Very cheap but hugely enjoyable 40's horror with above-average acting performances and a surprisingly well-written script. In case you too are a fan of those typically 40's low budget flicks revolving on mad scientists, you have to see "The Monster Maker" as J. Carrol Naish portrays one of the most dangerously insane men of science ever!! Well, maybe along with George Zucco in "The Mad Monster"
Naish, obviously imitating Bela Lugosi, is a doctor who enjoys infecting people with the acromegaly-disease (which makes them look kind of like "The Elephant Man"), simply because he's the only one who found a cure for it. He really goes out of his mind when he contaminates the eminent pianist Anthony Lawrence in order to get close to his beautiful doctor, Patricia. Is it just my impression, or are all mad scientists actually sad romanticists? The structure and plot are fairly standard but this film especially gets itself noticed because of the brutality! There are a couple of shocking images (the revelation of Lawrence's horribly deformed face) and Naish character is a really evil and relentless man! Considering the time it was made, "The Monster Maker" is quite a nasty horror film that shamelessly tries to outdo the famous Universal monster-classics. Oh, the guy inside the hilariously fake gorilla suit is a blast!
