House of Frankenstein

While the sum of this admittedly comes out to about average, it is not without aspects worth noting. I haven't seen the original classics based on the books, nor the film called the same as this. A pretty good job is done of basing the characters on the novels, from what I know of them. The three creatures/types get a fairly decent amount of screen-time as well as development each. Some of the design is interesting, though there are definitely also areas of it where they cut corners. Lighting isn't bad. The effects vary, but some are well-done, remarkably so in several cases. I'm not sure if there are multiple versions of this, but for me, it lasted about two hours and forty minutes sans commercials, so about an hour and twenty per part. There is relatively well-done suspense in this. There is a lot of cheese and corn herein, as well, but hey, they can both be found in a nutritious meal, and some insist on some of either or both in their diet. The humor certainly has its moments, and it's mostly natural, seldom forced. The script is hit and miss, and it may break a rule or more. It does a reasonable job of updating the myths and such. The plot is fine. The pacing is, as well. The acting is a mixed bag. The cinematography and editing feature some inspired bits. This is genuinely scary at times. There is moderate violence and gore, but I didn't hear any language. I recommend this to fans of horror, and those into the monsters. Just be aware of what to expect. 5/10

When this two part mini-series was first advertised, I didn't know what to expect. Most made for TV horror movies are poorly written, and have cheap special effects. While the special effects left something to be desired, the writing, and performance of the actors in this movie were very good. There were a lot of parts that I felt weren't needed, but overall, it was good enough to keep my attention. I felt that the unnecessary parts (way too much time on the frankenstein monster) could have been cut out, and it would have been a great TV movie. Cut out the unnecessary (notice I didn't say bad) parts and give it a bigger budget, and it would have been a great movie for theaters.

Overall, it was a good, solid movie, that I would watch again.

MORD39 RATING: 0 (of ****)

I was happy to think that perhaps our old dear creatures from the wonderful Universal days would return in the nineties to breathe some life into the dead horror genre. Boy, was I mistaken.

HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1997) is dumb, comical, and a travesty. It does not deserve to bear the title of its classical 1944 counterpart.

Boy, is it over!

People here were a bit harsh here at IMDb (imagine!). This movie is not near as bad as some would say. I can't really get into made for TV movies, mini-series or even drama series. That being said, this was mildly entertaining. I watched the whole thing just now on Chiller's lame excuse for a horror channel and it took me 4 hours that could have been better spent. I am not saying that this is a masterpiece (I rated it a 6) but if you are like me and come here to IMDb to check out a movie before watching it - don't listen to the naysayers. It was pretty decent. The costumes were not that bad. The head vamp's rubbery ears I could get past though his wings looked like fabric instead of living tissue. Ah well, the story was good and Teri Polo may be the hottest woman alive. Frank was a bit goofy looking but I think they were trying to make him look less fantastic to aid in everyone's disbelief. This may not have been worth 4 hours but if we could get a DVD version without commercials it would definitely be worth the watch.

If fiction's three deadliest predators of man (Frankenstein's Monster, vampires, and werewolves) were loosed upon modern L.A., what would happen? This well-done miniseries attempts to answer that question. The results are a pretty lively horror film, with excellent special effects, good makesup, and a terrific cast. I'm surprised they didn't send this one to the theaters...all three and a half hours of it. Hey....it could have passed as a horror film's "Titanic."

What really makes it work it the fact that they don't resurrect the traditional monsters of the old Universal films, but the actual literary beasts. The Frankensten Monster is straight from the book, against both humans and vampires in an effort to meet his own deadly agenda. The werewolves and vampires also closly follow their incarnations from ancient folklore, representing evil incarnate. Together, these three kings of Undead manage to make an exceptional made-for-TV effort. Just one question: Where was the Mummy's Curse?

*** out of ****