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