Jackson Booth-Millard This was the fifth entry in this British Hammer (Horror) Studios series of Frankenstein movies, based on the classic Mary Shelley story, it was already up and down with the previous three sequels, so I hoped this one would be good, directed by Terence Fisher (Dracula, The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Mummy). Basically Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) has moved to a new town and formed a laboratory for his illegal experimentation, he has obtained a new brain for his next experiment. But a thief surprises him, he is forced to destroy the evidence and move on, also Police Inspector Frisch (Thorley Walters) is on his trail. Frankenstein finds a room at a boarding house run by Anna Spengler (Veronica Carlson), her fiancé is Dr. Karl Holst (Simon Ward), who works at the local insane asylum, where the Baron's former scientific collaborator Dr. Brandt (George Pravda) now resides, having lost his mind. Frankenstein discovers Karl is stealing narcotics to help her sick mother, the Baron tells him and Anna the consequences and blackmails them to help him. Frankenstein wants to kidnap the now insane Dr. Brandt, he wants to operate on Brandt, to cure his insanity, the Baron also seeks Brandt's knowledge of brain transplantation. The Baron and Karl go to the asylum, but Brandt suffers a heart attack during the break out, forcing Frankenstein to operate, to transfer his brain into another body, they kidnap asylum director Professor Richter (Freddie Jones) and transfer Brandt's brain into his body. Brandt's now useless body is buried in the garden, but it almost discovered when a water main bursts and unearths it, the police are searching the area following the break out of the insane doctor, Anna manages to cover up these instances, she is much more fearful of Frankenstein after he forced himself upon her. Brandt's wife Ella (Maxine Audley) sees Frankenstein walking the street and recognises him, she confronts him, but he persuades her that he has cured her husband of his insanity, the near conscious body he has created, under bandages, is responding, the Baron asks for time. After Mrs. Brandt leaves, Frankenstein forces Karl and Anna to help him escape with the "Creature", they relocate to a deserted manor house. While Frankenstein is away, he is unaware that the Creature has awoken, the cured mind of Brandt is horrified by his new appearance, he scares Anna walking about, she stabs him with a scalpel, he escapes, Frankenstein returns and is angered by the escape and Anna's actions, he kills her in rage. The Creature goes to its former home, Mrs. Brandt does not recognise the voice or appearance of the Creature claiming to be her husband and refuses to accept him. The Creature lets his wife go free, he seeks revenge and pours flammable liquid around the house, Frankenstein arrives, with Karl following him, the fight between the Creature and Frankenstein causes a fire, the Creature knocks out Karl, and the end sees the Creature carrying Frankenstein into the burning house, to be engulfed by the inferno. Also starring Worzel Gummidge's Geoffrey Bayldon as Police Doctor, Harold Goodwin as Burglar and Colette O'Neil as Mad Woman. Cushing remains impeccable as the mad doctor, and Jones is fantastic as the victim of his terrifying experiment, this is one of the most well crafted of the sequels, the gory sequences are disturbing, and the rape sequence is shocking, all in all it is a satisfying and worthwhile horror film. Good!

classicsoncall There was a pretty good description of Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) early in the picture when someone called him a 'highly dangerous medical adventurer'. The Baron proceeds to live up to that reputation as a murderer, blackmailer, hostage taker and did I actually witness this - a rapist? Hammer Films really took the Frankenstein character here and made him even more monstrous than a creature one could patch together from spare body parts.You know, for a horror film, you'd have to agree that the locations used for filming were really quite elegant and ornate. The Spengler boarding house and Brandt's home were exquisitely appointed and furnished, and all the while I kept thinking that they would have been a pretty nice place to live. Which made it all the more tragic that Dr. Brandt (George Pravda) in Professor Richter's (Freddie Jones) body acted just a bit too harshly when he torched it at the finale. Gee, you would think he'd have a little more compassion for his wife after what she went through, and now she wouldn't even have a place to live.As far as the creepy brain transplant business goes, the story and Baron Frankenstein's patient persistence in getting the job done almost made it seem believable. Except of course for that nasty sawing of the forehead; man that could really give you a headache. Seems like Brandt/Richter should have complained about that, but I guess he had a bigger concern.Probably the scariest thing here had to do with the Richter body being planted in the backyard garden and then having a water main break directly underneath. I couldn't decide whether that flapping arm coming out of the makeshift grave was more comical or horrifying. But then, with all that mud and water flying around, one would have to agree that Anna (Veronica Carlson) was probably the most ingenious character in the story - she didn't get a speck of dirt on her!

Wuchak Hammer did 7 Frankenstein films from the late 50s to early 70s: The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) The Evil of Frankenstein (1964) Frankenstein Created Woman (1967)Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) The Horror of Frankenstein (1970)Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973) Peter Cushing played Baron Frankenstein in every one of these except "The Horror of Frankenstein" because it was a remake of the original story and they needed a much younger actor to play the role; they chose Ralph Bates (who superbly played the love-to-hate OTT satanist in "Taste the Blood of Dracula" released the same year).In any event, we all know the basic Frankenstein story: A mad scientist is obsessed with creating life from an assortment of body parts. Eventually he succeeds and his creation goes on a killing spree, although the creature is nice to kids 'cause they're innocent. Ultimately the monster must be destroyed (and the Baron usually goes with him).Ho Hum. Forgive me if this basic plot no longer trips my trigger. Thankfully, I recently saw a couple of Frankenstein flicks that stirred my interest in this age-old predictable story: This one and "Lady Frankenstein," detailed below.Hammer's "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" was, as noted, the fifth film in their 7-film Frankenstein series. THE PLOT: Baron Frankenstein is a fugitive who goes by a different name but is intent on continuing his gruesome work. He ultimately blackmails a young couple in assisting him. They steal a patient from the local insane asylum and successfully transplant his brain into another body, curing his madness.The film is highlighted by Veronica Carlson, who looks a lot like Ursula Andress, but possibly even more beautiful (if you can imagine that).FINAL ANALYSIS: "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" is one of the best Frankenstein flicks I've seen. It's creative, labyrinthian and full of pizazz. Being a sequel, the film retains the essential elements of the original story but is a natural progression. The REAL monster in this picture is Baron Frankenstein himself; he's no longer a basically good person obsessed with creating life from corpses. His obsession has defiled him to the point of enmity, hate, arrogance, violence, rape and murder.Another great Frankenstein film from this same period is the Italian "Lady Frankenstein," released in 1971, which starred Rosalba Neri (AKA Sara Bey) as the Baron's daughter who overtakes his work after his death. See my review for details.GRADE: A

m2mallory For all it's impact on the industry, the heyday of Hammer Films encompassed a relatively short time, roughly 1958 to 1969. "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" is one of the last really good films the studio made (1971's "Blood From the Mummy's Tomb" was probably the last). Peter Cushing is back as Baron Frankenstein, and more ruthless than ever, particularly in the infamous rape scene that was imposed upon the cast, director and screenwriter by Hammer's head Sir James Careras. Nobody on the set liked the idea...but one did as one was told. In truth, it doesn't make a lot of sense within the context of the story, and the film doesn't need it. Cushing is, as always, thoroughly professional, even when the script dictates that he do silly things, and Veronica Carlson is excellent as the woman trapped by the evil of the Baron. The real acting honors, however, go to Freddie Jones, as the more-or-less monster, and Maxine Audley, as his widow, for the scene in which they reunite. Probably no sequence in any Hammer film has been played as beautifully and movingly as this one. It alone is worth seeing the film for. But there are many other memorable scenes as well. Old pro Terrence Fisher directs very capably, and the conflagration finale is well staged and spectacular.