Title: Baron von Werewolf Presents: Frankenstein Against the Phantom Planet

Author: Orrin Grey

Date of First Publication: 2016

Place of Publication: Eternal Frankenstein

Type: Short Story

Characters: The Creature; Victor Frankenstein

Themes: ANDROID; RETRO SF; SYMPATHETIC MONSTER

Critical Summary: “Baron von Werewolf Presents: Frankenstein Against the Phantom Planet” is a story that details a 1967 Mexican science fiction movie that is aired on a children’s Saturday morning television show. The narrator is a little boy who loves old monster movies such as Godzilla and King Kong. The host, Baron von Werewolf, introduces a different monster movie each week and, on this particular Saturday, introduces “Frankenstein Against the Phantom Planet” as a special and unique film that he had to pay a steep price to obtain.

The movie starts in black and white and a radio caster announces a comet fast approaching earth. The scene quickly changes to a New York courtroom where, presumably Victor Frankenstein, is being tried and found guilty of creating a monster and unleashing horror upon the city. The scene changes again and there is the Creature, strapped to a giant throne awaiting a rocket ship to come down on him and blast him off to the Phantom Planet. When the Creature reaches the planet the movie abruptly changes to full, vibrant color. Immedietly he is attacked by Phantomites, alien creatures that resemble small robots. These Phantomites hypnotize the Creature and take him to a pit where he has to fight off several creatures and alien animals to the entertainment of the Phantomites. The Creature has several close calls before escaping through the tunnel where he finds aliens that resemble mushroom people. These mushroom people are quickly identified as slaves of the Phantomites and the Creature rescues them and together they defeat the Phantomites, overthrow the planet, and make the Creature the King of the Phantom Planet. Once the movie ends, Baron von Werewolf is noticeably distressed and as an obscuring and terrifying black smoke fills the screen, the channel goes to static. The narrator believes this is simply special effects and goes outside to play—eager for what Baron von Werewolf will present the following Saturday.

This work is connected to Frankenstein because the Creature in the movie is taken as the Creature from Mary Shelley’s story. In the movie, the Creature is described to have laid waste to New York City much like a Godzilla or a King Kong. This changes the view of the Creature as the viewer does not know the motivations behind these destructive acts and thereby making him out to be more of a monster than simply a misunderstood creature. However, the Creature depicted in the movie could be seen as sympathetic. When he takes pity on the mushroom people and sets them free his motivations were seemingly pure, as he wanted to help those who were unfairly treated. One can make the assumption that the Creature understands what it is like to be tied up against one’s own will and fights to free the mushroom people as he himself wishes he was free. The vibrant descriptions of the Phantom Planet are a direct call to retro science fiction films. This coupled with the narrator’s love of retro movies celebrates how Frankenstein was, and still is today, entangled in the science fiction world.

Administrative Notes:  Kaleigh Weaver, CSUF; Jonathan Donabo (editing)