The Curse of Frankenstein

Plot synopsis:
The movie opens with text over a red background that reads, "More than a hundred years ago, in a mountain village in Switzerland, lived a man whose strange experiments with the dead have since become legend. The legend is still told with horror the world over...It is the legend of..." A clever segway into the title: The Curse of Frankenstein. Credits follow.A man on horseback approaches a prison in the mountains along a narrow pathway. A church bell chimes the hour as a man opens the gate for the rider. He is a priest (Alex Gallier). He is escorted by the Warder (Michael Mulcaster) to see Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing). The warder explains that the prisoner is dangerous. The Baron wishes to see the priest because he thinks he can trust the man with his story. He starts his story, "I suppose it was when I was a boy at school. I always had a brilliant intellect. When my mother died, I inherited the Frankenstein fortune."The Young Baron (Melvyn Hayes) is escorting his extended family out of his house after his mother died. His uncle (Raymond Ray) leads the family delegation. Aunt Sophie (Noel Hood) and her daughter, young Elizabeth (Sally Walsh) stay behind. Aunt Sophie wants reassurance her allowance will continue uninterrupted. After confirming the money will continue, Victor quickly escorts the two relatives out the door. As they are leaving, a dapper gentleman in a brown top hat arrives. Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart) walks into the house and presents himself to the new, but very young, Baron. He had corresponded with the Baron for a tutor. Initially he thinks there must be some mistake or a joke, but Victor explains the tutoring is for himself and he is serious. The two hit it off immediately. After two years, "I learned all he had to teach, but we went on together probing into the unknown, investigating, recording, searching, always searching until gradually the sweep of our research began to assume a single direction and to this aim we finally turned all our energies. It took us years of unrelenting work to discover what we were seeking." With chemical and electrical apparatus they were able to restore life to a dead puppy. Paul sees the possibilities of their discovery. He notes, "If we could delay or prolong the period in which the body is apparently dead while the heart is alive wed have a living body with only the barest life-spark present. That what that would mean when it came to performing major surgery!" Paul wants to write up their findings and present it at a medical conference within a month. Victor expresses his opposition because he wants to experiment further and does not want to share the secret, not yet at least. He proposes the next step. Rather than just restore life, he wants to create life from the beginning. He tells Paul, "We must build up our own creature, and built it up from nothing. We must create a human beinga perfect human." Paul disagrees, "What you're saying is nonsense, a revolt against nature. Such a thing could only end in evil." Victor persuades Paul to continue the work. He proposes to obtain a body, and knows a highwayman was hanged for his crimes and suggests they retrieve it. They take a horse and cart and cut down the body and return it to their lab. Paul notes that half the head has been eaten away. Victor quickly cuts the head off, explaining it is of no use. He dumps it into a vat of acid in the storage room next door. They remove the old clothes, wrap the body in bandages and place it in a large, glass tank. Now Paul voices his objection to the whole exercise, "I don't think we should continue with this." Victor tells Paul he will be leaving for a while but does not explain where or why.Justine the maid (Valerie Gaunt) carries refreshments into the living room and asks Paul if the Baron has returned. She answers the door, expecting that Victor has returned. To her disappointment it is not the Baron but a woman who tells her she was expected and needs help with her luggage. Elizabeth (Hazel Court) is the Baron's cousin and we learn later his fiancée. She mistakes Paul for the Baron. Victor arrives home in an excited state calling for Paul. He is not surprised to see Elizabeth. He and Paul rush off to the lab upstairs leaving Elizabeth annoyed and confused.Victor unwraps something from a small black bag. He proudly displays two hands, cut off at the wrist. He explains they are Bardello's hands--the hands of the world's greatest sculptor. Paul voices his objection to exposing Elizabeth to the experiment. He tells Victor, "While you were away, I decided I could not continue with this experiment." He tries to convince Victor to stop, but he is unsuccessful. Victor remains in the lab and will graft the new hands on by himself. Paul goes downstairs and tries to convince Elizabeth to leave. In this he is also unsuccessful, mainly because he will not explain the nature of the experiment or the danger. She explains she is to be Victor's wife.Outside the lab, Victor and Justine embrace and kiss. Victor is just toying with the maid. She believes she will be his wife, but Victor tells her