One of the most exciting revelations in the book Homemade Hollywood was the news of the existence of Monster Kid Home Movies, a two-hour 2005DVD of kid-made monster movies from the 1950s to the 1980s, transferred from streaky old film-stock.
I sent away for a review copy of the disc and it's been my captivating evening viewing for two nights now. Monster Kid Home Movies is an utterly exuberant celebration of monster-obsessed amateur creativity, and the films are filled with raw enthusiasm for the genre. These are Forry Ackerman's spiritual progeny at their most ingenious, contriving incredible costumes, ill-advised stunts, clever camera work, and often hilarious hamming to recreate the famous monsters of filmland.
The DVD's extras are great as well — bios and production stills from the films, which are organized by creator. Some of these kids went on to have real Hollywood careers, others didn't, but they all made glorious monster movies in their day.
Monster Kid Home Movies homepage