AmateurMovieReviews.com

Paul Naschy remains an anomaly in the realm of film history. While he was a major star in Europe from 1967 to 1975 from his multitude of horror films in which he wrote and starred in starting with his landmark classic MARCA DEL HOMBRE LOBO (FRANKENSTEIN'S BLOODY TERROR in USA, HELL'S CREATURES in the UK, THE VAMPIRE OF DR. DRACULA in Germany). Filmed in three dimension and in Super 70mm, Naschy's debut introduced the world to the long suffering werewolf Waldemar Danisky. The film was a huge hit was a sequel was commissioned.

This is where the tale gets murky as for years the first sequel to the film was believed to be THE NIGHTS OF THE WEREWOLF, a lost film that was alleged to have been filmed in France circa 1968. Because the rights to the film were in question, it was never released and the existing prints of the film have become lost. Well, at least that was the story that circulated for three decades. Today, many believe that the film was never actually made. If that is the case, then the first sequel to LA MARCA DEL HOMBRE LOBO would be 1969's LOS MONSTROUS DEL TERROR which was originally titled THE MAN WHO CAME FROM UMMO and was released in the United States directly to TV under its most famous name ASSIGNMENT TERROR. (It was released on video years ago under its British name DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN)

To put it mildly, ASSIGNMENT TERROR is a mess, but it is a very fun mess. The insane plot deals with aliens from the planet Ummo who wish to conquer the Earth, but feel that using atomic weapons would not be the right way to go so they capture various monsters of fear and hope to make thousands of them so as to unleash them on the world. So, we get Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman and the Mummy all in one package (!) and it is up to a hardboiled police officer to crack the case.

Yes, the whole thing is somewhat insane and the first half of it is pretty dull except for when the werewolf attacks, but the ending of the film is phenomenal as the werewolf has two long, protracted battles with the Frankenstein Monster and with the Mummy. (The fight with the Mummy is off the charts cool!) One caveat: Dracula has very little to do and appears only briefly. We never see him mix it up with the other monsters despite the alternate DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN title. (Side note: The Independent International company had a different film named DRACULA VS. FRANKENSTEIN and distributors simply borrowed the name and publicity from that film and released ASSIGNMENT TERROR under the variant name) At least in the United Kingdom, Spain ad the rest of Europe, the film saw a release on the big screen. Horror film aficionados in the United States were denied such an opportunity. It is doubtful that 16mm prints of the film were screened publicly, even by diehard fans of Paul Naschy and his films.

ASSIGNMENT TERROR was dumped into TV syndication by American International Pictures for inexplicable reasons. Had this film been released on the drive in circuit, it would have been a cool B Movie hit. Instead, it landed on the local horror movie host UHF circuit where it stood out as one of the rare monster movies shot in color (Godzilla notwithstanding) that would air on those programs. This alone makes it somewhat memorable.

Whether one discovered the film on Saturday afternoons or the late, late show on Friday or Saturday evenings (anyone remember the old Late, Late Show of decades past?) ASSIGNMENT TERROR remains an unforgettable experience. While there are those who are put off by its patent absurdity, it is a fun film and looks spectacular. Unfortunately, the finished film saw the director quit before production finished and the budget was cut. A few scenes were not shot and the film was rushed into completion. Had it been allowed to finish production as had been originally intended, it may have ended up being a spectacular film along the lines of LA MARCA DEL HOMBRE LOBO. Instead, we get a flawed, but memorable film.