Movie monsters went through a considerable change in the 1970s. Falling somewhat out of fashion, until Jaws (1975) came along and too the whole idea of movie monsters mainstream. Then there was the rise of the slasher, from early slashers like Black Christmas, through to the creation of the iconic slasher franchises of the late 70s and early 80s. Exploitation cinema in the 70s, splintered into a some distinct sub-genres, with hardcore porn movies going mainstream and the development of blaxploitation cinema. Hammer in the UK was on the decline, and we were seeing the rise of the zombies. The whole landscape of movie monsters was shifting in a weird, weird, weird direction. Here's my top three of completely bizarre movie monster I love from the 70s.
#1. Blackenstein from the blaxploitation monster movie Black Frankenstein (Blackenstein) (1973).
#1. Blackenstein from the blaxploitation monster movie Black Frankenstein (Blackenstein) (1973).
 | Love me a bit of super-fly blaxploitation, but what the hell were they thinking with Blackenstein? Now Blacula, weird as a cash-in on the old school movie monster as that was, it held its own as a movie. But as I said earlier, the old school movie monsters were on the decline. Maybe a Vietnam vet, turned into a monster by a "white" doctor was a political statement. If so it was lost on me, as Eddie staggers around doing a bad Boris Karloff impression, sporting a squared off afro. Just hysterical! |
#2. The Mutant Killer Sheep from the Godmonster Of Indian Flats (1973).
| Animal revenge or "nature retribution" movies became a bit of a trend, and I could have easily gone with the cuddly killer bunnies from Night Of The Lepus (1972). Or I could have gone for the mutant bear monster from the 1979 movie Prophecy. But I chose to go with the mutant killer sheep from the god-awful, Godmonster Of Indian Flats (1973). The lumbering flea-bitten creature, that looks like Joe Camel the morning after the night before, hardly gets any screen time, which is a shame. And despite the movie title, the "monster" element is a sub-plot, to a property deal storyline. But Shaun "the mutant" sheep gets my vote as a so bad its good monster. |  Joe Camel really needs to lay off the cigarettes! |
#3. The Bed, in the obscure cult classic Death Bed: The Bed That Eats (1977).
| When it comes to bizarre choices for a movie monster, a bed isn't the first thing that comes to mind, except in the mind of one-off director George Barry. Death Bed: The Bed That Eats, just has to been seen to be believed. A demoniacally possessed bed that pulls its victims into its huge stomach hidden underneath somewhere, to swim in its gastric juices to be slowly dissolved. I love this movie (read my review of it), the whole thing is just too surreal to not be hysterically funny. And has one of the weirdest movie monsters of all time. |
Dishonourable mention... The Thing With Two Heads (1972).
| Rosey Grier as a bad-ass death row inmate, and Ray Milland as a rich dying racist, in The Thing With Two Heads (1972). Not exactly a "movie monster" in the killer rampage sense of what it usually expected of a genre movie. But still, a classic monster character of the early 70s exploitation cinema. Just too cool, not to deserve a mention. And the movie has a really kick-ass soundtrack. |  |
