HILLBILLY MONSTER: THE SON OF JEN-GAL

Produced, Directed, and Written by Conrad Brooks
Edited by Marvin Kennedy
Director of Photography - Michael Burns

Dirty Harry - Conrad Brooks
The Beast - Michael T. Burns
Jake - Joe McCabe
Zeke - Bruce Lindsay
Hot Girl - Jennifer Wells

Watching Conrad Brook's HILLBILLY MONSTER: THE SON OF JENGAL is like eating a twinkie - it's in no way, shape, or form good for your cinematic digestive system, nor does it contribute any nutritional value, but once you get a taste of that blissfully sweet b-movie center you keep on chomping until you have nothing but the wrapper left to lick.

In my review for the first Jen-Gal feature, I mentioned how Brooks must have learned his moviemaking skills from his early employer, Ed D. Wood Jr., of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE fame. Brooks has that same "point camera, shoot, move to the next set-up" style Wood was famous for. If the footage looks half-way decent, Wood was on to the next scene. Second takes were rarely cost effective options. From what I could gather watching HILLBILLY MONSTER, Conrad doesn't like second takes either. Novice actors stumbled through their lines, and one actor in particular even appeared to be reading directly from the script in front of him.

Any followers of Brooks' caveman-run-amok series should know by now that you don't watch these movies for technical expertise. If you felt duped into buying the first tape at a convention or other Brooks appearance, then you're probably only reading this review out of curiosity. Chances are you belong to that school of searing b-critics and are waiting for me to rip into the movie with all the savagery of a box of Hostess thrown to the wolves at a Sweating to the Oldies jamboree.

You don't know me very well.

I enjoy the Jen-Gal series for all its failings. Having grown up too late to witness the drive-in scene of the 1950's and 60's firsthand, viewing Jen-Gal is the closest thing I can equate to the experience. Yes, it's a bad movie, there's no getting around it. But viewers should have guessed that going in. And believe me, you get what you pay for with this one.

The story makes little sense. First off, director Brooks is no longer playing the idealized cowboy version fo himself known as...er...Conrad Brooks. Instead he's playing the comic book reading....er...Dirty Harry. Same character, different name. Hopefully Warner Brother's wont sue the old bugger for copyright infringement.

There's little on-screen time with the Son of Jen-Gal, but there's still more of the beast then in the last Jen-Gal picture. In part 2 we were treated to a still picture taken from the first movie and freeze-framed for half a second. This time around we get a scene of the creature running through a graveyard. That's a full three minutes more creature than the last movie.

The Son of Jen-Gal is an odd-looking beast. At some point during the first two movies while Old Man Jen-Gal was terrorizing Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, he came across a lady ape of easy virtue and hit it off. Sonny boy's appearance is more dog than ape, but he hunches over as if he's trying to drag his knuckles but can't make the reach. .

Son of Jen-Gal is holed up in a circus freak show with an owner who wants to capitalize from Sonny's containment. After Sonny makes his escape, Conrad....er....Dirty Harry is called in to track the boy down.

We get lots of shots of the carnival.

The movie plays like a headtrip of nonsensical b-movie cliches that challenges viewers to come up a new drinking game for every repeat viewing. Scenes have the connectedness of a schizophrenic flying without his meds. Characters float in and out of the story who make no contribution whatsoever. And the dialogue is often pure "pull the strings" Ed Wood.

The only thing missing were pie tin UFO's.

It would be unfair to criticize HILLBILLY MONSTER without mentioning it's merits. Conrad keeps the movie family viewing friendly and even manages to bestow lessons of ugly duckling morality as beauty doesn't always equate with purity. There are also underlying themes regarding the encroachment of industrialization on our few remaining forests. Meaty stuff for today's lackluster b-movie market, but right in line with the social commentary Wood and Roger Corman imposed on their work in the 1950's.

I should note the post-production and editing by Marvin Kennedy, also known for assisting Rock Savage with the now defunct Cinema A-Go-Go festivals in Baltimore a few years back. Kennedy applies a level of post-production polish usually not present in this sort of no-budget effort. Kennedy also sings "Hillbilly Monster," the ballad that plays over the closing credits. Kennedy is the sort of guy Brooks relies on when making his movies like HILLBILLY MONSTER, a pal willing to spend some time on a friend's work.

If you want to be a friend of Conrad, you can purchase your copy directly from the man by sending $20 postage paid to:

Conrad Brooks
P.O. Box 1192
Falling Waters, WV 25419

I'll post rules to anyone's drinking game on this review page as long as it can be legitimately played during the movie.

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