio commentary by author Dana M. Reemes (Directed by Jack Arnold); NEW audio commentary by professor of film studies/author Mark Jancovich (Rational Fears: American Horror in the 1950s); Theatrical trailer; Still gallery

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Arthur Franz	Prof. Donald Blake
Judson Pratt	Lt. Mike Stevens
Nancy Walters	Sylvia Lockwood
Troy Donahue	Jimmy Flanders
Phil Harvey	Sgt. Powell
Helen Westcott	Molly Riordan
Alexander Lockwood	Gilbert Howard
Whit Bissell	Dr. Oliver Cole
Ross Elliott	Sgt. Eddie Daniels
Eddie Parker	the Monster
Hank Patterson	Mr. Townsend
Joanna Moore	Madeline Howard

Technical Credits

David Duncan

Jack Arnold	Director
Joseph Gershenson	Producer
Clifford Stine	Special Effects
David Duncan	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

Any Jack Arnold movie from the 1950s is worth seeing, but Monster On The Campus is clearly in the bottom half of his output, despite some suspenseful scenes and clever moments. Arthur Franz brings a dour sincerity to his portrayal of Dr. Donald Blake, the researcher who falls victim to contamination from an ancient fossil that causes him (or any other living thing) that comes in contact with it to revert to a pre-historic state. The movie also provides a vehicle for established veteran players such as Helen Westcott and Alexander Lockwood, and newcomer Troy Donahue, which makes it a strange mix on that level; and the presence of ubiquitous horror/sci-fi player Whit Bissell gives the movie resonance with modern cultists (William Schallert must have been busy elsewhere during the three weeks this movie was in production . . .). But Monster On The Campus, just by virtue of its title, has a certain built-in campiness that expresses itself overtly in a few scenes that, undoubtedly, elicited howls, hoots, and mocking gasps from drive-in audiences at the time. In all, it's not as atmospheric -- except in a few stylistically claustrophobic scenes -- or persuasive as Arnold's best work, and even lacks the underlying sincerity that helped drive works such as The Space Children. It's a fun thrill ride within its modest budgetary and production dimensions, but not much more.