Horror and monster movies have always been popular with a large segment
of the population. We've all seen or heard of the classic Universal
horror films like "Frankenstein", "Dracula" and "The Wolf Man."
Hammer Film Productions Ltd. in England remade many of these
Universal movies with a gothic atmosphere and sex appeal. Other
branches of the horror genre have evolved over the years: comedy-horror,
science fiction-horror, suspense and low-budget cult films.
In 1957, a new kind of monster movie emerged when it was
discovered that a large part of the movie-going audience
were in their teens. With the release of Herman Cohen's
"I Was A Teenage Werewolf," the teenage monster movie was born.
Most of these films about teenagers and monsters were released by
American International Pictures in the late 1950's. James H. Nicholson
and Samuel Z. Arkoff were the men behind A.I.P. and it was their idea
to make films that combined "Rebel Without A Cause" teen angst with
monsters. With the assistance of people like producer Herman Cohen
and Albert Kallis, who handled the poster designs and advertising
campaigns, these movies became very popular with the younger generation.
NOTE: Yes I know "Frankenstein's Daughter" was not an American International
movie. However it is a film about teenagers and the female monster,
although played by an adult male, was supposedly a teenage female monster
according to the story. And it could easily be thought of as an AIP movie.
These movies also helped launch the careers of actors like
Michael Landon, Gary Conway, Guy Williams, Robert Vaughn, Frank Gorshin
and many others. Often criticized because of their low budgets, over-aged teenagers, the way adults were portrayed, contributing to juvenile delinquency and poor attempts at "rock'n'roll" songs, these motion pictures are now seen as highly entertaining "B" films. No matter what the critics said, I enjoyed these films and they were an important part of my childhood. If you feel the same way as I do, I would like to hear from you "older" teenagers who saw these films when they were first released and have special memories about them, or newer fans who have seen them for the first time and enjoyed them. You can visit my guest book or e-mail me at
teenagewerewolf1957@yahoo.com
Want to discuss these horror movies with other fans? Go to:
MonsterCinema, register and start posting.
Webmaster: William Armstrong; launch date: June, 1998.
I want to thank the people who helped me put it all together
and supplied information and some of the photos. Special thanks to Tom
Weaver for his rare photos, advice and encouragement; Donald F. Glut for allowing me to create a website featuring his amateur "Teenage Horror" films;
James H. Nicholson, Samuel Z. Arkoff, producer Herman Cohen, directors Gene Fowler Jr. and Herbert L. Strock, make-up artist Philip Scheer and everybody who worked behind the scenes, (many of whom have since passed away); the actors and actresses who appeared in these films. Without them, there would be no TEENAGE HORROR FACTORY website.. Finally to Forrest J. Ackerman, for his work on Famous Monsters of Filmland ; he let us know we were not alone in our appreciation of this much-maligned genre of film making.
DISCLAIMER: All images and text (with notable exceptions) are copyright 1957 and 1958 by Carmel, Malibu, Sunset and Santa Rosa Productions; renewed in 1985 and 1986 by Selma Enterprises; current copyright holder is Academy Pictures Corp., Susan Nicholson-Hofheinz since 1995, and should not be used without permission for any commercial or other purposes. All Rights reserved; no rights given or implied. This unofficial website is my tribute to those involved in the making of these motion pictures and is intended as an educational and historical view back at the 19050's and the teenage horror movies
of that era.