Why so much hype?

Truly Dreadful Film

Overrated

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

Beginning cynically. Why is it people assume if it's made forty years ago it must be accurate to the book? The Count Dracula mini-series with Louis Jordan, so many people praise as being more accurate than the Gary Oldman film yet it's not. It makes Mina and Lucy siblings, it combines Arthur and Quincey, Dracula did not de age... But I diagress... On with this.Begins fairly well enough. It follows the book for the most part. It changes how the creature got the journal, how his hair looks (though it is long). Justine is left out entirely. Neither Victor or his creation are portrayed that sympathetically here. I think that's why I prefer the 2004 Hallmark version because you can see the mistakes they both make, the cruelty they both have, and yet you can also pity both of them.This version is not bad but it's slowly paced. It's odd. The 2004 Hallmark Frankenstein (which is a bit more faithful to the book in regard to how the creature looked and maintaining all the characters) is three hours yet this hour and a half version feels longer. It would also have done well with a better budget.Oh, one thing that I was very happy about is that they remembered Victor Frankenstein had not made the creature with pure science. He had studied books on alchemy and the occult, magick, Agrippa and Paracelsus. He even discussed homunculi. Very few versions acknowledge that there may have been alchemy and even magick in the creature's creation. Few people realize this was not an anti-science "Don't meddle in the affairs of God" story. The creature would have been fine if he had not been rejected by his creator. It was about parental responsibility, judging by appearances, forgiveness and how revenge brings no peace. Those were those were the real lessons of Mary Shelley's story. This version is not bad but I still strongly prefer the 2004 Hallmark mini-series of Frankenstein.This isn't a bad Frankenstein but the 2004 version with Luke Goss remains my favorite. I am happy this version exists so it's not a film I regret watching. I don't think there is any film I truly regret watching. There are just some films I feel better about being in existence than others because of what effort goes in to them. This tried to be true to the book but the 2004 Hallmark version with Luke Goss simply did it better.Also it was a little hard for me to get used to the light haired creature. He was so much like the book, including hair length, save for the hair color. It's a petty detail but it stood out for me.Something about it was a little dry, a little dispassionate. It's not horrible, just weak. Like the BBC play version of The Picture of Dorian Gray.At least they tried to follow the book.

I had always been intrigued by this Swedish-Irish production(!) - a follow-up to the same film-makers' lackluster IN SEARCH OF Dracula (1975) - for being the screen's most faithful rendering (even more so than the disappointing "official" 1994 adaptation by Francis Ford Coppola and Kenneth Branagh) of the oft-filmed Mary Shelley horror tale; while it is decidedly uninspired and choppy in treatment, its essentially literate and stately approach makes the most of the novel's classical plot and, as a result, it remains full of interest throughout. At first, I felt that Leon Vitali – who, after appearing in BARRY LYNDON (1975), became Stanley Kubrick's long-time assistant! – was too youthful in appearance to be convincing in the title role but one must remember that, after all, he was supposed to be a medical student. On the other hand, distinguished Swedish actor Per Oscarsson (whose face is effectively made up in a deathly pallor complete with darkened lips) brings out all of the creature's various qualities: an imposing build, his confusion and solitude and, eventually, a lust for vengeance towards his resentful maker. Though obviously a low-budget effort, the film still manages to approximate the narrative's epic sweep without, however, resorting to overstatement – a fault which lies at the heart of the later 'definitive' Hollywood version's artistic (and commercial) failure. For the record, even though I am familiar with many another film version of the famous story, there are still a few more which I need to see, namely the 1973 Dan Curtis TV-adaptation, the darkly-comic modern French take of Alain Jessua's FRANKENSTEIN '90 (1984) and the futuristic Roger Corman version, FRANKENSTEIN UNBOUND (1990).

Its a shame this movie never made the video nasty (or DP39) as it would have achieved instant cult status and more people would have seen it, it would have also had a special ed but hey, I am grateful to have seen it after wanting to do so for many years. Great acting, very faithful to the original script, it totally made sense in a way the others never (although I like most of them) this is the best version there is. The acting, casting and atmosphere are as good as it gets, the monster is creepy, tall and menacing and soulless, he hates his creator and you feel sorry for Victor, he made a mistake meddling with the creation of life and is hounded by the monster. Very chilling, everyone should see this movie, its that good. One of my favourite films ever and as a bit of an anorak, I have seen many 1000's.

