The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Jimmy Sangster (writer)
Mary Shelley (novel)

Release Date:

25 June 1957 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Horror | Drama

Tagline:

Not recommended for people of nervous disposition

Plot:

Victor Frankenstein builds a creature and brings it to life. But his creature behaves not as he intended.

Plot Keywords:

Dismemberment | Guillotine | Scientist | Frankenstein's Monster | Doctor Frankenstein

Cast

Peter Cushing	...	Baron Victor Frankenstein
Hazel Court	...	Elizabeth
Robert Urquhart	...	Paul Krempe
Christopher Lee	...	The Creature
Melvyn Hayes	...	Young Victor
Valerie Gaunt	...	Justine
Paul Hardtmuth	...	Prof. Bernstein
Noel Hood	...	Aunt (Sophie)
Fred Johnson	...	Grandpa
Claude Kingston	...	Little boy
Alex Gallier	...	Priest
Michael Mulcaster	...	Warder
Andrew Leigh	...	Hermann (burgomeister)
Anne Blake	...	Burgomeister's wife
Sally Walsh	...	Elizabeth, as child

Runtime:

82 min | Japan:83 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (DVD re-rating) | West Germany:18 (VHS) | USA:Approved (PCA #18481) | Netherlands:16 (video rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1957) | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1989) | UK:X (original rating) | Sweden:(Banned) (1957-1965) | UK:12 (video re-rating) (2003) | Australia:M | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Black Park, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Clarion Films

Trivia:

Christopher Lee's monster make-up was almost literally done at the "last minute". After previous attempts to design a monster make-up using a cast of Lee's head had failed, make-up artist Philip Leakey made the final design the day before shooting began, directly onto Lee's face, using primarily cotton and other household materials. Since he didn't use any latex or molds, the make-up had to be recreated from scratch every day.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Dr. Bernstein hits the floor after being pushed by Frankenstein, the floor wobbles.

Quotes:

Baron Frankenstein: I've harmed nobody, just robbed a few graves!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: Monstrous Desires: Sexuality and Horror/A Moment with... David Cronenberg (#8.2)" (2005)

One of Hammer's Little Classics

"The Curse of Frankenstein" is most entertaining version based very freely on Mary Shelley's classic story.

Terence Fisher makes another fine job here in the direction for Hammer films with the classical monsters of Universal as he did also with "The Mummy" and "Horror of Dracula". A real well done horror trilogy in my opinion.

The atmosphere is perfectly sordid, sinister and adequate as usual in Fisher and his also usually simple but efective and prolix direction turns this film into a most enjoyable one for fans of the genre. The settings are also a highlight in some sort of Gothic type.

Hammer's top stars for the genre are here too. Peter Cushing shows his professionalism and acting class as the crazy Baron and Christopher Lee under heavy make up as the creature -more than acceptable for 1957- moves to pity at times but also to menace and horror with similar effectiveness. The rest of the cast is an interesting support, mainly Valerie Gaunt as Cushing's maid that doesn't know when she has pressed too much.

Though perhaps a bit aged for today's standards "The Curse of Frankenstein" has not lost its charm as a little classic in the horror genre, even more if you consider it was made 50 years ago.