that Elizabeth is to be his wife. The next morning Victor prepares to leave on another trip. Elizabeth talks to him about the household accounts and possibly assisting in other ways. Victor pays a visit to the Municipal Charnel House and buys a pair of human eyes. Victor takes them home to examine them when Paul asks to see him. He reiterates his refusal to help Victor with his work. Victor proudly shows Paul how far he has gone on his own. Paul turns away from the tank with revulsion and exclaims, "It's horrible!" Victor tells Paul that once a genius brain is obtained and installed the creature will take on a benevolent face. When asked where the brain will come from, Victor replies, "I'll get it."Victor and Elizabeth are in the living room entertaining a visitor. Professor Bernstein (Paul Hardtmuth) accepted an invitation from the Baron for dinner and to spend the night. The professor tells Victor that discoveries can be mishandled. Paul enters the room and is introduced to the distinguished professor. Victor escorts the old man upstairs to his room. At the top of the stairs Victor shows him a painting, maneuvering the old man closer to the bannister, which gives way. Victor pushes the old man through and down to his death. Professor Bernstein is given a burial at the Baron's expense and in his family vault. Later that evening the Baron retrieves Bernstein's brain. He carefully places the jar in his bag and prepares to leave the vault. Paul arrives, expecting to find Victor and accuses him of murder. Paul intends to stop Victor from using the brain, and tells him so. They briefly struggle over the bag and the jar is broken.Paul calls on Elizabeth in her room and again begs her to leave. He explains he only stays to ensure her safety. In the lab, Victor is picking pieces of glass out of the brain, trying to salvage it. He puts the brain into the skull and prepares to revive his newly finished creature. He starts the chemical and electrical equipment as an electrical storm brews outside. Paul is upstairs in his room preparing for bed. As the tank empties, Victor goes to Paul's room and again asks for help. He admits, "That apparatus was constructed for dual operation. You know that. I thought I could work it myself, but I can't." But Paul gleefully replies, "I'm delighted." A lightning bolt starts the electrical components and the body in the empty tank begins to breathe. Victor promises that after the experiment is completed he will dispose of the body. Paul reluctantly agrees to help. Victor returns to the lab and hears glass breaking. He unlocks the lab door and standing there is the creature. It pulls away the bandages covering its head to reveal a scarred and hideous face (Christopher Lee). One eye is blue, the other brown, and it stares at its creator with hate. It grabs Victor and chokes him. Only Paul's quick action saves Victor. He breaks a chair over the thing's head. The creature stumbles and falls to the floor. Paul demands the creature be destroyed as Victor straps it down to a table. Victor tells Paul he will operate on the brain the next morning and try to correct its homicidal tendencies. But the next morning the lab is a shambles and the window broken. The creature has broken free and escaped.Victor and Paul search the countryside for the creature. An old blind man (Fred Johnson) and his grandson (Claude Kingston) are out in the woods for a stroll. The old man sits and the grandson goes down to the lake shore to pick mushrooms. The creature encounters the old man. After a brief exchange he kills the old man. The grandson returns to where he left his grandfather. Victor and Paul find signs and follow it into the woods. They find it, and Paul shoots the creature through the eye. The creature falls and is pronounced dead. They bury it in place and return to the house.Paul goes to the lab and tells Victor he is leaving. With the creature dead, he no longer needs to stay and protect Elizabeth. But Paul doesn't know Victor dug his creation up and returned its lifeless body back to the lab. Victor stares at his creature hanging in the store room and promises, "I'll give you life again." Victor is dressed and tells Justine she can serve dinner. Justine reminds Victor of his promise to marry her. Her trump card is the revelation she is pregnant with his child. He does not believe he is the father, but Justine informs the master that Elizabeth will believe her. She adds that she will go to the authorities regarding the experiment. He fires the maid and orders that she leave the next morning. That night Justine goes up to the lab to get the proof she will need for the authorities. Victor leaves the lab door unlocked and Justine enters for a look. She enters the storage room and finds the revived creature. When she tries to flee, Victor locks her in, knowing his homicidal creation will kill her. It does.A week later, Victor and Elizabeth are having breakfast. Elizabeth inquires about Justine. Victor lies and tells her, "I expect some village lothario eloped with her." They discuss the wedding plans. Elizabeth reveals she invited Paul. Instead of being angry, Victor casually informs her he hopes Paul comes. He