Spanish title: Jesse James vs la Hija de Frankenstein
Stars: John Lupton, Cal Bolder, Nada Onyx
Directed by: William Beaudine
Distributor: Cinematografica Azteca (for Embassy Pictures Corporation)

"Shocking assassins… a gunman and the daughter of a monster…!"

Shot in just eight days, back to back with the also cheap-and-nasty Billy The Kid vs Dracula, this film is a long way from the best represented in our collection, but the lobby card art for this Mexican release is just incredible regardless – in that totally schlocky kind of way that makes it perfect as wall art.

Directed by William Beaudine, who made quite the living churning out cheap horror rubbish, the title of this film is an utter misnomer, as it involves not Frankenstein’s daughter, but his granddaughter, as she seeks to turn Jesse James’ best buddy into a monster just like dear old granddad. Jesse James, of course, isn’t down with her plans.

What we love about this lobby card, aside from the deep colors, impressive original art, and decidedly gravity-free cleavage of Frankenstein’s Daughter/Granddaughter (who for some reason has vampire teeth) is the awesome black and white still image inserted into the design, featuring a couple of ‘wild west’ lads duking it out with bare knuckles. If you can’t love the early 60’s greaser hairstyles on those gunslingers, you just have no sense of the absurd.

Joe Bob Briggs loved this film enough to re-release it as part of a bad horror movies package, but I’ll never understand how Jesse James gets to Frankenstein’s Castle… I mean, it’s not like if you took a left at Boot Hill, you’d find yourself in Transylvania. Was Frankenstein’s Castle actually located in Cincinnati? Actually, having spent time in Cincinnati, that might make sense…

Spanish title: Los Sapos (The Toads)
Stars: Ray Milland, Sam Elliott, Judy Pace, Joan Van Ark, Adam Roarke
Directed by: George McCowan
Distributor: American International Pictures (US; Mexican distributor unknown)

"Cold green skin against soft warm flesh… a croak… a scream."

A reclusive millionaire (Ray Milland) invites his family out to his remote home to celebrate his birthday, but the celebration turns sour when the poison the old bugger has been pouring into the local pond to get rid of the frog population turns out to have mutated them into killer beasties. Bad acting and effects ensue. 

Originally made as a TV movie for CBS, AIP released Frogs in theaters as a quick, cheap, drive-in flick – the kind of thing that Mexican audiences were happy to lap up in grindhouse theaters between the latest romp from El Santo and whatever nudie flick was in town.

It was directed by George McCowan, who had a long career directing such classic schlocky TV series as The Little Hobo, Nero Wolfe, and Felony Squad, though the early 70’s saw him direct a bunch of TV movies, the memories of which have long since fallen into the black hole of time – one of which (The Challenge) he ended up pulling an ‘Alan Smithee’ on. 

Frogs is no classic by any stretch of the imagination, but how can you not love the hell out of the poster image? In fact, I paid more for this lobby card than I have for many classics from the 1930’s and beyond, even though it has staple holes, pin holes, water stains, scratches, and some serious wear and tear – just for that awesome shot of the giant toad with the dismembered hand.

Croakers represent.