1966's "The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini" arrived almost three years after AIP kicked things off with 1963's "Beach Party," as shooting began Sept. 29, 1965 under the direction of Don Weis rather than William Asher, which also explains the conspicuous absence of both Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, preparing for a change of pace called "Fireball 500." A dizzying array of working titles revealed the company's desperation at this late date: "Pajama Party in a Haunted House," "Beach Party in a Haunted House," "Bikini Party in a Haunted House," "Slumber Party in a Haunted House," "Slumber Party in a Horror House," "The Girl in the Glass Bikini," or "The Girl in the Invisible Bikini" (Frankie Avalon's AIP swan song would emerge in 1970 on a double bill with Boris Karloff's "The Crimson Cult," boasting the unimaginative moniker of "Horror House"). Karloff himself is present as token guest star, dominating the opening reel as Hiram Stokely (billed only as 'The Corpse'), a sideshow charlatan whose ill gotten gains are intended to go to those he had wronged in life, or at least their offspring, like Tommy Kirk as Chuck Phillips, Deborah Walley as Lili Morton, and even Patsy Kelly as Myrtle Forbush, while his unscrupulous attorney, Basil Rathbone as Reginald Ripper, intends to inherit by bumping everyone off. The 'Beach Party' gang led by Aron Kincaid as Bobby, Myrtle's nephew, forsake the hot sands for the typical AIP Poe mansion (complete with 'Chamber of Horrors' in the cellar), gyrating around the swimming pool until rain forces them indoors. It is truly a witless rehash of hoary haunted house cliches that would have looked dated decades earlier, cluttered with far too many characters for anyone to stand out. Harvey Lembeck's Eric Von Zipper leads his Rat Pack for the 6th and last time, rather disconnected in their aimless wanderings, Benny Rubin replaces Buster Keaton as Chief Chicken Feather (the latter busy on location in Spain shooting his screen finale "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum"), Nancy Sinatra, Quinn O'Hara, and 14 year old singing sensation Piccola Pupa offering up eye candy as well as dance moves during their respective numbers to the sound of The Bobby Fuller Four. Ravishing redhead Quinn O'Hara would finish her AIP contract with Larry Buchanan's "In the Year 2889" and Vincent Price's "Cry of the Banshee," while intended target Aron Kincaid, bearing the brunt of the monsters, would soon appear in Buchanan's "Creature of Destruction." Jesse White actually dons the bulky costume from Buchanan's just completed "The Eye Creatures," starring Deborah Walley's husband John Ashley, while poor makeup ruins brief glimpses of Frankenstein, The Mummy, and yet another gorilla played by George Barrows. Deborah Walley and Tommy Kirk barely register but would get another chance a month later in Stephanie Rothman's "It's a Bikini World," Kirk previously the lead in 1964's "Pajama Party," as a Martian learning about love on earth, rather stunningly played straight in yet another Larry Buchanan snooze fest, "Mars Needs Women." The 73 year old Rathbone offers up a surprisingly energetic performance, but poor Boris remains sidelined with a mere 6 1/2 minutes screen time, a veteran of "Bikini Beach" providing evidence of his continued relevance in this youth driven decade.
Review of The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini
