Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed

Dr. Frankenstein is at it again. With the unwilling assistance of a young doctor (Simon Ward) and his beautiful fiancée (Veronica Carlson) he attempts to transfer the brain of a man into another's body. Naturally everything goes wrong.

"Frankenstein Created Women" has my vote for the best Hammer Frankenstein but this runs a close second. It has an interesting plot, moves pretty quick, has one of Hammer's most beautiful actresses ever (Carlson) and has a few nice gruesome scenes (but all within a PG-13 rating). There's an especially horrifying sequence involving Carlson and a broken water main. Cushing gives another great performance as the doctor. This is the one when he gets REAL mean and he's the monster not his creation. Ward is given nothing to do and neither is Carlson who gets attacked by Cushing in a particularly sick scene that Cushing didn't want to do. The only real faults here are it's a little too long and I hate how Carlson's character was treated. That aside this is one of the best Frankenstein. Worth catching.

Peter Cushing will always be THE final word on the role of Baron Frankenstein. Cunning, arrogant, relentless and above all else,charming. It could also be said that Terence Fisher is the final word on not only directing Hammer's Frankenstein series but Hammer films in general. This is not a new theory by any stretch regarding Fisher. His was the style by which all who played for Hammer's team would in some way emulate. It is no surprise, therefore, that FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED would be so good. Both actor and director had become pretty familiar with this material but rather than go through the motions something high above the expectation mark occurs. A good script certainly helps and indeed this time around there is. It is the relished performance of Peter Cushing and the carefully executed direction of Fisher which gives this film it's tasty Gothic flavor. Never seen a Hammer film? Here's your chance to sink your teeth into a good one.

I like "Curse of Frankenstein" a lot, but "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" is better.

Peter Cushing is exceptional as the Baron - his cold-blooded, calculating and ruthless attitude is not seen to such an extent in any of the other Hammer Frankenstein films!

Credit must also go to Freddie Jones who exerts massive pathos as the unfortunate creature - almost as much as Boris Karloff's creature! It's a perfectly judged performance.

Terence Fisher is also on hand to provide his usual directional assuredness (NB. the scene at the beginning and the confrontational scene at the end!).

One of the last great Hammer films.

FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED is one of the later entries in the long running Hammer Horror Series, which sees Peter Cushing reprising his famous role of the ruthless mad doctor. This is undoubtedly one of the highlights in what remains a very strong series, because the emphasis isn't on scientific apparatus or Universal stylings (as in the slightly disappointing previous two entries, THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN and FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN). Here, the villain of the piece is Frankenstein himself, and he's never been so ruthless.

The gory, blood-drenched murder scene which opens the film reveals just what a monster the doctor has become, but somehow Cushing still holds it all together and makes his Frankenstein a fresh and spellbinding creation. Watching him upset the local gentry is just as enjoyable as watching him performance his brain experiments. Director Terence Fisher is at his best here, creating a lush and colourful masterpiece loaded with ghoulish delights - the set-piece involving the burst water main is straight out of a Hitchcock film.

The supporting cast are strong indeed, with Simon Ward taking on the apprentice role, and Veronica Carlson a fitting damsel in distress. Freddie Jones gives the best performance as the Creature in any of Hammer's Frankenstein movies, a truly sympathetic portrayal of a man who has quite literally lost his mind. There are a couple of minor problems with this film, namely the tacked-on rape scene (unnecessary) and the sub-plot involving detective Thorley Walters and his sidekick Geoffrey Bayldon, which goes nowhere and seems to have been added in to pad out the running time. Nevertheless this remains a Hammer Horror highlight and a delightfully dark slice of English Gothic.

Hooray! Here's another entry in the highly amusing Hammer Frankenstein franchise. Don't ever ask me to pick a 'best' or even favorite in this series because I instantly love every episode I can get my dirty little hands on :) And this fifth chapter is a true highlight as it has our Baron Frankenstein more and more evolving into a ruthless, cold villain. He blackmails a young couple; forcing them to assist him with his diabolical experiments (only he sees it as simple scientific evolution). Along with his new accomplices, Baron F. kidnaps a fellow mad scientist out of the asylum because he knows the skills to perform a flawless brain transplant. Unfortunately, Frankenstein's mad raving colleague has been drugged so much he now is a complete vegetable. Ingenious as he is, evil Victor transplants a few brains and commits a few murders to finally have the things the way he wants.

After 4 prequels, numberless others adaptations and several novels, Hammer Productions (and class-A director Terence Fisher in particular) still manages to present the Frankenstein films as original and innovative horror adventures. It's remarkable how Cushing and Fisher completely shifted the initial horror from Frankenstein's monster to Baron Frankenstein himself! In this film, the creature is a pathetic 'victim' while it's Cushing who's the criminal mastermind. Needless to say that Cushing is absolutely powerful in his loyal role of the Baron. He's actually so good in preaching his medical ambitions that you often sympathize with him, even though you witness with your own eyes he's bad to the bone! Cushing receives excellent feedback from the young actor Simon Ward and the exquisite Veronica Carlson. 'Frankenstein must be Destroyed' is an intriguing horror film for some other reason as well. Fisher inserts a healthy dose of Romanticism in this episode plus it's also one of the first Hammer films that feature the sexual content and undertones they'll use more and more in their 70's films. Hammer's popularity tempered a bit during the late 60's/ early 70's and they tried to make up for this by showing more ravishing meat (Carlson's cleavage) and sexual insinuations. In short, Frankenstein must be destroyed is essential horror viewing! It has loads of tension and exciting sequences, the film is professionally made, well-acted and it features a fair amount of bloodshed.