Peter Cushing returns in a continuity-free sequel to Revenge of Frankenstein, which itself was a sequel to Curse of Frankenstein. All three movies are from the British Hammer Studios, but this time the film is distributed by Universal-International. And as we’ll see below, that loosens up the restrictions on Hammer’s access to the the look and feel of the Universal’s original, 1931 Frankenstein.
The result, sadly, is a confused, cheesy movie that squanders all the momentum and excitement of Hammer’s first two Frankenstein movies. It has its moments, of course, but overall this film is an embarrassment.
The Plot: Remember where we’d left off with Revenge? Dr. Frankenstein (who was going by the alias “Dr. Stein”) is discovered for what he is, and is severely beaten by the angry villagers. His assistant transplants Frankenstein’s brain into another man-made creature, this time one that looks just like Dr. Frankenstein himself. And then the doctor goes to a new town, with a new alias: “Dr. Frank.”
Well, forget all that. When this film opens, the doctor is back to unabashedly using Frankenstein as his name, and he’s wandering around with his assistant looking for body parts to build a new creature. But he’s run out of money, and comes upon the idea of going back to his vacant, familial manor in Carlstaad to sell off some of the artwork or whatever. When he gets to town he discovers that his castle has been looted, and the Burgomaster is in possession of many of Frankenstein’s things. Frankenstein gets angry, picks a fight with the Burgomaster, and ends up getting chased out of town (never mind that the townsfolk believed him to be dead at the end of the last movie). He seeks shelter in a cave, and there he finds his old creature alive, but frozen in ice. (Haven’t we seen that trope a few times??)
Frankenstein thaws out the creature, takes it back to his abandoned castle, gets the equipment working again, and revives the monster. But he discovers that the brain is essentially on “pause,” and has to be rebooted by a hypnotist. Conveniently, he finds just such a person (named Zoltan) at the local carnival, and brings him to the castle to do his thing.
It works, but Zoltan secretly has the creature do his own bidding, killing his enemies and stealing valuables. When Dr. Frankenstein finds out, he has a row with Zoltan, who in turn commands the creature to kill Frankenstein. For some reason, though, the creature kills Zoltan. It then escapes and starts terrorizing the countryside. Somehow Frankenstein corners the creature back in his castle and it accidentally sets the laboratory ablaze. Frankenstein’s assistant and a mute girl who they’d befriended escape, and Frankenstein and his creature again appear to be consumed by flames and explosions.
There are actually a number of sub-plots that I glossed over, and some of them are fairly entertaining. But it’s hard to overlook how little this film advances the Frankenstein story.
The Monster: This is got to be one of the cheesiest monsters I’ve seen on film. And by that, I mean that its head appears to have been molded out of blue cheese.
You may note a vague similarity to Karloff’s monster, with the high, flat forehead and protruding brow. They say that this reflects Universal-International’s involvement with distributing the film. But I don’t really think it’s much of a homage to the original. This monster is laughably lame. What’s more, this film completely reverses the theme in the last film (Revenge), where the creature was sympathetic and relatable. This creature is just a hulking monster.
The creature is played by Kiwi Kingston, who, it should come as no surprise, is from New Zealand. Like a number of the actors portraying monsters, Kiwi had been a professional wrestler in his earlier years.
The Atmosphere: I have to admit that Hammer does pretty well delivering atmosphere. The costumes, sets, and especially the musical score are quite effective. It’s not realistic, mind you, but it feels like a well-done comic book.
But, as I’ve noted earlier, it’s all suffused with gory and lurid notes, and the whole thing comes across as tawdry rather than creepy. What’s more, the script, some of the acting, and some of the effects are so cheap as to be laughable. (One example is an obvious back-projection when Frankenstein supposedly rides a horse.)
Still, the overall effect is somewhat satisfying. Like a Big Mac. Which you end up regretting after you’ve time to digest it.
General Comments: This is not high art. It’s not even a good movie. But it’s a fun diversion for someone interested in the Frankenstein story, and who is intrigued by tracking the portrayals thereof over the years. So yeah, I guess it feels like research work.
I do have to credit Peter Cushing here though. He rises above the script, and offers a performance that is captivating and, dare I say it, believable. Thankfully, he’s in most of the scenes.
Tomorrow we review a movie that makes Terror of Frankenstein seem like Citizen Kane, by comparison. I am of course talking about Frankenstein Meets the Spacemonster. It’s available on YouTube, for free! It’s worth every penny!
Chasing Phantoms 