morrison-dylan-fan 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.

Leofwine_draca The original Hammer Horror film, that is if you count the earlier QUATERMASS films as science fiction. And as you would expect, it's brilliant. This film contains Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee's first appearances in a horror film, they were to pair up again many times in the next two decades to star in lots of similar roles, usually as antagonists but occasionally allies. This is the first of the '50s Hammer Horror trilogy (remakes of the Universal classics from the '30s), Dracula came next and then THE MUMMY. Although Lee doesn't have much to do in this film, let's face it, it was the kickstarter for his career. Cushing never got away from his Frankenstein character either, he came back another five times playing the increasingly ruthless Baron, the first time a year later in THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Although slow and talky by today's standards, THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN succeeds due to having excellent actors, and being filmed in vivid colour, which helps add to the then-gory experiments and makes the costumes and sets scrumptious.Peter Cushing portrays the Baron as cold, ruthless and heartless in his pursuit of science. His role is quite definitive and not many actors have achieved his standard. Instead of Colin Clive's nervous role in 1931's FRANKENSTEIN, his character is utterly dedicated to his work and will use any means to achieve his role. Robert Urquhart is annoyingly stubborn as the tutor who turns against him but the pair work up an interesting and hostile chemistry as the film progresses. Hazel Court (THE RAVEN) is suitably beautiful in her role and is more than just the love interest, she does indeed bring both depth and warmth to her role. Christopher Lee also acts well although he has no lines, he makes us feel for the Creature and pity him as well as fear him.Terence Fisher directs with typical Gothic flair while James Bernard's music is up to the usual dramatic standard. Hammer certainly weren't expecting the success this film gave them, instead they were more worried about distancing it as much as possible from Universal's feature, in fear of a lawsuit. Seen today, the film may have dated a little in the naïve values depicted by the characters, and sometimes the low budget and lack of sets is all too apparent. But THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN really redefined the genre, breathing life into a stale decade where the only monsters had been ones created by atomic explosions. The gore, while scarce, is still effective, especially the eyeballs, severed hands and wax head. It's a great film with a great atmosphere and featuring great actors. A winner on every level.

Rainey Dawn Peter Cushing was good no matter what film he played in... he took his roles seriously and Dr. Frankenstein was no exception. This one of Peter's better horror films. He's brilliant... played this role with passion.Christopher Lee plays the Creature. It's not role with dialogue but it is a role which conveys feeling - much like a silent film star - and Christopher does well as usual.It's great late night horror film with two of the finest actors Hollywood has ever seen. This Hammer film is well worth the hour it takes to watch it.9.5/10

jacobjohntaylor1 This is a great movie. This is a remake and it is great. Dr. Frankenstein creates a monster out of dead body parts. In this version he robes grave. He killers people to use to make his monster. He uses the monster to kill people when it is to his advantage. Somme young might think because a movie is old it is not scary. And they would be wrong. This is one of the scariest movies ever made. This movie has great story line. It also has great acting. It also has great special effects. This movie is based on one of the best horror stories ever told. And it is one of the best horror movies ever made. It is a must see. This is one of the best remakes ever.