The Bride of Professor Morlock

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This sequel was great news for “Professor Morlock” fans, who staged a massive letter writing campaign to bring the character back.

After the debacle of “The Ghost of Professor Morlock,” the beloved series was thought to be dead. But when the studio received millions of letters demanding its return, they produced a big budget reboot entitled “The Bride of Professor Morlock.” Jesse Merlin returned in his signature role as the insane scientist who performs unspeakable experiments on human subjects after the studio backed a dump truck of money to his studio apartment in Sylmar. Best of all, superstar Mara Marini reprised her role of Janet Lawton from the first “Morlock” movie (by all accounts the only really good one up to this point), the ace investigative reporter who has come back to foil Murlock's evil plans aided by her love interest, no-nonsense cop Jack Mannix (played once again by Jonny M. in a performance of staggering woodenness). There are lots of scenes showing Janet being tied up in her lingerie but nothing really good unless you count a graphic nude sex scene between Jonny and Ms. Marini’s body double that was cut from the final print (but you can watch it if you ever want to come over to Jonny's place). Also returning from the first film was Winston, the Wonder Pug playing himself.

In a nod to the film’s massive budget, Morlock’s henchman Ruprecht was played by Robert DeNiro and NOT series stalwart Tom Ackerman. Ackerman fans can look for the actor in a non-speaking cameo as a cab driver, for which he received his customary boxed lunch and deferred pay.

New to the series is starlet Stephanie Fredricks as Morlock’s bride, who was cast only after she agreed to appear in ¾ of the film completely naked. This was the first “Morlock” film not to feature Amy Ball in the role of the professor’s perpetual prey Amanda Globe. The role was written out of the script when Ms. Ball turned down the offer because she was directing a documentary about victims of domestic violence in Iraq.

The reboot was a financial blockbuster and a social phenomenon. Another sequel was immediately put in the works.