Friday, September 14, 2018

THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH: EVERYTHING A DRIVE IN MOVIE NEEDS



In the sixties drive-in theaters were the rage. Teens unwilling to sit at home with the squares wanted to be out on their own rather than watching FATHER KNOWS BEST. The best option they found was the drive-in. They could dance, they could talk to one another, they could socialize and they could see a movie made for their generation all at the same time. Del Tenney was an actor who knew the market well enough as well as how to make a film so he set out to make movies specifically for the drive-ins. One of those was THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH.

The movie features almost every aspect of a drive-in movie from the time you can imagine. To begin with it starts on the beach where teens are dancing away their cares and woes to the local band the Del-Aires, a New Jersey band. With songs like "Joy Ride", "The Zombie Stomp", "You Are Not a Summer Love", “Drag” and "Wigglin' Wobblin'” one of them was sure to be a hit. Granted this wasn’t a beach in California but one in Connecticut but it works out fine.

Then there is the hot rod our hero drives during the opening credits. During those a biker gang tries to cut him off but he zips past them. Which of course leads to a short rumble once they arrive at the beach. The teens on the beach aren’t quite teens but college students this time around. Thank goodness because none could pass for a teenager. All are dancing in trunks and bikinis, shaking whatever body parts they can. What else do we need? Monsters!

Our monsters are those types created by radioactive wastes, a common creator of creatures in the fifties. A tugboat is dumping canisters of radioactive waste into the bay and the lid pops off of one. In what is actually a pretty decent transformation sequence the material mixes with the remains of a few skeletons on board what looks like a sunken treasure ship. Combined with the fish in the water we now have several half man/half fish creatures to terrorize the shores!

The first victim is Tina, the party girl who’s just been dumped by our hero Hank. Clawed to death by the creatures it is a gruesome site indeed, especially when you consider this movie was made in 1963. Being in black and white helps with copious amounts of chocolate syrup standing in for blood though there is plenty of it to be seen.

Rumors abound that this is an attack of monsters and the police call in local scientist Dr. Gavin to help. Hank is his assistant and his daughter Elaine has a crush on Hank. Studying the few clues he has as to what the makeup of these creatures might by his maid Eulabelle tells him it’s voodoo. Of course he ignores her and tells her to go to bed.

The body count rises as the sea monsters scramble on land for new victims. On one rampage through town they see mannequins in a store and mistake them for women. One of the monsters attacks and cuts his arm off while smashing through the glass window. This arm becomes the first real evidence Gavin comes across and he accidentally discovers a means of destroying the monsters. Before he can return with the chemicals needed Elaine is off looking to find the monster’s lair and is almost killed. Will Gavin and Hank return in time to save her and the rest of the beach partiers?

Okay so obviously this film is not Shakespeare, not even close. But it fill the bill for a drive-in double feature and does so admirably. It’s made the list of worst movies ever made and found itself on MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 but I honestly found it to be a decent little low budget horror flick. This was the stuff drive-ins and later late night horror hots dreamed of featuring.

Compared to some of the worst movies made (most notably those of Ed Wood) the film looks quite good for being shot in black and white. The acting is not near as wooden as one would expect, perhaps in part due to the fact Tenney used a number of fellow actors he was friends with in the film. The effects that I once thought were laughable are better than I’d been led to believe from the stills I’d seen of the film. I often referred to the monsters as the “hot dog monsters” because of what looks like a full package of wieners sticking out of their mouths. Seeing them in motion though they present a frightful enough creature that I would think could induce nightmares in small children.

Severin Films has rescued this movie from obscurity or just as a movie to deride via that MST3000 episode. The film has been restored with a 2k scan from the original negative. The extras are a good mix considering the type of movie we have here as well as the fact it was made so long ago. They include RETURN TO THE PARTY BEACH a retrospective documentary on the film, IT’S THE LIVING END: AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE DEL-AIRES featuring a short current interview with band members Bobby Osborne and Ronnie Linares, SHOCK & ROLL a short with filmmaker Tim Sullivan discussing rock & roll in horror movies, an archival interview with director Del Tenney and the original trailer for the film.

I’ve always said that studios that take a chance on rescuing and releasing films like this, movies that might not be mainstream but that have a solid fan base, should be applauded for their efforts. And I’ll keep saying that. When a company like Severin releases a movie like this one they deserve praise for their efforts. So if you love a good drive-in movie or a horror movie that’s not quite the greatest film ever then I suggest you pick up a copy of THE HORROR OF PARTY BEACH. Slip on your bikini, dance a bit around the set and have some fun. 

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