That was an excellent one.

Good concept, poorly executed.

An Exercise In Nonsense

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

Watching the extras to the Blu-Ray of Hammer's Dracula a few days ago,I found out that was Dracula was the one to make Hammer's Gothic Horror style famous,that there had actually been a "test run" a year before on Frankenstein. Planning to buy the disc,I was taken aback to learn that the BBC were about to air it!,which led to me getting set to witness the first ever Gothic Hammer Horror.The plot:Waiting in jail to be hanged, Baron Victor Frankenstein tries to convince a priest that a spree of murders were done by a monster,and not him.Weeks earlier:Left in sole control of the family estate after his mum dies, young Frankenstein hires Paul Krempe.Becoming interested in science over the years, Frankenstein and Krempe start working on scientific experiments. Encouraged by them bringing a dead dog back to life, Frankenstein comes up with the idea of bringing a "perfect human" to life from different parts of dead bodies. Soon put off by their corpse robbing,Krempe tries to tell Frankenstein to stop crossing a line in science,but finds he is unable to destroy the dream of Frankenstein's perfect Creature.View on the film:Letting the Hammer Horror relish flow during the Creature's first steps,directing auteur Terence Fisher & cinematographer Jack Asher take a discreet turn to the build up,via covering all the body parts and bloody clothes in jars and test tubes which delicately allow the viewing to build their full image of the horrors that lurk within. Taking a restrained approach to the unveiling of the Creature, Fisher soaks the title in an extraordinary Gothic Horror atmosphere, painting everything in delicious reds,greens and whites, (which shine,even though the original negative is sadly lost) and also displaying a superb eye for the use of space, brilliantly used by Fisher to express how no one can get close to Frankenstein.Aware of Universal Studio's watching over his shoulders as "their" monsters changed hands,the screenplay by Jimmy Sangster gloves Frankenstein in a rich Costume Drama,that allow the Hammer Horror shocks to always feel grounded,thanks to all of them relating to the broken friendship between Frankenstein and Krempe.Bringing Hammer's Gothic Horror bursting to life, Sangster chillingly keeps the Creature silent and deadly,hitting pelts of cracking tension,as Frankenstein begins to lose control of his creation.Complaining about having no dialogue (until his co-star pointed out that he was lucky!) Christopher Lee (who got the role after Bernard Bresslaw asked for too much cash!) gives a roaring performance as Creature,whose handmade nature is perfectly captured by Lee's jerky walk and unsettling stop/start movement of arms and head. Joined by alluring Hazel Court and a passionate Robert Urquhart as Krempe,Peter Cushing offers a glimpse of the fatherly warmth he would give to future Hammer Horror,but wickedly off-sets the calm with an excellent, threatening belief that he spits out at anyone who tries to stop Frankenstein from creating his landmark Creature:the Gothic Hammer Horror.

"It's alive!" So gasps Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein, as he infuses the spark of life into a creature previously dead. On this occasion, it is a puppy used as an experiment. Cushing, taking over from Melvyn Hayes (as the younger Baron), makes the part instantly his own. Every flicker of the eye, every movement, every sideward glance is meticulously measured – a trait of Cushing's acting, and one of the reasons he has been admired over the years by fans and fellow cast and crew members. As 'Curse of Frankenstein' starts, its credits intoned over swirling red smoke, Frankenstein is dishevelled and desperate, imprisoned for his foul deeds and a cert for the guillotine – his story is told in flashback.This was Hammer's first major success, the Mary Shelley novel condensed by writer Jimmy Sangster (but not as much as Dracula was the following year). Robert Urquhart, who played Paul Krempe, Frankenstein's tutor, walked out of the premiere, and in disgust gave an interview slating its horrific nature; needless to say, he never appeared in another cinematic film for Hammer. He was not alone – 'revolting, degrading, pathetic and depressing' are four words amongst many scathing reviews of 'Curse of Frankenstein' upon its release, usually from the prissy pens of the British critics. Happily, the film made seventy times the money that was needed to make it, which tells its own story.Goat's eyes, severed hands and heads, and Cushing's blood spattered lapels certainly brought 'Curse' a huge level of notoriety upon its release which fuelled its popularity and put Hammer forever on the map – as well as making stars out of both Cushing, and his 'creature' Christopher Lee (a role for which Bernard Bresslaw was also considered). Lee was chosen mainly for his height and smothered in car-crash make-up and an obvious wig, which provides an effective scare but is hardly memorable in the way that Jack Pierce's make-up had been for the Universal original. It is unfair to compare the two films however – they were made in a different age for a different audience - and that is the last time I shall do so.The few wisps of humour in this doom-laden story are provided by The Baron's affair with maid Justine, who naively believes his lies and tried to blackmail him, and another scene which involves The Baron politely asking for the marmalade during a genteel breakfast directly after the scene in which he locks Justine into his filthy laboratory with his reborn creature.The Creature has a magnificent introduction. Left in an emptying water tank, with its chest heaving, there is a crash which leads Frankenstein to scurry into his deserted laboratory. There stands his creation, uncoordinated arms and hands reaching to rip away the bandages covering his face. Phil Leakey's make-up is revealed, and the creature (or rather the late Professor Bernstein, whose brain is in the monster's head) immediately recognises the man who originally killed him and reaches out to strangle him. No mild-mannered monster, he still invites a kind of sympathy – in the way a rabid dog would invite sympathy for its plight, if not for its temperament.At the finale, we return to The Baron's incarceration, with Frankenstein facing the guillotine after his last hope, Paul Krempe, has wilfully failed to save him. Krempe is hardly as virtuous as he seems, I think. For all his gallant protection of Frankenstein's intended Elizabeth (Hazel Court), it is clear he has designs on her – by the film's end, he happily places an arm around her as he escorts her out of Frankenstein's cell. The cad.

