Director Richard F. Cunha's Frankenstein's Daughter On DVD And Blu-ray From The Film Detective On Oct. 19

The Film Detective has selected Oct. 19 for newly-minted Blu-ray and DVD special editions of director Richard E. Cunha's 1958 horror classic, Frankenstein’s Daughter.

Little did we know, but Victor Frankenstein all these years later, has a grandson who is dedicated to his work.   Indeed, the mad scientist’s dream lives on.

The film opens with something of a nightmare sequence as teenager Susie (Sally Todd — The Unearthly) is being dropped off by her boyfriend, Don (Harold Lloyd Jr. — Platinum High School), when she comes face-to-face with what seems to be a monster … a woman with a deformed face.   It is a just a tease, a foreshadowing of what is to come.

In short order, we learn that Oliver Frank (Donald Murphy — Shack Out on 101, Strange Intruder) is actually Oliver Frankenstein, the grandson of Victor.   He’s employed by a research scientist by the name of Prof. Carton Morton (Felix Locher), but is secretly working on recreating his grandfather’s experiments.

We also learn that the hideous creature at the beginning of the film is actually another teenager by the name of Trudy (Sandra Knight — Thunder Road, Tower of London), who dreamed the same encounter with her friend Suzie.   Along with her boyfriend, Johnny (played by John Ashley — Beach Party, Muscle Beach Party, Bikini Beach, etc.), the two couples try to make sense of what is going on.

It seems that Oliver has been secretly experimenting with Prof. Morton’s formulas and periodically slips Trudy a “mickey” that causes her to morph into the hideous creature that takes to roaming the streets at night.

Meanwhile, he has finally assembled enough body parts and has constructed a “creature” of his own.   All he lacks is a brain!!  

When he makes some moves on Suzie and she rejects him, he simply runs her over, takes her mangled body back to the lab and transplant her brain into the assembled creature.   A little serum and bingo, a new monster.

Can teenagers stop the madness?   Oct. 19, from The Film Detective — on either Blu-ray or DVD — to find out the answer.

Bonus features include two commentary options.   One featuring film historian Tom Weaver and the second with indie filmmaker Larry Blamire.   There are also two new featurettes — “Richard E. Cunha: Filmmaker of the Unknown” and “John Ashley: Man from the B’s.”