This title suggests a very traditional Frankenstein film and Per Oscarsson's makeup is similar to Universal's defining appearance for the Frankenstein Monster that Make-up Wizard Jack Pierce created for Boris Karloff in 1931.Plus,Mr.Karloff gives the defining performance as the Frankenstein Monster in that film as well as it's sequels-The Bride Of Frankenstein(1935) and in his final performance as the Frankenstein Monster in The Son Of Frankenstein(1939). Every performer has since had to follow in those asphalt spreader's boots....which is almost an impossible task. However in 1977,Calvin Floyd decided to make this superb film with his wife Yvonne Floyd that is a Swedish-Irish production. Terror Of Frankenstein is the result and it is this writer's opinion that it's the best version of the very difficult Mary Shelley novel which was first known as The Fate Of Frankenstein Or The Modern Prometheus.This Classic novel was written in the early part of the 19th century. This is not Kenneth Brannagh's film(thankfully). Terror Of Frankenstein in it's own way is a disturbing adaption that while closely following a classic piece of literature,this filmmaker was able to find a way to tell a story about a man and his genius dooming himself,his family,his friend and his creation ...all because this man's genius wasn't farsighted enough to handle an enormous mistake...that mistake was the Frankenstein Monster.This film stars: Leon Vitali in an excellent performance as Victor Frankenstein, Per Oscarsson as Frankenstein's Monster, Stacy Dorning as Elizabeth Frankenstein and Nicholas Clay as a superbly cast and unique version of Henry Clerval.This Frankenstein is set in the 19th century as well ...and Victor Frankenstein follows the philosophy of alchemists.Soon after this film begins, Victor wants to study in Ingolstadt at a medical university where he can advance in his studies. Frankenstein rents his own rooms there and after studying life in closer detail,he decides to create life in a dead man who's made up of other parts of dead men.The creation scene is not a moment to equal the Universal or Hammer scenes of Frankenstein creating life from the dead...it's really a scene of surprise as this gigantic,patchwork man comes to life while Frankenstein realizes that his enormous man is not a man who's perfect in every bit of his being;HE'S AN 8 FT.TALL,BLACK-LIPPED,MOANING,MONSTER!(later in this film the audience is given a chance to look at the creation scene in greater depth and detail) Victor Frankenstein is terrified by his creation and passes out on his bed from fright. Frankenstein is later visited by Henry Clerval who takes his friend back to the Frankenstein family home.While Victor Frankenstein is recovering at his family home,his little brother William is murdered for no apparent reason. Later,Frankenstein is forced to meet with his Monster who's now verbally adept and begging his creator for a mate. Frankenstein relents and goes to a remote area of Scotland where he begins working on a mate for his Monster...but he stops when he realizes how this creation could create evil for mankind if the Monster and this mate were to give birth to an entire race of monsters! The Monster begs Frankenstein to continue but the creator cannot and will not continue.The Monster(with this new turn of events) warns Frankenstein,"I will be with you on your wedding night". Victor prepares to return to his home while the Monster murders Henry Clerval. Victor and Elizabeth's wedding ceremony is played not with a sense of joy but with a sense of doom as the scene is played from Victor's feelings and point of view as he and Elizabeth are walking toward the altar.The musical score and the way Victor keeps looking around the church allows the viewer to know he's not forgotten his Monster's warning while high pitched musical notes suggest a foreboding menace is all around them and can strike at anytime. On their wedding night,the Monster keeps his promise and murders Elizabeth by strangling her to death. Victor Frankenstein has to bury the last of his family and takes it upon himself to follow The Monster to the arctic. Finally Frankenstein comes upon a ship that's trapped in the ice.Frankenstein is now showing the effects of everything that he's been through.He's put on a bed in the Captain's quarters. That evening,the Monster comes aboard the ship and both creator and creation bitterly face each other but it's Victor Frankenstein who reaches out for his creation in a fit of rage screaming,"MONSTER!!"Frankenstein now dies and the Monster tells the ship's captain that he has nothing left to live for.This Frankenstein Monster leaves the ship and ventures off into the arctic never to be seen again. Per Oscarsson's Monster is an intelligent and cunning being whose brain works perfectly. This writer declares that this film is superb but not excellent. Even if the viewer watches this film only once...it is still worth the experience.Don't miss this Classic.