The original 1931 Boris Karloff/James Whale version of Frankenstein, and sequel Bride of Frankenstein, are outstanding, but with the invention of colour British Hammer (Horror) Studios cashed in on having red blood in this remake of the classic Mary Shelley story, directed by Terence Fisher (Dracula, The Hound of the Baskervilles). Basically Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) is awaiting execution for his crime of murder, he tells his story to a Priest (Alex Gallier). He starts from when he was a young man, Young Victor (Melvyn Hayes) inherited the Frankenstein estate following the death of his parents, he has had sole control as Baron since the age of five, this surprises Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart), who the boy has hired to become his tutor, particularly in the field of science. Two years pass and Victor has learned all that Krempe can teach him, they collaborate on scientific experiments, and are one night successful in an experiment to bring a dead dog back to life, Victor suggests that they could bring a human to life, creating a human being from scratch. Krempe assists at first, but he withdraws following the scavenging of human remains to put this new body together, the body parts of this creature are assembled from a hanged robber's corpse, with hands and eyes purchased from charnel house workers, but for the brain Victor wants one with a lifetime of knowledge. With difficulty in finding a brain by practical methods Victor invites ageing and distinguished Professor Bernstein (Paul Hardtmuth) to the house, and in a moment of madness he pushes him from a staircase, it appears like an accident to others, after the burial Victor goes to the vault and back to his laboratory, but Krempe finds out what he did, there is a scuffle and the brain is damaged. With all parts assembled, including the damaged brain, Victor proceeds to bring his creature to life, but the monster (Sir Christopher Lee) does not have the professor's intelligence and tries to attack him, Victors locks up the violent and psychotic monster. But the monster manages to escape, and wanders into the woods, where it kills an old blind man, Grandpa (Fred Johnson) to a Little Boy (Claude Kingston), Victor and Krempe hunt it down, Krempe shoots it and they bury the body in the woods. While Krempe leaves town, Victor digs up the body and revives the monster, he uses it to murder his housemaid Justine (Valerie Gaunt), whom he had been having an affair with, she was threatening to tell the authorities about his strange experiments. The monster manages to escape again and threatens Victor's fiancée Elizabeth (Hazel Court), but Victor catches up to it on the roof, burning it with a lantern and causing it to fall into a bath of acid, completely dissolving its body, leaving no proof that it ever existed. Victor is arrested and imprisoned for the murder of Justine, Krempe is at the prison and comes to visit him, Victor begs him to testify, as the only other person that knows the truth, but knowing he is insane Krempe refuses, meaning that Frankenstein is led away to be executed by guillotine, it is uncertain whether his story is true or the ravings of an homicidal lunatic. Also starring Noel Hood as Aunt Sophia, Marjorie Hume as Mother and Sally Walsh as Young Elizabeth. Cushing is great as the demented doctor who believes he is creating a scientific breakthrough, he returned in five sequels, and Lee is menacing as the silent and deadly monster, the design and script are very well done, and being the first colour film from the studio it delivers on the gruesome scenes, it is a great horror film. Very good!

This was an enjoyable and engrossing film version of the tale, luridly updated for the 1950's audience – generally every generation goes one excess further in everything. 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. With this tale comparisons are inevitable: for instance the two versions of the tale written by Mary Shelley are preferable of course, eminently readable if a little dry - the 1818 text for choice; the 1910 film was fascinating and garish; the 1931 and 1935 films were short and entertaining; the 1973 badly dated even on release; while Cushing's Hammer series was excellent, especially if you can leave your brain in a jar by the door. Karloff was the ultimate unforgettable monster - over the decades I've seen too many knuckle dragging yobs looking like Lee haunting (or going by his part in this, simply hanging about outside) my local chipshop to be unsettled by his workmanlike appearance. Colin "It's Alive" Clive was OK, but not a patch on Cushing who with his performance in this created a bit of a monster for himself too. And who can forget Hazel Court playing Mae Clarke's former role of Elizabeth in a splendid selection of gravity-defying dresses? For saying Hammer ran a tight ship the attention to period detail was very good, as far as I can tell after years of seeing Antiques Roadshow. At the climax with Cushing's histrionics I was bizarrely reminded of such disparate films as A Tale Of Two Cities, Dead Of Night and All Quiet On The Western Front. I've always enjoyed this middlebrow soapy corn and recommend it wholeheartedly to those who already know they like this genre; if you like modern horror you'll probably find you've thrown away your eighty minutes and that you perhaps should've got a life instead.