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Assignment: Terror

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Assignment: Terror
Spanish theatrical release poster
Directed byHugo Fregonese
Tulio Demicheli[1]
Written byJacinto Molina
Produced byJaime Prades
StarringPaul Naschy
Michael Rennie
Karin Dor
Craig Hill
Patty Shepard
Angel del Pozo
Manuel de Blas
CinematographyGodofredo Pacheco
Edited byEmilio Rodríguez
Music byRafael Fitó
Franco Salina
Production
companies
Eichberg-Film
International Jaguar Cinematografica
Producciones Jaime Prades
Distributed byCastilla Films
Release date
  • 24 February 1970 (1970-02-24) (France)
Running time
85 minutes (Spain)
CountriesSpain
West Germany
Italy
LanguageSpanish
Budget$1 million[2]

Los Monstruos del Terror (translation: The Monsters of Terror), also known as Dracula vs. Frankenstein (U.K. title), Dracula contre Frankenstein (French theatrical title), Reincarnator (French unauthorised video title) and Assignment: Terror (U.S. TV title), is a 1970 Spanish-German-Italian horror film directed by Tulio Demicheli and Hugo Fregonese. Eberhard Meichsner was also credited as a director in the British promotional material, but by all accounts he was most likely not involved at all.[3] It stars Paul Naschy, Michael Rennie, Karin Dor and Craig Hill. It is the third in a series of films that Naschy wrote featuring the werewolf Count Waldemar Daninsky, who was always played by Naschy. It was filmed in early Spring, 1969. The film was first released theatrically in Germany in February 1970, and in Spain in August 1971. It went directly to late-night television in the U.S. in 1973 as Assignment Terror.[4].

Los Monstruos del Terror was originally going to be called El Hombre que Vino de Ummo (translation: The Man Who Came from Ummo), referring to Michael Rennie's space-man character.[5]

It was followed in the series by the 1970 film The Fury of the Wolfman.

Summary

Aliens, occupying the bodies of deceased Earth scientists, revive a vampire, a werewolf, a (female) mummy, and Frankenstein's monster with a plan to use them to take over the human race using their own superstitions against them. They want to discover why these monsters are so frightening to Earthlings. For reference, the aliens use a book entitled "Anthology of the Monsters" by Professor Ulrich von Farancksalan, who was also the creator of the Frankenstein's Monster in this film.

The werewolf they revive (Count Waldemar Daninsky) saves the world by destroying the other three monsters in hand-to-hand combat and ultimately blowing up the aliens' underground base, although he is shot to death in the process by a woman who loves him enough to end his torment.

Cast

Production

Lead actor Paul Naschy also wrote the screenplay at the request of producer Prades, who was impressed by the box office success of Naschy's La Marca del Hombre Lobo that year and wanted to film a sequel. The original shooting title was The Man Who Came from Ummo, but the producer changed it to The Monsters of Terror. Direction was split between two Argentine-born filmmakers, Hugo Fregonese and Tulio Demicheli. Naschy said Fregonese quit the project two-thirds of the way through, and Demichelli stepped in to finish the film. Only Demichelli was actually credited on the prints. Naschy claimed that Hollywood actor Robert Taylor volunteered to play the lead alien in the film, but the producer hired Michael Rennie instead. Naschy also said the makeup man on the film, Rafael Ferrer, was the most incompetent man he ever worked with. (The makeup on Frankenstein in this film was so similar to the 1930s Universal make-up that it could easily have caused a lawsuit.)[6]

Naschy was told the film would have a lavish budget, which inspired him to let his imagination run wild while writing the screenplay. The film was shot in Egypt, Germany, Italy and Spain.[2] Filming was interrupted several times because of Prades' financial difficulties, and thus the script was not filmed as it was written. Whole segments of the script involving flying saucers and the Golem were never carried out as the result of sorely lacking funds.

Release and attempts at restoration

An English language one-sheet poster exists for this film bearing the title Assignment Terror, but it is unknown why they created it because AIP only distributed the film direct to television in the U.S. in 1973. It was later released on VHS as Dracula vs. Frankenstein in a splicy, full screen panned-and-scanned print.

The film is available today on a DVD from Reel Vault under the title Assignment Terror, as well as on a German Blu-Ray under the title Assignment Terror (Dracula Jagt Frankenstein)[7]

Trivia

The film was broadcast on Tele 5 as part of the programme format SchleFaZ in season 2.

References

  1. ^ Howarth, Troy (2018). Human Beasts: The Films of Paul Naschy. WK Books. p. 40. ISBN 978-1718835894.
  2. ^ a b Besas, Peter (3 November 1971). "Spain Discovers Horror Pix". Variety. p. 27.
  3. ^ Howarth, Troy (2018). Human Beasts: The Films of Paul Naschy. WK Books. p. 40. ISBN 978-1718835894
  4. ^ Howarth, Troy (2018). Human Beasts: The Films of Paul Naschy. WK Books. p. 40.ISBN 978-1718835894
  5. ^ Howarth, Troy (2018). Human Beasts: The Films of Paul Naschy. WK Books. p. 30.ISBN 978-1718835894.
  6. ^ Howarth, Troy (2018). Human Beasts: The Films of Paul Naschy. WK Books. p. 42. ISBN 978-1718835894.
  7. ^ Howarth, Troy (2018). Human Beasts: The Films of Paul Naschy. WK Books. p. 317. ISBN 978-1718835894


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