says that he has something to show Paul.It is the eve of the wedding, and a reception at the Baron's home is underway. The Burgomaster (Andrew Leigh) is enjoying the laced punch and practicing his speech. His wife (Ann Blake) reproaches her drunk husband and they leave for home. When all the guests have left, Victor announces he will be working in the lab. Elizabeth is disappointed and tells her future husband. Paul does not attend the reception, but does come later that evening. Elizabeth tells Paul to go surprise Victor. Victor is preparing a plate of flood when Paul knocks on the lab door. Victor invites his old tutor into the lab. He leads him to the storage room. Paul is shocked to discover the creature chained to the wall and showing signs of brain surgery. Victor orders the creature onto its feet. It struggles but stands, then sits when ordered. Paul chides the Baron about the creature's lack of perfection, but Victor reminds Paul, "There you see the result of your handiwork as much as mine...but you damaged it. You put a bullet in the wretched thing. This is your fault, Paul." Paul exits the lab, promising to go to the authorities and have them destroy the creature. Victor chases after him. He leaves the lab door unlocked and Elizabeth enters the lab. The creature breaks its chains. Elizabeth enters the storage room and sees the vat of acid. The creature gets out onto the roof. Victor and Paul see it and Paul goes to the village for help. Elizabeth goes outside to explore a noise she heard. Victor grabs a pistol and goes out to the roof. Firing at the creature he hits Elizabeth, then the creature. Only wounded, the creature approaches Victor. A well-aimed toss of an oil lamp sets the creature ablaze. The creature falls through the skylight and straight into the acid filled vat below.We return to the prison, and the priest still listening to the story now finished. Victor concludes, "My life's work destroyed. Destroyed in a moment. And by the same hand that gave it life." Paul comes to visit Victor at the prison. Elizabeth was only wounded and recovers. She is also at the prison, but stays in the waiting area. Victor begs Paul to tell the priest about the creature and to verify the story, but Paul denies it. He does accuse Victor of murdering Justine. Victor claims it was the creature who murdered the maid. The priest leaves the cell. Victor tries to kill Paul, but the jailer prevents it. Paul leaves the cell and returns to talk to Elizabeth. He takes her home. Victor is led to his execution. The last scene is of a guillotine, seen in silhouette, and the credits roll.

Tags: suspenseful, gothic, murder, cult, violence, horror, flashback, revenge

Review:
While Hammer was preparing "Quatermass 2", they gave Terence Fisher the chance to resurrect Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein", and Hammer Horror was born.In "The Curse of Frankenstein", Peter Cushing plays Baron Victor Frankenstein, who after losing his family at a young age, hires scientist Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart) as a mentor.
Unlike what happens in Universal's 1931 classic adaptation, the plot is completely focused on the Baron's figure instead of on the creature, which gives a new and fresh angle to the story, as it explores Frankenstein's obsessions and how they begin to consume his life.
It still isn't exactly a straight adaptation of Shelley's novel, but Sangster's screenplay does offer an interesting idea by not making the Creature a misunderstood monster, but the literal symbol of Frankenstein's failure and corruption.Anyways, while Jimmy Sangster's screenplay is indeed worthy of recognition, it was really Terence Fisher's work as a director what ultimately gave Hammer horror it's true face.
While already an experienced director by the time he made "The Curse of Frankenstein", Fisher found in Hammer's horror films the creative freedom that allowed him to explore new realms in this reinterpretations of old classics.
"The Curse of Frankenstein" is also the film that introduced two of the most important actors in the horror genre since the days of Universal's movies: Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. As Baron Frankenstein, Cushing delivers an outstanding performance that can be considered among the best in the history of the genre.
Hazel Court is less successful as Elizabeth, although it's not really a bad performance at all.It's hard not to think about comparing Fisher's interpretation of "Frankenstein" to the legendary movie made by James Whale 26 years before for Universal, but really, in the end it's a pointless exercise as both movies are so different from each other (and different from Shelley's novel) that there's no proper way to compare them.
Jack Asher is the cinematographer and James Bernard scores the music.The first Hammer film in colour, The Curse Of Frankenstein began the second wave of cinematic horror some 25 odd years after the Universal heyday of the 30s.
Mad Science and the Resurrection of the dead have always been among my favorite Horror topics, and Hammer's Frankenstein films starring the great Peter Cushing are among the most memorable films in the field.
