Horror Of Frankenstein

This review is for the Blu-Ray edition of 'Horror of Frankenstein' released by Shout! Factory in 2019.TIMELINE: This is the 6th of 7 Frankenstein films made by Hammer Productions. This movie has it's own timeline that is separate from the other 7 films. Therefore, it is a stand alone film. It is essentially a re-write of the first Hammer Frankenstein movie called 'The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)'.BLU-RAY: You can watch this movie in two aspect ratio's. You can either watch it in regular wide-screen, 1.85:1 or you can watch it in 1.66:1. The picture is basically flawless. You won't see any imperfections and the picture looks sharp. The colors look just about perfect. They aren't overly bright or saturated. They look just about right, that is to say, the picture looks natural. The picture deserves 5 stars.EXTRA'S:-Audio Commentary with film Historian Bruce G. Hallenbeck - Hallenbeck provides the usual biographies and other info. Hallenbeck will give you a lot of the information that is in the other extra's in this release.-Audio Commentary with director, Jimmy Sangster and film historian Marcus Hearn. This commentary was done around 20 years ago. You would probably be better off listening to the commentary by Bruce Hallenbeck since that builds on what's here.-'Veronica Carlson: A Portrait of Hammer': This is a more current interview done by audio commentator/film historian Constantine Nasr. In this interview, Carlson speaks glowingly about many of the Hammer people she worked with. She was in her prime right about when the ratings system was starting and nudity was being allowed in films. She was against nudity and thought that sort of thing ruined movies. I respectfully disagree! I hate to say it, but Carlson comes across as an 'emotional' person. She is way too serious for my liking and I doubt she was ever the 'life of the party'. She just doesn't seem to get why everyone was so nice to her. They were obviously so nice to her because she was a beautiful young girl, not because they were all so wonderful. Sure, some of the guys may have been genuinely nice, like Peter Cushing, but certainly not all. In my opinion, she comes across as a 'killjoy'. Carlson wanted the role 'Alys'. This interview is about 23 minutes in length.-'Frankenstein, Dracula and Me: A Conversation with Veronica Carlson' - This is a 13 minute interview with Veronica Carlson from 2001. Carlson says a lot of the same things she does in the more current interview in the extra's.-'Gallows Humor: Inside Horror of Frankenstein' - This is a new 18 minute documentary no the movie. It features a bunch of modern critics.-Interview with Assistant Director Nicholas Granby - A seven minute interview with the assistant to Jimmy Sangster.-'Jimmy Sangster: An exclusive interview'- As expected, Sangster talks about his career at Hammer Productions in this nearly 16 minute interview. You get a lot of information. The interviewer asks questions in rapid fire succession. They go through many of Sangster's films in a short period of time. Sangster says he had the most fun in his career directing 'The Horror of Frankenstein'.-Theatrical trailer-Still Gallery-Subtitles*****WARNING - LOTS OF SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT*****PLOT/SUMMARY: Young Victor Frankenstein (Ralph Bates) is bored with his classes. He has his sights set on bigger thinks. Fortunately for him, he comes from a wealth family. When his father refuses to let him go off to study in Europe, he plots to kill his father. Now a Baron, Frankenstein heads off to school. He grows bored with his studies and comes home for holiday with a school friend, Wilhelm. On the way home they come across a highway robbery. The two stop the robbery but not before they kill two of the robbers. It so happens that the people they rescue are known to them. They are a professor and his beautiful and available daughter, Elizabeth. Even though Elizabeth hints at getting together over dinner, Frankenstein has no plans to get hitched. Frankenstein hires a grave robber to bring him bodies. Despite the misgivings of Wilhelm, he studies human anatomy and secretly begins his creation. Over time, Frankenstein's need for body parts encourages him to kill people around him. First he kills the grave robber then he kills the professor. When Elizabeth comes looking for help, he makes her his housekeeper, much to the dismay of his current housekeeper, Alys. Frankenstein creates his monster and the monster begins a killing spree. The police come sniffing at the Baron's door.PRODUCTION: This movie was made in 1970 and distributed by EMI. It was the first Hammer Horror movie that had no American financing.-This movie was part of a double bill with 'Scars of Dracula'.-Ralph Bates actually had scientist blood running through his veins. He was a descendant of the same family as Louis Pasteur.-David Prowse is the only actor to play The Monster twice for Hammer Films. He played the monster in the final Frankenstein film, 'Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell'.-This movie is basically a re-make of 'Curse of Frankenstein' with a younger doctor. Jimmy Sangster wrote both. He took the original script for 'The Horror of Frankenstein', written by somebody else, and re-wrote it.COMMENTS: DARTH VADER GETS HIS START: When David Prowse got the role of the monster for this film, it would be his first significant movie role. Before this movie, he had a bunch of roles in television shows throughout the 60's. Prowse would then go on to take part in a few very famous movies. He would appear in 'A Clockwork Orange' as the assistant/bodyguard, Julian. He would make another appearance as 'The Monster' in the final Hammer Horror Frankenstein movie, 'Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell'. A few years later he would then get the role for which he has become famous, that of Darth Vader. Of course, we don't hear his voice. He had originally spoken the