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    The Curse of Frankenstein

    Reviewed by
    adamwatchesmovies@

    If you thought 1931’s “Frankenstein” played fast-and-loose with the original source material, The Hammer “reboot” of the series, “Curse of Frankenstein” takes it to a whole new level. That doesn’t make the film bad, but it does take some getting used to seeing yet another interpretation of the story that departs so much from the novel by Mary Shelley.

    Having studied together for years, Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) and Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart) are pioneers in the field of surgery. They have discovered a way to bring animals and organs back to life long after the heart has stopped beating. Paul believes they should present their find to the medical community, but Frankenstein doesn’t want to stop there. He wants to create a man in his own image. This creation of his will be a man that will be born fully-grown, with the brain of a genius and the hands of an artist. Reasonably so, the obsession begins to create a rift between the two.

    Despite what you might expect, the main and most interesting character in “The Curse of Frankenstein” is not the monster, but the doctor. Frankenstein is an evil scientist through and through. At first he’s just doing medical science for discovery’s sake, but he’s never satisfied with the results. Each discovery, no matter how amazing is just a stepping-stone to his dream of becoming God. He’s manipulative, cold, cruel and not above committing any crime, even murders to get what he wants. Even as a young man he’s so specific and robotic in his affairs that you know he can’t really be trusted. If that wasn’t enough, he doesn’t really have any friends. Everyone that’s close to him is being manipulated, like his fiancé Elizabeth (Hazel Court) who is there to prevent Paul from eloping. “Who knows what might happen to her if you weren’t here? ” Ever ambitious, he’s also manipulating the maid and his medical colleagues as well. It’s really interesting to see a horror movie where the villain is the main character, but he isn’t your typical mass murder or masked killer.

    My main complaint is the monster himself. I was pretty excited when I saw the opening credits listing Christopher Lee as the Monster, but it’s a thankless role. The monster is simply a gross-looking, monstrous brute. No personality, depth or anything to make it stand out. It doesn’t have any dialogue and there is maybe one instance where it grunts to show that it’s in pain. No wonder they focus on the Frankenstein character, this monster is not really that interesting at all, not even when it’s going on a rampage.

    The other elements of the film work out a lot better. Hazel court as Elizabeth is quite lovely and pretty good in the role. Robert Urquhart as Paul is a decent foil for our main character, even if he doesn’t stand a chance. You know he’s not nearly smart or ambitious enough to get an upper hand on Grand Moff Tarkin himself! Despite this, Paul is a lot of fun to follow. You’re never sure if he’s going to end up surviving towards the end of the film, or contributing body parts to the monster. When he begins questioning and interfering with Frankenstein’s masterpiece, he really puts himself at risk and that will have you on the edge of your seat. I also enjoyed the character of Justine, who plays the maid of Frankenstein manor. Her role is minor but brings in some nice elements to the story.

    You might be wondering how the centerpiece of any mad scientist movie, the laboratory itself looks. It’s pretty cool. There are a lot of bubbling potions and strange devices that spin or spark. It’s not the greatest you’ll ever see, but it’s convincing enough and the inclusion of a tub filled with acid (used to cover up crimes by dissolving evidence) is nice and ghoulish. Horror fans, you’ll be happy to see that there are quite a few bloody scenes in the film. Yeah the special effects are dated, but this is an older movie so pay it no heed, it’s as good as it gets for the times.

    Unlike most other horror films, “The Curse of Frankenstein” absolutely needs to be seen as part one of a series instead of just by itself. Why? Because this horror movie has something unique: a villainous main character that comes back again and again to expand on his experiments and sow terror. Not in the same way that Freddy Krueger, Jason or Chucky does though, because this guy isn’t about killing people, he’s about the science. Sometimes, killing people just happens to be the most efficient way to find out how a heart starts or stop beating. It’s nothing personal. Sometimes it’s his creation that ends up doing the killing. Either way, he’s going to be responsible for a lot of horrific stuff.

    Part of the appeal of “The Curse of Frankenstein” is that it’s trying something new, but once you get into the series, it’s a lot of fun. If you’ve been curious about the 70’s Hammer Horror legacy, start with “Curse of Frankenstein”. Give it a shot and reserve your judgement until you’ve seen as many of the sequels as possible, it’s a series that grows on ya. (On DVD, September 18, 2014)

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    adamwatchesmovies@  4.12.2015 age: 26-35 2,866 reviews

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