Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow

Last updated
Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow
Dragstriphollow1.jpg
Directed by William J. Hole, Jr.
Written by Lou Rusoff
Produced byLou Rusoff
StarringJody Fair
Russ Bender
Henry McCrann
Martin Braddock
Paul Blaisdell
CinematographyGil Warrenton
Edited by Frank P. Keller
Music by Ronald Stein
Production
company
Alta Vista Productions
Distributed by American International Pictures
Release date
  • July 1959 (1959-07)
Running time
65 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow is a 1959 AIP horror comedy film. It was a sequel to their film Hot Rod Gang . [1] American International Pictures released the film in July 1959 as a double feature with Diary of a High School Bride .

Contents

The film spoofed the 1950s monster and drag racing films of AIP, and has been regarded as a forerunner of the 1960s Beach Party films. Spoofs like this film helped bring a close to AIP's 1950s low-budget horror film genre. [2] This was the last monster movie that special effects technician Paul Blaisdell worked on. [3]

Plot

After being evicted from their old clubhouse, members of a Los Angeles drag racing club move into an old deserted mansion and set up shop, making it their new headquarters. For the club's grand opening, they hold a Halloween masked ball and invite everyone to come dressed as their favorite monster.

The festivities take an unexpected turn when one of the youths discovers an imposter among them: a real live monster (AIP's oft-reused She-Creature costume, played by its real-life creator Paul Blaisdell), who has been mixing in with the kids, hogging all the dances with the best-looking girls. The phony monster is unmasked at the end of the film by one of the teenagers, revealing it to be AIP's special effects maestro Paul Blaisdell.

Blaisdell cries, looking frail and tiny in the oversized costume, and complains into the camera: "You've seen me before. I scared you to death in The Day the World Ended. You shivered when you saw me in She-Creature. Oh the shame of it, the indignity! They didn't use me in Horrors of the Black Museum after my years of faithful service. They just... threw me away!" The kids then chase him out of the house and continue partying.

Ironically, Blaisdell never worked on another film after Dragstrip Hollow, making his comedic speech in the film seem sadly prophetic in hindsight. [4]

Cast

Production

Paul Blaisdell, AIP's top special effects technician from 1954 to 1959, was asked to spoof himself in the film, not realizing how close the film's ending would parallel the end of his own career a year or two later.

Home media

The film was released on DVD by MGM on February 15, 2005. [5]

Reception

TV Guide panned the film, stating that "[the] deformed script could have only been helped by a complete rewrite". [6] On his website Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings, Dave Sindelar criticized the film's "turgid pacing", lack of plot, and underdeveloped scenarios. [7] Dennis Schwartz of Ozus' World Movie Reviews rated the film a grade D, writing, "A dreadful hot rod teen comedy for the drive-in crowd. This one stinks even for AIP."

See also

Related Research Articles

American International Pictures LLC is an American film production company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, AIP was an independent film production and distribution company known for producing and releasing films from 1955 until 1980, a year after its acquisition by Filmways in 1979.

Larry Buchanan, born Marcus Larry Seale Jr., was a film director, producer and writer, who proclaimed himself a "schlockmeister". Many of his extremely low-budget films have landed on "worst movie" lists or in the public domain, but all at least broke even and many made a profit. Most of his films were made for television and were never shown theatrically.

<i>It Conquered the World</i> 1956 film by Roger Corman

It Conquered the World is an independently made 1956 American black-and-white science fiction film, produced and directed by Roger Corman, starring Peter Graves, Lee Van Cleef, Beverly Garland, and Sally Fraser. It Conquered the World was released theatrically by American International Pictures as a double feature with The She-Creature.

<i>The Brain That Wouldnt Die</i> 1962 film by Joseph Green

The Brain That Wouldn't Die is a 1962 American science fiction horror film directed by Joseph Green and written by Green and Rex Carlton. The film was completed in 1959 under the working title The Black Door but was not theatrically released until May 3, 1962, under its new title as a double feature with Invasion of the Star Creatures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beach party film</span> Film genre

The beach party film is an American film genre of feature films which were produced and released between 1963 and 1968, created by American International Pictures (AIP), beginning with their surprise hit, Beach Party, in July 1963. With this film, AIP is credited with creating the genre. In addition to the AIP films, several contributions to the genre were produced and released by major and independent studios alike. According to various sources, the genre comprises over 30 films, with the lower-budget AIP films being the most profitable.

<i>In the Year 2889</i> (film) 1969 television film by Larry Buchanan

In the Year 2889 is a 1967 American made-for-television horror science fiction film from American International Pictures about the aftermath of a future nuclear war. The film stars Paul Petersen, Quinn O'Hara, Charla Doherty, Neil Fletcher and Hugh Feagin. AIP commissioned low-budget cult film auteur Larry Buchanan to produce and direct this film as a color remake of Roger Corman's 1956 film Day the World Ended.

<i>The Eye Creatures</i> 1967 television film by Larry Buchanan

The Eye Creatures is a 1967 American made-for-television comedy horror science fiction film about an invasion by a flying saucer and its silent, shambling alien occupants.

