El horror de Frankenstein

The Horror of Frankenstein shouldn't be considered as an official part of Hammer Horror's excellent Frankenstein series as it doesn't star the series' stand out actor - Peter Cushing and by all accounts is really just a re-run of the classic Mary Shelly, which Hammer already did with The Curse of Frankenstein some thirteen years earlier. This fact alone ensures that the film is never going to be as great as the other films in the series as, simply put, we've seen it all before. What made Hammer's Frankenstein sequels so brilliant was the way that they played around with the base story and created something fresh and exciting; whereas here it's just the base 'Frankenstein creates a monster' story. This was great in 'Curse' as we had an amazing Peter Cushing performance to delight over - but here we only have Ralph Bates to keep us entertained. Bates definitely is one of Hammer's better smaller stars, and he offers a worthy interpretation of the character for sure - but Peter Cushing is a hard man to follow, and Bates' just hasn't got what it takes.

One thing Bates does try his hand at, though, is the side of Frankenstein that Cushing did best - the egocentric confidence! Seeing Bates take the Mickey out of a number of people is always entertaining and his lines are surprisingly well written. Ironically, it's when the monster is introduced that the film really trips over as in the first two thirds, we've always got Bates' humour to revel in, but once the monster is introduced that all fades. Adding to the woe is the fact that the monster is really terrible, and doesn't even nearly compare to any of the monsters seen in the 'real' Hammer Frankenstein movies. It's surprising how much influence the Hammer Frankenstein movies have given Stuart Gordon's brilliant Re-Animator, and it's influence is evident in some parts of this film. While this movie isn't Hammer's best by a long shot, it's still definitely worth a shot as it features many elements that Hammer are famous for and, despite the fact that it was made in the 1970's, Hammer's eccentric camp style is still omnipresent. Not great...but certainly not all bad.

Being a huge fan of Hammer's brilliant Frankenstein cycle starring the immortal Peter Cushing, I delayed the viewing of "The Horror of Frankenstein" (1970) several times, convinced that a Hammer Frankenstein without Cushing could only be disappointing. Having finally seen it a few nights ago, I must say that, while the film is nowhere near as great as the Cushing Frankensteins, I actually liked it quite a bit. My main concern before seeing this film was that nobody but Peter Cushing could effectively play Baron Victor Frankenstein in a Hammer film. While he is definitely not en par with Cushing, however, Ralph Bates is actually very convincing in his role of a younger, and very different Baron Frankenstein here. Actually, I must say that Bates' performance as a very cynical and cold-hearted Frankenstein is one of the greatest aspects of this film. I did not like how Frankenstein became a pure villain in this one, but that can hardly be blamed on Bates. Peter Cushing's Frankenstein character was obsessed and unscrupulous, but he was also likable and did what he did convinced of doing what was best for mankind (though he became quite villainous in "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" of 1969). The young, arrogant and entirely cold-blooded Frankenstein in this film shares none of these positive character traits, which is a bit of a shame. That being said, Bates gives the character a glorious touch of sarcasm, which made the film enjoyable. In the beginning, the film annoys with pseudo-funny episodes in Frankenstein's youth, but it gets a lot better after a while when he has reached adulthood. Frankenstein is a womanizing cynic who has no scruples whatsoever in order to reach his goals. Two incredibly beautiful women, his maid Alys (Kate O'Mara) and his former schoolmate Elisabeth (Veronica Carlson) fall for him, yet his only true dedication is the creation of artificial life.

"The Horror of Frankenstein" was directed by Jimmy Sangster, who is mainly famous as the masterly screenwriter of many Hammer classics, including such milestones as "The Curse of Frankenstein" (1957), "Dracula" (1958) and "The Brides of Dracula" (1960). Sangster deserves a lot of praise for his magnificent writing work. His work as a director is less memorable, it includes this film, the equally mediocre "Lust for a Vampire" (1971) as well as "Fear in the Night" (1972), which I haven't yet seen. Unlike other Hammer the Frankensteins, which all had a original and innovative storyline, this one merely repeats the story of Frankenstein's first creation, which had already been told (in an incomparably superior manner) in "The Curse of Frankenstein" (1957). The monster in this one is quite a letdown, and I was surprised to see David Prowse, who would later become world-famous as Darth Vader, perform so poorly in the role. I couldn't say whether it was the fault of Prowse or director Jimmy Sangster, but, the monster looks real silly here and seems like an angry thug rather than a real monster. Prowse would also play a monster of Frankenstein's creation in "Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell" (1974), the last film by legendary director Terence Fisher, starring Peter Cushing as the Baron. The makeup was way better in that film, one of Hammer's best, and so was Prowse's performance. "The Horror of Frankenstein" has some atmosphere, Frankenstein's castle laboratory is a terrific setting, and it also has its moments otherwise, but it certainly isn't too memorable. Overall it wasn't nearly as disappointing as I feared, and therefore a positive surprise. "The Horror of Frankenstein" is recommendable to my fellow Hammer fans, but only AFTER seeing all of the marvelous Frankenstein films with Peter Cushing.

