Horror and Western; are they two peas in a pod? Something about gelling two genres of this ilk feels unique, but also patchwork. That's the feeling I got when watching the cheap-jack drive-in monster mash-up JESSE JAMES MEETS FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER. The adventures of the infamous Jesse James cross paths with the determined, ghoulish experiments of the Frankenstein family.
Frankenstein's daughter (although I could've sworn I heard her mentioned grandfather, not father), Maria, finds herself in Mexico with her brother, after fleeing Europe for continuing her family's ungodly work with some eye-catching headwear. Her choice of residence, a beautiful matte painting of a monastery on the hills is perfect for her work with a neighboring superstitious Mexican village to make her fit right at home, but there's also a bonus as it's a frequent hotbed for electrical storms. So she scored big right there, no waiting around and marking dates on the calendar for the next lightning strike. But now she's running out of experimental guinea pigs, as the nearby village is eventually deserted. Now cue in the outlaw Jesse James' side of the story. James along with his hunky, dim-witted sidekick Hank tag along on a heist that goes wrong and Hank is fatally shot. On the run from a sheriff, he comes across a Mexican family camping out in the woods and the daughter takes them back to Frankenstein's lodge. Maria sees potential in Hank, as the perfect specimen for her secret experiments and finding some common ground, and hopefully love from another outlaw James.
Almost half of the film passes by before the film's title is finally stamped. So before the successful experiment is delivered, Jesse James shares some good times with Hank, cowboy brawling on empty stomachs, running afoul of a jealous cowboy, the law is hot on his heels, takes on some native Indians and falls in love with a peasant Mexican girl Juanita. Morals are questioned, while love and friendship does go on to conquer all that is wrong in this screwy plot. Its ham-fisted schlock that doesn't live up to its title, till Hank gets a brain transplant (one that beats while being kept in a jar) becoming the monstrous Igor and begins to choke people to death. Probably comes a bit too late, but Narda Onyx's wickedly manipulative performance, and sometimes expressive facials, especially when in the laboratory gives it some added life.
Frankenstein's daughter (although I could've sworn I heard her mentioned grandfather, not father), Maria, finds herself in Mexico with her brother, after fleeing Europe for continuing her family's ungodly work with some eye-catching headwear. Her choice of residence, a beautiful matte painting of a monastery on the hills is perfect for her work with a neighboring superstitious Mexican village to make her fit right at home, but there's also a bonus as it's a frequent hotbed for electrical storms. So she scored big right there, no waiting around and marking dates on the calendar for the next lightning strike. But now she's running out of experimental guinea pigs, as the nearby village is eventually deserted. Now cue in the outlaw Jesse James' side of the story. James along with his hunky, dim-witted sidekick Hank tag along on a heist that goes wrong and Hank is fatally shot. On the run from a sheriff, he comes across a Mexican family camping out in the woods and the daughter takes them back to Frankenstein's lodge. Maria sees potential in Hank, as the perfect specimen for her secret experiments and finding some common ground, and hopefully love from another outlaw James.
Almost half of the film passes by before the film's title is finally stamped. So before the successful experiment is delivered, Jesse James shares some good times with Hank, cowboy brawling on empty stomachs, running afoul of a jealous cowboy, the law is hot on his heels, takes on some native Indians and falls in love with a peasant Mexican girl Juanita. Morals are questioned, while love and friendship does go on to conquer all that is wrong in this screwy plot. Its ham-fisted schlock that doesn't live up to its title, till Hank gets a brain transplant (one that beats while being kept in a jar) becoming the monstrous Igor and begins to choke people to death. Probably comes a bit too late, but Narda Onyx's wickedly manipulative performance, and sometimes expressive facials, especially when in the laboratory gives it some added life.