lines while filming but his voice was obviously dubbed by James Earl Jones. He claims that originally his face was supposed to appear when Luke Skywalker removed his helmet at the end of 'Return of the Jedi'. Prowse has angered George Lucas over the years and made himself not welcome at Star Wars events. This is due to the many negative things that Prowse has said over the years about Lucas and his production company over the years. WHO IS VERONICA CARLSON?: Veronica Carlson is well known among Hammer Horror fans. She was one of the 'Hammer Glamour' girls that Hammer hired for it's gothic horror movies. The Blu-Ray disc features two interviews with her.Carlson starred (or more accurately, co-starred) in 3 Hammer Horror movies. They are 'Dracula Has Risen From the Grave', 'Frankenstein Must be Destroyed' and 'Horror of Frankentsein'. She played roles in several television shows up until the mid-70's. She then married and moved to the U.S. where she currently resides in South Carolina.Carlson likes to think of herself as an artist and that is what she currently tells people is her profession. She came out of retirement to take part in a movie for the first time in almost 25 years. She is in that movie with a bunch of other Hammer Glamour girls from the past called 'House of Gorgon'. WHAT HAPPENED TO RALPH BATES?: Ralph Bates was a very good actor who was poised to take over roles normally given to Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Hammer had him on standby in case Christopher Lee carried out his threat to not play Dracula any longer. In fact, Bates was supposed to star as Dracula in 'Dracula Has Risen From the Grave'. Once, Lee signed on, Bates' role was changed and the script was changed. Bates was also supposed to take over for Peter Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein. Cushing lost his wife around 1970 and needed time off. Bates got the role in 'Horror of Frankenstein' but Cushing came back. Bates also got Cushing's role in 'Lust for a Vampire'. Bates would then get the role of Dr. Jekyll in 'Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde'. Of course, Hammer went into decline and Bates moved to television. He would appear in many television series up until his unfortunate death from cancer at the age of 51. WHAT I LIKE:-I absolutely love the black humor in this movie. I think making this movie a dark comedy was a good idea.-I think that Ralph Bates' performance was terrific as Dr. Frankenstein.-I like Frankenstein's charm. He has a Hannibal Lecter type of personality. I wish they would have continued and done another movie with him as the Baron.-I love the ending. I actually thought that Dr. Frankenstein had already dissolved the monster in acid up until the little girl did the deed. I liked the fact that the ratings system had started and the movie was not forced to give the appearance that Dr. Frankenstein had been killed or put in jail.-The casting of Alys was well done. Kate O'Mara looks evil. WHAT I DON'T LIKE:-The movie loses some of it's charm by turning off the 'black humor' in the second half of the movie.-Even though, Kate O'Mara is well cast and looks evil, I don't actually think she is all that attractive in this movie. I think the make-up department went overboard on her make-up.-Frankenstein is out in the woods and he catches a bird to eat. This makes no sense. He was slow and lumbering. How would he do this? The should have had him catch a slower animal.-Modern references should be left out. After Frankenstein agrees to stop his experiments, he says that he could work on "something more harmless, like splitting the atom". I get the humor, but it is out of place. OTHER COMMENTS:-Kate O'Mara would find some fame in the U.S. in the 80's with her part on the television series 'Dynasty'.-It didn't make any sense to me for Frankenstein to kill the grave robber. Why do this? You would assume that he would need new bodies eventually.-I think Ralph Bates makes a good villain but not a good leading man.-I'm not sure what was up with the grave robber having his wife doing the digging. Especially since she was pregnant. I'm not sure what the reason for this is other than to show how terrible the grave robber was.-When the Monster is conscious for the first time, Frankenstein talks to him as if he were a normal person. Either he would have the brain of the Professor he killed or he would be like a new born. Take your pick. He should have addressed him as the Professor if he thought he would be able to speak or understand English.-I would have liked to have seen the tortoise returned.CONCLUSIONS: I think this movie is very good and one of the best movies that Hammer Horror made during their period of decline. Some would put that decline starting in 1970 when all American companies stopped financing their pictures. I put it at the end of 1968. I think Hammer hit their peak in 1966 and this peak carried onward until 1968. After that, they began to have some 'stinkers'. Of course, they still had some good movie right up until the very end (of their first life). I enjoyed the whole movie and thought the first half was very entertaining. The movie only loses a 'little something' after Frankenstein loses some of his charm in the second half of the movie. From that point on, the movie turns into a more regular 'Frankenstein' movie.The picture is as good as you could expect. There are an abundance of extra's. If you are a fan of Hammer Horror, this will make an excellent addition to your collection.RATINGS:Picture: 9/10 or 4 1/2 stars - The picture is as nice as we can expect that this movie will every look.SFX: 7/10 - The sets are nice and the body parts look good enough.Plot: 8/10 or 4 stars - I think this movie is much better than it's reputation.Extra's: 9/10 or 4 1/2 stars - There is a very nice set of extra's which include two audio commentaries.Overall: 5 stars - I think this is a very entertaining movie. The extra's are excellent and the picture is excellent.

