In 1957 Hammer Studios released THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Directed by Terence Fisher with a script by Jimmy Sangster and starring Peter Cushing as Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as the Monster. The film became a huge success for the studio and put Hammer on the filmmaking map. Not only did it solidify Hammer's place in the world but it also revived the classic horror monsters for a new era and a new generation. And it cast Peter Cushing in one of the most memorable roles of his career, a role he'd return to five more times in the years to come.
The Curse of Frankenstein marks the next step in the evolution of the horror film and is one of the most influential horror films of all time.
THE PLOT
Victor Frankenstein lost his father when he was five. He lost his mother when he was a teenager. With both his parents claimed by death, Victor set his already brilliant intellect towards studying the sciences, in particular the study of life and death. Together with a brilliant tutor, Victor achieves the impossible, reigniting life in something that death had already taken. But the problems don't merely lie in bestowing life, but rather in creating a perfect human that wouldn't succumb to death. Victor sets about creating such a being, but what he actually creates is something far more abominable and terrifying!
WHAT I LIKED
The Man is the Monster. Like I said earlier, Hammer had to differentiate their version of Frankenstein from Universal's classic. In Hammer's version Victor is the true monster and the creation being the actual victim. Today this seems like an obvious transition but to audiences in 1957 this was a revelation. And even future renditions of Frankenstein returned to the classic roles. Hammer's role reversal injected fresh blood into the Frankenstein story and added a whole new dimension to the story. That being said, Christopher Lee's monster is still chilling and his performance plays very well opposite Cushing's Frankenstein.
Peter Cushing. One of my all time favorite actors, Peter Cushing's role as Victor Frankenstein and his subsequent role as Van Helsing the following year made his career and established his name as one of the horror greats. Cushing adopts a three dimensional approach to Victor Frankenstein. He's plays the character more as a man inspired and a man possessed by an idea, an idea that won't let him go. He's not a mad scientist, but driven. He's also a bit of a narcissist too, sleeping with two women, contempt towards those of inferior intelligence, and a sense of entitlement due to his family wealth and status as a baron. Quite the unique portrayal of a classic character.
Style and Elegance. One of the aspects that Hammer brought to their films and to the horror genre was the suave English personality and period piece design. Peter Cushing plays Frankenstein with a dignity and grace few are capable of. He could spout the craziest line you'd ever heard but make it sound romantic and intelligent. Then there's the set designs and look of the films, a European authenticity and an unparalleled gothic feel. This became a trademark of Hammer's horror films and The Curse of Frankenstein is the film that started it.
Horror, blood, and realism. There once was a time when horror films showed very little blood and no gore whatsoever. The Curse of Frankenstein was one of the first horror films, if not the first, to show actual onscreen blood and gore. Tame by today's standards, but shocking for the time, this one film and Hammer's films to follow changed horror films forever. But Hammer doesn't display this gore needlessly, instead the gruesome spectacles are employed with purpose, to enhance the juxtaposition between the beautiful sets and the shock of seeing such a learned man as Cushing's Frankenstein engaging in something so barbarous. And to enhance the realism, adding a whole new dimension to horror films. It's blood and gore with a purpose.
NITPICKS
I have none. While being yet another retelling of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, this film stands on its own. It's unique both in terms of its look but also in its presentation of Victor and the Monster. If I had any criticism of the film it would be that the costume designers didn't make Christopher Lee's Monster look big enough. I like seeing the Monster of Frankenstein as a larger more imposing character, a super human as he was meant to be. But had Hammer gone that direction with Christopher Lee's Monster it would've undercut Lee's performance and taken away a dimension of sympathy towards the character. Hammer's approach to the Monster is perfect for this particular rendition of the story.
THE VERDICT
A landmark film for the horror genre, The Curse of Frankenstein marks a key moment in the evolution of horror cinema. Reinventing the Frankenstein story, Curse takes a new and unique approach to Mary Shelley's classic tale. In the performance that made him a horror icon, Peter Cushing brings a realism and darkness to his role as Victor Frankenstein. Beautiful set designs contrasted with some of cinema's first onscreen scenes of blood and gore add a whole new dimension to this Frankenstein interpretation. Hammer Films hit a home-run with this film, creating stars out of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, reinvigorating the horror film genre, and creating cinema legends.
Overall Ranking: 10 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10
For more Hammer Horror and Frankenstein films check out these films below!
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