By the 1970s, Hammer was struggling to find an audience still willing to cough up to see lavish Gothic productions; as a result, their output became increasingly targeted at the more profitable youth market. Having been exposed to more explicit teen horror films from the US, this particular demographic demanded that the studio adapt its format to suit. Graphic gore and nudity now had precedence over fog-shrouded graveyards and creepy castles.

In accordance with this new approach, The Horror of Frankenstein presents its viewers with a decidedly different take on Mary Shelley's classic: it's a sexier, nastier, gorier, and generally far more exploitative effort than any previous film in the series, and one which benefits greatly from a deliciously twisted script loaded with gallows humour.

This shake-up also called for a new leading man: out went Peter Cushing's well respected, but severely obsessive scientist, and in came Ralph Bates' more loathsome incarnation of Victor Frankenstein—a younger, mean-spirited, murderous, and cold-blooded individual. Bate's performance is practically perfect, convincingly portraying the utter contempt that his character feels for all mankind—even his closest friends and admirers.

Also rather memorable, albeit for completely different reasons, are the obligatory hammer babes: Kate O'Mara as Alys, the slutty housemaid who sees to the Baron's every needs (if you know what I mean), and Veronica Carlson as Elizabeth Heiss, the prettiest girl in the village and Victor's secret admirer. Both girls are absolutely stunning and possess quite impressive 'talents' (which, particularly in O'Mara's case, regularly threaten to spill completely out over the top of their costumes!).

Many Hammer aficionados seem to have a problem with The Horror of Frankenstein, unable to appreciate its wicked sense of humour. I however, think that it is an extremely fun flick, and a refreshing change to the usual Hammer style. The only gripe I do have with the film is that the monster itself (played by Dave 'Darth Vader' Prowse) is rather weak in its conception: with a little more time and effort spent on the creature make-up FX (the stitching looks like it was drawn on with marker pens), he wouldn't have been quite so laughable.

7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

If you try to compare this remake to the original, it will of course fall short as most recreated films do, but this feature is still very good for a late night scare. The biggest difference between this and the original is Victor Von Frankenstein is practically more frightening than the monster himself. He is a cold blooded, emotionless character, who uses Frankenstein as his personal executioner. He is also intelligent and careful to tie up loose ends. Great Halloween time film. No need to worry about watching it alone, but a fine flick with some exceptional acting to boot.

I'd heard nothing but bad things about 'Horror Of Frankenstein', but after watching it I was surprised at how entertaining it was (for the most part). The first two thirds are pretty damn good in my opinion. It's basically a remake of the first Hammer Frankenstein movie but with added humour, which in places reminded me of Stuart Gordon's 80s classic 'Re-Animator'. Ralph Bates, who was in a few Hammer movies during this period (like 'Lust For A Vampire', the disappointing sequel to 'The Vampire Lovers'), plays an intense young Frankenstein who isn't that far removed from Jeffrey Combs' Herbert West. Bates gives a strong performance and the supporting cast includes lovelies Kate O'Mara (the French governess in 'The Vampire Lovers') and Veronica Carlson, which certainly helps a lot, as well as Jon Finch ('Frenzy') and a great comic turn from Dennis Price ('Theatre Of Blood', 'Vampyros Lesbos') as an eccentric grave robber. So far so good, but unfortunately when we finally see Frankenstein's monster (played by David "Darth Vader" Prowse) it's very anticlimactic. Prowse's monster is the worst I've ever seen in any Frankenstein movie and things fall apart very quickly from then on. Oh well. Anyway, while this movie ultimately disappoints I think Bates and Price make it worth watching all the same, and O'Mara is extremely sexy as a saucy servant girl. But it must be said that 'The Horror Of Frankenstein' ties with 'Lust For A Vampire' and 'Dracula A.D. 1972' as the weakest Hammer movie I've seen to date.