The Curse of Frankenstein

Title: The Curse of Frankenstein
Director: Terence Fisher
Cast: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Robert Urquhart
Year: 1957
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some violence, blood and gore.
Date of Review: July 26th, 2006

A surprisingly great adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic horror tale of a mad scientist trying to play the role of God, The Curse of Frankenstein also marks many moments in the history of horror films. When the now legendary Hammer Film Productions in Great Britain decided to start producing horror films in the mid 1950s, they made the controversial decision to remake Universal's already classic monster tales, such as Tod Browning's Dracula and James Whale's Frankenstein. When they were met with much hostility from Unviersal, it became apparent that their films would need to have a certain flare and style to set them apart from the previous films. After all, their plans to remake the films were not done in disrespect - it was quite the opposite, as the writers and directors of Hammer were great admirers of Universal's classics.

So in 1957, the world was treated to The Curse of Frankenstein, starring two actors who, like Hammer itself, would become legendary for their performances in the horror films to come. One of those actors was Peter Cushing, who is - quite unfortunately - remembered mainly for his small appearance in the first Star Wars film as Grand Moff Tarkin, the evil Imperial General who destroyed Princess Leia's home planet. In this film, he plays Baron Victor Von Frankenstein, the mad scientist whose obsession with conquering death drives him to commit a series of atrocious acts in order to create "The Creature", who is played by a mute Christopher Lee. While Lee would go on to become much more famous for his portrayal of Dracula in various Hammer films, his performance as The Creature is wonderful and very original, differing greatly from Boris Karloff's classic performance, but still giving a terrifyingly violent yet eerily sympathetic tone to the monster.

The Curse of Frankenstein actually begins with the Baron as a 15 year old boy whose entire family has died, and is now seeking a tutor to carry on his scientific studies. He hires Paul Krempe (played by Robert Urquhart), who helps him bring a dead puppy back to life, but is eventually frightened by Frankenstein's obsession with death, and reluctantly stays with him simply to try and protect the Baron's cousin, who also lives in the enormous castle.

While The Curse of Frankenstein is not as brilliant as the original Frankenstein, nor as grotesque or technically impressive as other adaptations since, it has a definite style all its own, mainly due to its beautiful gothic architecture which Hammer displayed in nearly all of their horror films. Similarly, it was a huge step forward in the evolution of on-screen gore. Severed limbs, bloody organs, and a gunshot to the face resulting in large amounts of spraying blood are some of the images to be seen in this film. Additionally, the creature makeup itself is fairly gruesome, especially considering the fact that it was devised only a day before shooting began. For a film released in the late 1950s, it is quite violent.

So what is left to be said about The Curse of Frankenstein? Terence Fisher's unique direction boosts what could very well have been a lackluster remake into the realm of popular horror, and also started the wheels turning in one of the most successful horror film companies of all time. Its style and gore set it apart from the films of any other time, and are reminiscent of the early works of Mario Bava. And of course, no one can dismiss the star-making performance from Peter Cushing, or the career-starting performance from Christopher Lee.

The Curse of Frankenstein is an occasionally crude picture, but its presence is felt in horror to this day, and shouldn't be missed by lovers of the genre, or fans of Shelley's novel interested in seeing the very first colour rendition of her story on the silver screen.

7.5/10

God Told Me To

Title: God Told Me To
Director: Larry Cohen
Cast: Tony Lo Bianco, Deborah Raffin, Andy Kaufman
Year: 1976
MPAA: Rated R for violence, language, sexuality/nudity, and drug references.
Date of Review: July 10, 2006

Many films over the years have tackled the concept of evil acts committed in the name of God. Some of them have even been quite convincing in their arguments that human beings are, in fact, inherently evil and murder, rape, corruption and illness are simply God’s way of punishing us for our sins. David Fincher’s Se7en was arguably one of the most controversial movies of the 1990s, with a killer whose motive is to punish those whose sins are not punished in society. One of the most incredible things about that film was that it made us believe that there really is something wrong with us. We are not being the pure, wholesome and loving creatures that God meant us to be. Larry Cohen’s 1976 horror/thriller God Told Me To captures some of these same themes of God punishing us for our sins, and doing it through acts that our society deems evil.

The story begins with a bang (quite literally) as a sniper on top of a water tower in New York city begins killing people at random with impossible accuracy. When Detective Peter Nicholas (played by Tony Lo Bianco) asks the man why he committed such a horrendous crime, he replies “God told me to”. The next few days test Nicholas’ courage and sanity as he is called in to murder scenes where the murderers make the exact same claim. This is just the tip of the iceberg in a suspenseful and out-right terrifying journey of self discovery for Detective Nicholas, that also makes us question our own views on religion, and the meaning of existence, which is a rare gift to find in a film.

Another rare gift that this film give its audience is genuine scares. Any film can have a jumpy part, usually consisting or someone or something popping out of a dark area with a loud BANG! or a musical cue. God Told Me To chills to the bone, and takes advantage of one of the greatest fears that all human beings share: fear of the unknown.

The strengths of God Told Me To do not lie in its presentation, however. The acting is quite bad in most scenes, and the production values make it more than apparent that the film had a shoe-string budget. The writing is what counts in this film, which almost borders on a David Lynch-like confusion. Cohen presents the “facts” of the story, but manages to put such a twist on things as to make the ending completely ambiguous. This can be somewhat of an annoying trait in some films, since some stories call for closure. This instance, however, manages to create even more unease in the mind of the viewer, who is left wondering what the real answers are - if there are any at all.

Much like Fincher’s Se7en, God Told Me To creates a disturbing atmosphere and effectively questions religious fanaticism without delving into a battle over whether or not God exists, and presents a series of events so unbelievable in their cruelty that the real-word setting makes it a terrifying story. Putting aside the technical shortcomings and budgetary restraints, Larry Cohen’s God Told Me To is a thought-provoking and utterly disturbing film that fans of both serial killer crime dramas and supernatural horror films should enjoy.

8/10