In 2001, the unlikely duo of Stan Winston and Colleen Camp (the comedic actress) banded together with Lou Arkoff, the son of one of American International Pictures founders, to make a few films inspired by old AIP flicks for HBO and Cinemax. The results were: She Creature (2001), Earth vs. the Spider (2001), How to Make a Monster (2001), The Day the World Ended (2001), and Teenage Caveman (2002).
The original “How to Make a Monster (1958)” was a meta horror film about the movie studio and the declining interest in horror. It had a “mad” make-up artist who made actors kill on his behalf. This reimaging is about a game studio that is trying to make a hit horror game. In their desperate attempt to make something scary, the game develops make a real monster.
The monster is a motion capture suit that, because of electricity and an AI chip, has come to life and is evolving into being the monster it was supposed to be in the game.
It makes no sense, but it isn’t really trying to. The film is a campy take on video games, which were becoming more realistic at the time (the PS2 came out a year before this). Now, for those who don’t know what “realistic” meant in 2001 game graphic… think the worst CGI you can imagine. There, you got it.
I am a fan of how films in the 90s and early 2000s interpreted how technology works, so this is right up my alley. The fact that the film is STACKED with great actors hurts none. It has Clea DuVall, the alt beauty from “The Faculty;” Rex Van de Camp from “Desperate Housewives;” Sabretooth from “X-Men;” Max from “A Goofy Movie;” He-who-shall-not-be-named from “That 70s Show,” Colleen Camp herself, AND a cameo from scream queen Julie Strain.
A solid campy straight-to-video schlock film and a must see for video game horror nerds.
