Monster from Green Hell
by Kenneth G. Crane
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Barbara Turner, Eduardo Ciannelli, Jim Davis, Joel Fluellen, Robert GriffinDirector: Kenneth G. Crane
Brand: Image Entertainment
Cinematographer: Ray Flin
Editor: Kenneth G. Crane
Producer: Al Zimbalist
Producer: Jack J. Gross
Producer: Philip N. Krasne
Producer: Sol Dolgin
Writer: Endre Bohem
Writer: Louis Vittes
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 71 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2001-05-29
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Image Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Monster from Green Hell
Movie Review: Fine DVD of lethargic big bug/jungle flick for diehards only
Summary: 3 Stars
Monster from Green Hell is probably the most watchable entry in the micro-genre of "jungle science fiction movies " (even deadlier examples include The Unknown Terror and The Flame Barrier), but it's sure to be rough going for all but the most dedicated bad-film fanatic. The pacing throughout can only be described as leaden. Director Kenneth Crane (Half Human, The Manster) can't blame the editor; he cut it himself. There is also, unfortunately, a relative dearth of those so-awful-it's-great moments that cheap-movie addicts live for. Even fans of producer Al Zimbalist's bona-fide camp classics (i.e., Cat Women of the Moon, Robot Monster) are going to have to scrape for their fun here. Jim Davis, familiar from zillions of movie westerns, TV westerns, and coffee commercials, is Dr. Quent (yes, Quent) Brady (check that greasy kid stuff in his hair); Robert Griffin (I Was a Teenage Werewolf) is fellow scientist Dan Morgan; and Joel Fluellen (Jackie Robinson Story, White Goddess, Riot in Cell Block 11), as Arobi, actually plays that rarity in pre-1960s movies, a black (African) man with dignity and intelligence (one of the film's few pleasant surprises). The male leads smoke a lot (Dan even offers Quent a cigarette in his hospital bed), joke around with live grenades, and exchange some fairly Wood-en dialogue ("I don't know, I may be way off base on this thing." "But you don't think you are, and that's important!"), and Barbara Turner as Dr. Lorentz's daughter Lorna has to be the strangest, most unappealing "heroine" ever. She comes across as a dour, moody, hyperreligious whiner. Where's Beverly Garland when you really need her? Anyway, Quent and Dan are working on an experimental small-animal rocket mission (their bus-sized computer will please knob-and-dial freaks), when the missile crashes somewhere in Africa. An expedition to recover the rocket and its contents is mounted by Dr. Lorentz, played by Vladimir Sokoloff (Teenage Werewolf, Beyond the Time Barrier, Mr. Sardonicus). Fortunately, they don't make you wait until the finish to get a glimpse of the giant mutant wasps; they munch a couple of victims fairly early on. But a good chunk of the movie consists of monotonous trudging through the jungle (most of it courtesy of voluminous stock footage), and much of the 'action' that occurs is coincidentally very inexpensive (the poisoned water hole, the rain storm), happens offscreen (the monsters' attack on Dr. Lorentz), or is accomplished via still more stock footage (the native attack, various animal attacks), with the notable exception of a brief animated snake/wasp battle. Dr. Lorentz's death leads to a minor outbreak of pseudophilosophical discussion and the expedition's native guides soon desert them as they near "Green Hell." They finally meet up with a horde of the giant wasps, which are realized through a combination of life-sized mockups and animated models. Their droning sounds a lot like power tools, and some are shown in negative. Though obviously done on a shoestring, by Jack Rabin and Louis DeWitt (Kronos, War of the Satellites, Atomic Submarine), the animated wasps are oddly effective, kind of like one of those cheesy Outer Limits "bears." There is an unsettling quality to them as they loom up over the mountains during the climax. Much confusion in and around Bronson Canyon ensues and the wasps are finally destroyed (while the scientists just sit and watch) in a hokey finish boasting even less convincing "special effects" than the rest of the movie, and capped by a moment of maudlin religiosity. Fans of VERY cheap jungle movies and/or big bug movies will probably find a painless, if rather slow, 70 minutes of mild amusement here; all others, well, consider yourselves warned.Image's DVD, like others in their Wade Williams series, looks as good as anyone could expect for a movie of this genre and budget. There is some light speckling and blemishing throughout (a little bit heavier at the very beginning and during some of the stock footage), and a bit of light lining near the beginning also, but this clears up pretty quickly and the majority of the film thereafter looks great. Black level, contrast/brightness, tonal values, shadow/highlight detail, and sharpness are generally excellent (except again in some of the stock footage). It's unlikely we'll ever see a better print and transfer. (There is another version out on a triple-feature DVD on some no-name label that can probably be assumed is the usual PD junk.) Five other Wade Williams trailers are found in a cookie, and the theatrical trailer for the feature is accessed by clicking on the wasp in the middle of the screen. While suffering from the usual speckling, blemishing, and lining, the MFGH trailer looks generally very good to excellent, if a bit soft. A fairly expensive package considering the limited extras (Image's pricing strategy eludes me sometimes) but if you're into seriously mind-numbing poverty-stricken 1950s monster trash (like I am), an essential addition to the collection nonetheless.
Summary of Monster from Green Hell
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