That was an excellent one.

Overrated and overhyped

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Deeply Gothic atmosphere, well casted (acted out) and a rather interesting story. I wish this one was picked up by any studio and made into a series - even if it was a short lived.Don Megowan is The Monster. I really enjoyed watching his portrayal - very much like Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr, Glenn Strange and yes even Bela Lugosi. The classic Universal Monster is back in action in this pilot.If you loved the the older Universal Frankenstein films then this pilot you should enjoy. It's like watching a short 30 minute Universal Monster movie.Hammer-Universal did it again!! But sadly the TV series was never made.8/10

Yes, this pilot failed to sell a show to American TV. Nevermind; it is the first in the series of Hammer Frankenstein films that ran well into the '70s. Everything is here - the homage to universal, the darker characterization of Doctor Frankenstein, the decision to place the series in a 19th century setting.... The ending of this short film would be rewritten as the end of "The Curse of Frankenstein." Okay, it's not really much more than a neat little B-movie short; but what else would one want from a Hammer horror film? And the hiring of Universal horror films writer Curt Siodmak to write the script is a nice touch of linking with the 'grand tradition' of Frankenstein films. Besides, it must be noted that the budget here is really far beyond any American TV programming of the day; nice sets, nice photography, excellent acting.(What probably killed off this series was the follow up - there was actually a second episode produced - I've seen it, but can't remember the title - but it was pretty typical generic suspense fair for the time - well produced but unnecessary.) This wins high marks as a point of historical origin and thus very important. And a well done B-movie horror short in any event.

TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN of 1958 is the pilot from the British Hammer Studios, which was never continued as a TV series. This was made right after Hammer's first successful and highly influential Gothic Horror film THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957) starring the great Peter Cushing in the role of the eponymous Baron, a role which he would reprise five more times. On the one hand, it is highly regrettable that TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN, which stars the sinister Anton Diffring, never became a show. On the other hand, it is debatable whether Hammer had made any sequels to their first success, if their had been a FRANKENSTEIN show on TV; since the FRANKENSTEIN sequels from Hammer are entirely great, some arguably even greater than the 1957 film, their not having been produced would be tragic for the world of Horror.TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN is interesting in particular due to the charismatic performance of Anton Diffring, a specialist for sinister characters, and due to the fact that it mixes the styles of Hammer and the original Universal Horror films. Especially by its looks, this has a stronger resemblance to the Classic Horrors from Universal. The set pieces are Gothic and elegant, and the film has a nice, eerie atmosphere. The storyline is interesting enough: Baron Frankestein (Diffring) is experimenting on his creation, trying to make the monster less aggressive. A terminally ill concert pianist (Richard Bull) and his wife come to Frankenstein's castle in order to ask for the Baron's help...Overall, this 28-minute flick is a highly interesting little gem that especially Classic Horror fans should not miss. Diffring is great (even though not quite as great as Cushing), the atmosphere is gloomy, and the story interesting. Ignoring the previously made assumption that making the TV show might have resulted in the film sequels not being made, one can only say: Too bad this series was never made. It would have probably been quite something. Not to be missed.

This unused pilot for a television series about Frankenstein's Monster is very good,for what it is. I would have liked to have seen what else they could have thought of. Yes it is cheesy,even for a horror film,but you must remember it was meant to be that way. The plot is great actually for a series pilot.I would have liked to have seen what would have happened next,and with Curt Siodmak,one of the fathers of the Universal Horror Genre,and Creator of The Wolf Man, in the writer,and directors chair we could have had a real treat.