Monster on the Campus is a 1958 American science fiction/horror film, released by Universal-International Pictures. It was directed by Jack Arnold (Tarantula, Creature from the Black Lagoon) from a script by David Duncan (The Time Machine, Fantastic Voyage). The film stars Arthur Franz, Joanna Moore, Judson Pratt, Nancy Walters and Troy Donahue.
Professor Donald Blake (Arthur Franz) acquires a newly-discovered coelacanth, a fossilised fish. He begins to examine the find and is exposed to its irradiated blood. This turns him into a murderous Neanderthal monster that terrorizes the campus.
” …a film that is not bad enough to be entertaining and yet lacks the tucked-away gems to make it essential Golden Turkey viewing. There is the usual philosophising nonsense about how man is only one step away from being an animal. What does seem particularly funny is the bizarre lengths the script has to go to to keep getting Arthur Franz’s scientist reinfected all over again while still unaware of what is happening – him cutting his hand on a dog’s tooth, while the scene smoking dragonfly blood dripped into a pipe bowl should have made Monster on the Campus into a cult classic for the ‘head’ set ten years later.” Richard Scheib, Moria
“Proof that not even Jack Arnold could hit one out of the park every time, Monster on the Campus is easily the least of his genre credits. That doesn’t mean it’s a completely bad movie, but after the heights reached by Creature from the Black Lagoon, Tarantula and The Incredible Shrinking Man this has to look like a step down. But while never reaching the level of those movies, Monster on the Campus still holds real pleasures. Yeah, it’s a little silly, the monster makeup leaves a lot to be desired, and Dr. Blake is incredibly slow to figure out the obvious. But it’s a fun film with a game cast, some nice character interplay and a brevity that helps it slide past some nagging questions.” Rod Barnett, Eccentric Cinema
