Review of The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) by Jonathan B — 30 Oct 2014

Surely one of the best of all of the Hammer movies this is a loose re-telling of the classic Mary Shelley tale. The interesting thing here is seeing Peter Cushing playing Baron Frankenstein as cunning and evilly manipulative of those around him.

This is a departure from the norm for this wonderful actor, so often cast as the good guy, and he is both chilling and effective in the role. Seeing him as heartless and downright nasty is a bit of a surprise and creates an interest by creating a sense of unease.

We also have Christopher Lee, swathed in latex, as a particularly horrific version of the monster. Lee never says a word in this film but manages to command the screen by virtue of the extraordinary make-up and the power of his performance.

This must have scared the willies off the 1950s audience who were perhaps expecting a colour version of the old Boris Karloff movies. Instead, what we get here is an almost proto-gore movie that wouldn't seem out of place to modern cinemagoers.

Thankfully, being the product of a more innocent age, much of the gore is suggested and takes place off screen, being merely hinted at and left to the vivid imaginings of the watcher. Nevertheless, there are a few places where this movie really shocks, most notably when the monster gets shot in the eye.

What we get with this movie is a kind of hybrid between the comfy Hammer style with the Germanic setting, brightly coloured staging and social class steryotypes and a darker, subtle, genuinely shocking story.

For me, it still works remarkably well both as a nostalgia trip and also a suitable chiller for a Halloween week.