I want to say, up front, that this is a fine gothic Frankenstein film. It's actually based upon a fairly straightforward Frankenstein theme, (semi-mad doctor wants to make monster, the brain is damaged, and the monster kills people), but Dr. Victor Frankenstein (very credibly played by Ralph Bates) comes off as a classic, if cultured, psychopath. He cares naught in the slightest about the sanctity of human life, as long as his vision of creating a man (from used parts) is fulfilled.Here are the numerous characteristics (events) which generate most viewers' dark paradigm of this particular Dr. Victor Frankenstein:1. He has the sex drive of Don Juan and Rasputin combined and any consequences of his amourous advances do not concern him in the least. After impregnating his University Dean's daughter, he just drops her like a hot rock, never giving her a further thought. He also demands double-duty from his lovers... sex slave on demand and housekeeper routinely.2. He really savours killing people (you can tell by the smirk on his face as he does so), including his father, a highwayman (whom he also decapitates), his best friend and assistant, the provider of his corpses, and a local professor (via poison). He even kills an associate's pet tortoise with a smile!3. He much enjoys setting his monster to killing: the corpse-snatcher's greedy wife, a lover and, a woodsman who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.4. He's really into personal intimidation of those who are supposed to be his superiors while he is a medical student and later on too.This 1970 British story goes like this: Dr. Frankenstein decides (as a student) that his big goal will be to create a man (basically from corpse parts) so he takes on a pal whom eventually becomes more and more skittish as the experiments with body parts become more and more audacious and heinous. People who get into the way of the young Doctor's plans are snuffed without a second thought. So, what I'm saying here is that there are no huge surprises.True to the Hammer philosophy, this film is not hair-raising scary like, say, "The Exorcist," "Halloween," or Hitchcock's "Psycho," albeit it's a much darker film than all the other Hammer Frankenstein flicks. This is clearly due to the fact that this movie was directed by Hammer's fair-haired horror writer, Jimmy Sangster, who had clearly been drooling to actually direct one of these films. It's really all just quite entertaining.There are even intermittent moments of sly humor to be found throughout the movie. At one point, a buxom lass of the Doctor's former acquaintance is practically displaying her mammalian wares for him and he wryly comments, "You've gained weight in a couple of places." Nicely put!The monster is a bit of an enigma. Played by David Prowse, his face is left pretty much unchanged, make-up-wise -- there is just the add-on to the top of the head. The monster thus looks a lot like one of my larger neighbors. He's not a very shrewd monster as the brain, of course, was damaged somewhat by the corpse-snatcher having dropped it. Just your basic killer who generally follows his master's instructions in order to get fed. This particular brain, by the way, was a sort of steel-blue in its hue and I thought that was a little strange.The filmscore is superb, composed and conveyed by Malcolm Williamson. It embraces that late 60s atmospheric ambiance which goes along so well with period monster flicks, akin to the themes of the great Les Baxter. The film is shot in letterbox and the sets and locations are outstanding. The long shot of the ominous castle is simply timeless. The color saturation is of equal high-quality.In summary, we do somewhat miss the great Peter Cushing in this Hammer entry; however, it's a fine performance by Ralph Bates and his supporting cast and I think, overall, is one of the best Frankenstein films that I've seen anywhere.

Cushing is excellent as usual in this entry into the Frankenstein series. the monster is played competently by a wrestling star that shows his pecs off

classic hammer film

Seul moyen de se procurer ce film en DVD ,version anglaise zone 2 mais sans VF ni sous titres français. Perso j'avais enregistré ce film sur DVD-R lors de son passage TV (avec mon lecteur "Graveur" DVD de salon) qui comprenait bien les sous titres français. J'ai ajouté ce DVD-R en bonus et voilà ! Merci donc à ces vendeurs raisonnables qui n'exagèrent pas au niveau des prix des DVD d'occasion.

Wie alle Frankensteinfilme der berühmten Hammerstudios überzeugt dieser Film auf der ganzen Linie ! Ralph Bates spielt den besessenen Baron Frankenstein fast so gut wie sein Vorgänger PETER CUSHING , der diesen Film leider , aufgrund dem schlechten Gesundheitszustand seiner Frau , ablehnen musste . FRANKENSTEINS SCHRECKEN ( wie dieser Film im deutschsprachigen Raum heißt ) basiert fast ausschließlich auf Mary Shelleys legänderem Roman und hebt sich deshalb aus der sonst zusammenhängenden Serie von Filmen aus dem Hause Hammer heraus . Fans vom sogenannten "GOTHIC HORROR" dürfen bei dieser DVD also bedenkenlos zugreifen , VORAUSGESETZT sie haben gute Englischkenntnisse , denn bedauerlicherweise ist dieser einmalige Film nur in der Originalversion als UK-Import erhältlich . Dies ist ein Grund , warum er nicht die volle Anzahl an Bewertungssternen von mir bekommen hat . Der andere Grund ist das Fehlen von Untertiteln und Bonusmaterial , was diesem Klassiker auf DVD nicht geschadet hätte .

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