When it was Hammer's Dracula that made Christopher Lee the Horror icon he is, it was "The Curse Of Frankenstein" and its sequel that rose Peter Cushing to immortal fame.Hammer's Baron Frankenstein is more (insanely) dedicated than the character is in the novel or any previous film, and Cushing is brilliant in the role, which he played six times altogether.
The monster, by the way, is played by a fellow Horror icon, with whom Cushing formed the most awesome Horror-duo in a whole lot of films, none other than the great Christopher Lee. Hazel Court is a beauty in the female lead, the only tiny negative aspect is the fact that Robert Urquhart's character of Paul sometimes annoys with his moralistic nagging (also, while he is supposed to be Frankenstein's teacher, Urquhart clearly is years younger than Cushing).
Outstanding horror film that began a series starred by two greatest terror icons as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee ; being one of the best movies from Hammer Productions .
Victor Frankenstein whose experimentation with creation of life becomes an obsession , but his creature behaves not as he intended .The classic actor of horror movies named Christopher Lee is terrific as the monster and Peter Cushing brings a strong portrayal of the scientific attempting to create a human taking parts here and there .
Followed by six sequels as ¨Revenge of Frankestein¨ by Fisher , ¨Evil of Frankestein¨ by Freddie Francis , Frankestein created woman¨ by Fisher , ¨Frankestein must be destroyed¨ by Fisher , ¨The horror of Frankestein¨ by Jimmy Sangster and ¨Frankestein and the monster from hell¨ by Fisher ; all of them starred by Peter Cushing and one by Ralph Bates , besides similar artistic and technician team as the cameraman Jack Asher , Production designer Bernad Robinson , musician James Bernard and make-up by Philip Leaky.¨The curse of Frankestein¨ displays excellent set design , ambitious screenplay with too many eerie scenes and adequate interpretation for all casting .
The ingredients here would be present in most of Hammer's classics: director Terence Fisher, screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Also great sets, nice makeup effects, and Hazel Court's cleavage!
"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".
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..
That observation is partially based on extrapolation as I gave up watching modern horror films for pleasure back in the 1980's, as my pleasure gave way to horror.Baron Frankenstein played by Peter Cushing and his former tutor turned tiresomely unwilling assistant Robert Urquhart bring back to life a composite human being Christopher Lee. Naturally, or maybe not, Lee cuts up rusty and shows ingratitude at such high-handed treatment.
Victor came into his wealth as a young man after his mother died, and hired Paul Krempe(played by Richard Urquhart) to be his tutor, but as the years passed showed a remarkable ability in the medical field, and became obsessed with recreating life, which not only affected his relationship with his fiancée Elizabeth(played by Hazel Court) but with everyone, as his crowning achievement is a creature(played by Christopher Lee) that is brought to life with old body parts...
Lots of full-color blood and violence; a stellar cast (headed in this case by Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as The Monster); an atmospheric Gothic setting; a rousing musical score; and first-rate production values that belie the low budget.The one disappointment is The Monster himself.
And he looks more like a horribly disfigured human than the unearthly creature that Boris Karloff created a generation earlier.Hammer would go on to make numerous Frankenstein sequels, all of them without Lee but most with Peter Cushing as the sometimes evil, sometimes not-so-evil Baron.
It would follow up the success of "Frankenstein" with even more successful remakes of "Dracula" and "The Mummy." Numerous other Gothic horror movies would follow until the the films finally petered out in the late 1970s.Back in my childhood days, I eagerly awaited the release of each new Hammer movie.
The critics may not have appreciated it at the time (though they certainly do now), but the paying audiences lapped up The Curse of Frankenstein's amped-up levels of gore and Gothic atmosphere.The film begins with Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) in a jail cell awaiting his execution for an unknown crime.
One of the earliest Hammer horror movies, THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN tells a familiar tale, one that closely follows the plot of other adaptations, notably James Whale's groundbreaking film for Universal in 1930.What makes Terence Fisher's version so compelling is the way in which the story has been treated; for the late Fifties it is surprisingly explicit in the way it depicts Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) handling various body-parts - eyes, limbs - and at one point is shown sawing the head off the corpse that forms the basis of the monster (Christopher Lee).