<i>The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini</i> 1966 film by Don Weis

Ghost in the Invisible Bikini is a 1966 American fantasy comedy film. It is the seventh and last of American International Pictures' beach party films. The film features the cast cavorting in and around a haunted house and the adjacent swimming pool.

<i>How to Make a Monster</i> (1958 film) 1959 film by Herbert L. Strock

How to Make a Monster is a 1958 American horror film drama that is notable for its inclusion of props and studios that created actual sci-fi horror movies.

<i>Creature from the Haunted Sea</i> 1961 film by Roger Corman

Creature from the Haunted Sea is a 1961 horror comedy movie directed by Roger Corman. Written by Charles B. Griffith, the movie is a parody of spy, gangster, and monster movies, concerning a secret agent, XK150, who uses the name "Sparks Moran" in order to infiltrate a criminal gang commanded by Renzo Capetto, who is trying to transport an exiled Cuban general with an entourage and a large portion of the Cuban treasury out of Cuba. Filmgroup released the movie as a double feature with Devil's Partner.

<i>The Giant Gila Monster</i> 1959 American film

The Giant Gila Monster is an American 1959 science fiction horror film directed by Ray Kellogg and produced by Ken Curtis. A famous B-movie of the era, the film stars Don Sullivan, a veteran of several low budget monster and zombie films, and Lisa Simone, the French contestant for the 1957 Miss Universe, as well as comedic actor Shug Fisher and KLIF disc jockey Ken Knox. The effects included a live Mexican beaded lizard filmed on a scaled-down model landscape.

<i>First Man into Space</i> 1959 British-American film by Robert Day

First Man into Space is a 1959 independently made British-American black-and-white science fiction-horror film directed by Robert Day and starring Marshall Thompson, Marla Landi, Bill Edwards, and Robert Ayres. It was produced by John Croydon, Charles F. Vetter, and Richard Gordon for Amalgamated Films and was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

<i>Invasion of the Saucer Men</i> 1957 American film by Edward L. Cahn

Invasion of the Saucer Men, is a 1957 black-and-white comic science fiction/comedy horror film produced by James H. Nicholson for release by American International Pictures. The film was directed by Edward L. Cahn and stars Stephen Terrell, Gloria Castillo, Raymond Hatton and Frank Gorshin.

The Monster of Piedras Blancas is a 1959 American horror monster film. It was produced by Jack Kevan, directed by Irvin Berwick, and stars Jeanne Carmen, Les Tremayne, John Harmon, Don Sullivan, Forrest Lewis, and Pete Dunn. The film was released by Filmservice Distributors Corporation as a double feature with Okefenokee.

<i>The She-Creature</i> 1956 film by Edward L. Cahn

The She-Creature, or The She Creature, is a 1956 American black-and-white science fiction horror film, released by American International Pictures from a script by Lou Rusoff. It was produced by Alex Gordon, directed by Edward L. Cahn, and stars Chester Morris, Marla English and Tom Conway, and casting Frieda Inescort and El Brendel in smaller roles. The producers hired Marla English because they thought she bore a strong resemblance to Elizabeth Taylor.

<i>Terror Is a Man</i> 1959 Filipino/American horror film directed by Gerardo de León

Terror Is a Man is a 1959 black-and-white Filipino/American horror film directed by Gerardo de Leon.

Creature of Destruction is a 1967 American made-for-television film produced and directed by Larry Buchanan. It is an uncredited color remake of the 1956 movie The She Creature directed by Edward L. Cahn.

Bob Burns is an American actor, consultant, producer, archivist and historian of props, costumes, and other paraphernalia from science fiction, fantasy, and horror motion pictures. He is notable for his work with and collection of movie props, particularly from horror and science-fiction movies. He has also had numerous acting roles, including Tracy the Gorilla in the 1975 television show The Ghost Busters.

<i>Dragstrip Girl</i> (1957 film) 1957 film

Dragstrip Girl is a 1957 film starring John Ashley in his first lead role. American International Pictures released the film as a double feature with Rock All Night and it proved an early success for the studio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Blaisdell</span> American painter, sculptor and visual effects creator

Paul Blaisdell was an American painter, sculptor and visual effects creator, best remembered for his work in science fiction and horror B movies of the 1950s.

References

  1. "Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow". The Astounding B Monster. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
  2. Miller, John M. "Beach Party". Turner Classic Movies . Retrieved December 9, 2012.
  3. Palmer, Randy (2009). Paul Blaisdell, Monster Maker: A Biography of the B Movie Makeup and Special Effects Artist. McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0786440993.
  4. Palmer, Randy (2009). Paul Blaisdell, Monster Maker: A Biography of the B Movie Makeup and Special Effects Artist. McFarland & Company. p. 214. ISBN 978-0786440993.
  5. "The Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (1959) - William J. Hole, Jr". Allmovie.com. Allmovie. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  6. "The Ghost Of Dragstrip Hollow - Movie Reviews and Movie Ratings". TV Guide.com. TV Guide. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  7. Sindelar, Dave. "Ghost of Dragstrip Hollow (1959)". Fantastic Movie Musings.com. Dave Sindelar. Retrieved 22 August 2018.