The Ape Man (1943)

Lugosi Grows a Beard, 4 February 2005

The basic story of the Ape Man is straight forward. Lugosi plays a scientist messing around with nature (these guys never learn). Through some experimentation he has turned himself into a half-ape (he had a heavy beard and walked stooped over). He, along with his gorilla assistant, must kill to get the spinal fluid he needs to reverse his previous experiment.

The Ape Man can be fairly entertaining if you don't take it too seriously. Lugosi is fine as the scientist - sometimes funny (as when trying to subdue his gorilla) and sometimes menacing (as when threatening the doctor who has been helping him). Henry Hall as the doctor and Minerva Urecal as Lugosi's sister are also worth mentioning. Typical of comedy/horror films from this period, some of the jokes work while some fall flat. Most of the jokes are delivered by Wallace Ford (Ford was also the comic relief in The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb). The movie was made by Monogram and is a typical Monogram cheap-B-quickie.

5/10