The Horror of Party Beach ** (1964, John Scott, Alice Lyon, Allan Laurel) – Classic Movie Review 7822

Director Del Tenney’s enterprising 1964 low-budget ($120,000) effort The Horror of Party Beach is billed as ‘The first horror monster musical!’, in which sea creatures created from black liquid radioactive sludge terrorise a southern California beach community. These weird ghoulish atomic beasts live off human blood! It stars John Scott, Alice Lyon and Allan Laurel.

Understandably, Tenney was apprehensive about the film’s combination of the teen beach movie and the monster horror genre, and was surprised by its success, and perhaps also surprised that he was able to persuade executives from 20th Century Fox to pick it up for release. Stephen King names it as one of his favourite films, though it is also included in lists of the Worst Films of All Time.

The director plays the monster trying to get the two girls leaving the drug store and cinematographer/ co-writer Richard L Hilliard plays the father watching the news report of the monster attacks on TV. Tenney’s young son and daughter play the children in the same scene.

Tenney shot it in three weeks back-to-back with The Curse of the Living Corpse (1964) with which it was released in a double feature show. At these original American screenings, cinemagoers had to sign a ‘fright release’ before they entered the cinema, where a poster stated: ‘FOR YOUR PROTECTION! We will not permit you to see these shockers unless you agree to release the theatre of all responsibility for death by fright!’

The Horror of Party Beach is directed by Del Tenney, runs 78 minutes, is made by Deal Productions and Iselin-Tenney Productions, released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Del Tenney, is shot in black and white by Richard L Hilliard, is produced by Del Tenney and Alan V Iselin (associate producer), is scored by Wilford L Holcombe (musical director), and is designed by Robert Verberkmoes.

Edward Earle Marsh (aka Zebedy Colt) composes the soundtrack. Marsh writes three songs with musical director Holcombe: Joy Ride, The Zombie Stomp and You Are Not a Summer Love. The Del-Aires, a Paterson, New Jersey, rock band who play themselves as a local band, perform all six songs in the film. Gary Robert Jones and Ronnie Linares of the Del-Aires, write one song together, Drag, and one song each individually, Wigglin’ Wobblin’ (Jones) and Elaine (Linares).

It is shot on the estate of Gutzon Borglum (who carved the US Presidents on Mount Rushmore). The exteriors were filmed on the grounds and sets were built in Borglum’s sculpture studio. Tenney (1930–2013) was married to actress Margot Hartman, whose father owned the property then.

Tenney kept the monster suits for many years and wore them at parties for laughs. Chocolate syrup was used for blood in the monster attack scenes.

Hilariously, the film was refused a UK cinema certificate and was only passed after heavy cuts removing most of the attack scenes. Now the DVD is uncut and 12 rated.

The Warren Publishing Company published a photo-novel comic book tie-in by Wally Wood and Russ Jones under its Famous Films title for 35 cents.

It is available as a Del Tenney Double Feature DVD, with The Curse of the Living Corpse [Region 1] [US Import].

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7822

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