Frankenstein's Daughter (1958)

Interesting facts

Frankenstein's Daughter is an independently made 1958 American black-and-white science fiction/horror film drama, produced by Marc Frederic and George Fowley, directed by Richard E. Cunha, that stars John Ashley, Sandra Knight, Donald Murphy, and Sally Todd. The film was distributed by Astor Pictures and was released theatrically on December 15, 1958 as a double feature with Missile to the Moon (1958).

Production

Layton Films was a company established by Dick Cunha, a filmmaker who had just left Screencraft Productions, and Mark Frederic, an investor. In April 1958 it was announced Layton would make 10 films in just over 24 months for distribution by Astor Films, starting with Frankenstein's Daughter (in the end only two other films were made, Missile to the Moon and The Girl in Room 13).

Frankenstein's Daughter was shot during just six days for approximately $65,000 and sold to Astor Pictures for $80,000.

It was filmed at Screencraft Studios in Hollywood, although the house in which much of the action takes place was the home of producer Marc Frederic. Production of the film wrapped in May 1958.

John Ashley had just made a number of films for American International Pictures. He later recalled "AIP was low budget – one hundred grand a movie – but at least they shot on sound stages and the size of the crew was bigger. Frankenstein's Daughter was really rock bottom. But the people were very nice, especially Dick Cunha, the director ... but it was quick, a little more down and dirty than AIP".

Ashley later said he remembered two things about the film: "the monster, which was a man because the makeup artist didn't know it was supposed to be a woman, and that we shot the ending at Harold Lloyd's estate, because Harold Lloyd Jr. played a teenager in it".

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