The Monster's make-up is too grotesque for my liking and one does wish that Christopher Lee had more screen time, other than that the film is wonderful.The Curse of Frankenstein does look great, the photography and costumes are handsome and the Gothic set design is outstanding and dripping with atmosphere.
The legend is still told with horror the world over It is the legend of The Curse of Frankenstein." Presently, shortly before his execution, titular mad scientist Peter Cushing (as Victor Frankenstein) tells his story to a priest In flashback, we see the wealthy young baron hire longtime partner Robert Urquhart (as Paul Krempe).
He wants to create a man of extremely high intellect, but things don't always go according to plan...From England's Hammer Movie Productions, this re-make of Mary Shelley's classic "Frankenstein" has a style quite different than the model popularized by Hollywood's Universal Studios.
His fresh approach heralded an era of Hammer horror re-makes and sequels.******* The Curse of Frankenstein (5/2/57) Terence Fisher ~ Peter Cushing, Robert Urquhart, Christopher Lee, Hazel Court.
It launched director Terence Fisher's career; made stars out of actors Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee; and, lets not forget, established Hammer Studios as the leading brand name in horror.
Frankenstein successfully creates a creature (Played by the legendary Christopher Lee) but is not what he expected and instead of abandoning his experiments he continues the work, but the creature becomes more and more dangerous.The photography, set design, acting, script, and direction are stunning and the movie, in my opinion, stands the test of time.
Less baroque that the later Kenneth Branagh version of the 1990s this was the film that began the reputation of Hammer horror films.Christopher Lee plays the revived monster a world away from the flat headed and flat footed Boris Karloff whose makeup was trademarked to Universal Pictures.The real monster is Peter Cushing's Baron Frankenstein, an obsessive scientist, unethical and a cold blooded murderer.
Here we get all those things we associate with Hammer Studios: directorial flair and finesse, gobs of Gothic atmosphere, lush cinematography, beautiful sets and costumes, great character acting, and, of course, best of all - Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. This was their first horror film together with Fisher - the start of a beautiful friendship which would last for many, many years.
Christopher Lee plays the Creature as a child-like puppet, to be pitied more than reviled.Excellent production values, setting the high standard for Hammer's other Gothic adaptations, which were later to include Dracula, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Mummy and The Curse of the Werewolf..
(You wonder how many Frankenstein and Dracula remakes there were?) Christopher Lee, the other classic-era British horror film star of his generation, plays the monster.Hammer Horror films have been highly-regarded over the years, and justifiable so in my opinion.
My favorite is "Horror Of Dracula," made the following year (1958) with Cushing as "Dr. Van Helsing." I don't think this film measures up to that one because it doesn't have the suspense, nor does it have the "atmosphere" a Frankenstein movie should possess.......but it does have a great performance by Cushing.
The 1st of the 3 great Hammer Horror remakes in gory Eastmancolour tonight, they really did add something to the classic Universal originals, scary, slightly less comedy, more terror..& Peter Cushing/Christopher Lee
Comparisons are inevitable when viewing something like THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN for the first time after years of other monster movies, but this Hammer film is handsomely produced and features good, strong performances from its British cast.Particularly effective are PETER CUSHING as the Baron Frankenstein and ROBERT URQUHART as his teacher and reluctant laboratory assistant who agonizes over helping him.
I think the ones that are best remembered were the ones either starring or pairing Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee--such as the first release by England's Hammer Films, "The Curse of Frankenstein." Of course, I believe at the time, there were some legal restrictions that prevented Hammer from totally copying the Universal films, so in "Curse," we get another loose adaption of Mary Shelley's novel.This time, Baron Frankenstein is assisted by his childhood tutor, who at first assists the doctor, then revolts against the "abomination" he has created.
The good doctor was played by Peter Cushing, in his first pairing with Lee, and instead of a grotesque, hunchbacked assistant, Frankenstein is first helped in his experiments by his handsome former tutor Paul (Robert Urquhart) - who then turns against him.
Peter Cushing's performance as Baron Victor Frankenstein is flawless, the depth perhaps only becoming truly evident after viewing the entire series of Hammer Frankenstein movies (not including the unfortunate 'Horror of Frankenstein' which mistakenly returned to the comedic notion with hugely dissatisfying results and which featured Ralph Bates in Cushing's role) in which the character's evolution and development become chillingly clear.
Lee is a fine actor, but he fails to do much with a limited character (though the makeup is an interesting diversion from the Karloff look).I love those mounting tensions between Frankenstein and his righteous collaborator, Paul (did you ever notice that most males in the Hammer series are called either Paul or Hans?)This film was a milestone for the horror industry.
A shame considering the talents involved in this particular production: Peter Cushing as a non-sympathetic Baron (Dr.) Frankenstein as opposed to Colin Clive's and Christopher Lee as the "creature" as he's billed in this version as opposed to Karloff's billing as "The Monster - ?" in the 1931 version.
Curse of Frankenstein, The (1957) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) sets out to create life but instead creates a murdering monster (Christopher Lee) in Hammer's updated version of the classic novel.
This could have been just a good but standard horror film except for one thing: Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein (whether there's a 'von' in the middle I don't know, but there should be) is so spectacular playing such a horrible person.
I'd need to ruminate further, or rewatch the Whale films from the 30's, to know for sure whether or not this is the "best" Frankenstein movie (Bride is more ambitious, while the original has Karloff), but what makes this Hammer one stand out, the first of many as it appears, is that Cushing is so committed to this total bastard of a "doctor".
By the way, one of the fun things in this film is how, I have to think Hammer knew this as well, they combine two famous bits from previous Frankenstein movies: at one point the creature runs into a blind man who has with him a little boy.
Locked in a cell, an hour away from the guillotine, Baron Frankenstein recounts to a priest how he built a creature from human body parts and successfully brought it to life.The Curse of Frankenstein might not be one of my favourite of Hammer's Frankenstein films—I prefer the studio's later entries in the series with their lurid gore and overt sexuality—but I still hold it in extremely high regard for helping to revive the flagging horror genre (sci-fi having dominated much of the fifties) and for being the first film to team British horror icons Peter Cushing (as Baron Victor Frankenstein) and Christopher Lee (who plays his creation).Working with a limited budget, director Terence Fisher stages much the action within Victor's home and laboratory, his film very much a character driven piece, with Cushing's obsessed scientist to the fore and Lee's monster taking a back seat.
The cast is topped off by Cushing's long time collaborator and a man that would go on to become one of Hammer's biggest stars - the excellent Christopher Lee, who does a grand job in a campy turn as the monster itself.The Curse of Frankenstein isn't Hammer's best production, and to be honest I preferred the excellent Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, but this stands tall as a solid entry in their oeuvre and is recommended to horror fans..
Cushing breathes life into the role like few others can, making the doctor a thoroughly believable, if none too likable, character.The film has it's share of flaws: Besides fixing some of the more glaring plot holes, getting a slightly more stylish look and better actors for the supporting roles would have helped (though Christopher Lee in a brief role as the creature is good enough).
Hammer's production personnel had by this time become a gifted and efficient unit, and Director Terence Fisher was perfect for the first of their Gothic revivals.Curse gave horror fans two new horror stars in Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Cushing dominates the movie with a superb and ironically humorous performance as Baron Frankenstein; indeed most of the film follows Frankenstein's attempts to give life to his creature, squeezing the monster's screen time into approximately the last half-hour.The Hammer Gothic look is wonderfully established here, cinematographer Jack Asher and production designer Bernard Robinson do wonders with a limited budget, producing a garish and utterly convincing sense of period.
'The Curse of Frankenstein' was Hammer Film's first venture into Gothic horror territory, and followed on from their successful attempt at science fiction/horror with 'The Quatermass Xperiment' in 1955.Peter Cushing is excellent as Baron Victor Frankenstein, a man so devoted to scientific experimentation that he will stop at nothing, not even murder, to achieve his ends.
Even though not a very spectacular horror film, The Curse of Frankenstein remains a milestone in the genre, with some great suspense and a truly powerful acting performance by Peter Cushing.
The film was directed by Terence Fisher and stars Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein, Hazel Court as Elizabeth, and Christopher Lee as the creature.Peter Cushing, who was then best known for his leading roles in British television, was sought out by Hammer for this film.
It is also the first pairing of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, two guys you have a hard time NOT seeing in the same film.The movie deserves kudos for making the true monster not the creature, but Frankenstein himself.
And, of course, this is the first of Hammer's pairings of Peter Cushing, here as Victor Frankenstein, and Christopher Lee, as the monster..