Michael_Elliott The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) * 1/2 (out of 4)Victor Frankenstein (Ralph Bates) stages his own father's murder so that he can get the family money and head off to a college where he can continue to learn his trade. Before long he is stealing dead bodies so that he can experiment with life but the creature he makes could lead to his downfall.After a number of pictures with Peter Cushing in the role of Dr. Frankenstein, Hammer decided to start the decade off going in a new direction and even the biggest fanboy will admit that the result is the worst picture they did with the subject. THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN is basically a retelling of the 1931 Universal picture as well as THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN but sadly it's a complete failure all around.There is so much wrong with this picture but you can start with the incredibly dull and lifeless screenplay that doesn't have anything going for it. I guess they wanted to present this Dr. Frankenstein to a younger crowd so the first three scenes in the movie basically has him being a know-it-all jerk and proving people wrong. These scenes, I'm guessing, were meant to be funny but they're more annoying than anything.Another major problem is that nothing new or original is done with the entire story. We get non-stop scenes of boring dialogue with characters going back on forth and discussing things that just aren't all that interesting. Even worse is the fact that the film finally gets the monster and delivers a major dud. This monster is without question one of the worst looking in the history of Frankenstein on film. You've basically got an extended head and that's it! Take a look at the red markings on his body and you'd swear someone with a crayon drew them on!So, with a boring story, a weak Frankenstein and an awful monster, what does THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN get right? Well, not too much actually but I guess you could say that it was well-filmed and the sets do look nice. Yes, that's about all that this film offers, which is too bad because Hammer really could have came into the new decade with something strong but instead they deliver a weak and old-fashioned dud.

Karl Ericsson This is a Comedy and a parody and still it isn't silly. That's what all Frankensteins Before this one were with the obvious exception of The Bride of Frankenstein but that's Another story. The scientific part of at all is of course ridiculous but that is what to be expected and the film makes no excuses. The actors play it all in the best Hammer manor, which is as if it all was Shakespeare or worse. Peter Cushing is not among the actors, which is good in this case because then the film would have taken off in totally different direction and lost most of its humour.

Sean Jump Horror of Frankenstein was an attempt by Hammer films to reboot their long-running Frankenstein franchise, sans the star of the previous popular films, Peter Cushing. Despite the gaping hole left in the film by Cushing's absence, Hammer put together what was nonetheless a formidable cast and crew that should have managed to make a very fine picture. But at some point the decision was apparently made to reinvent the story as a comedy or satire on the whole Frankenstein theme, with virtually disastrous results. Director Jimmy Sangster was a solid choice to helm the film, but while everything is competently filmed the ridiculous tone ruins what is otherwise a rich and colorful Gothic atmosphere. As the title character, Ralph Bates may not be Peter Cushing but he does convey the sort of ruthless, amoral intelligence that the part demands, and it's likely that Mr. Bates could have played a more serious conception of the character quite well. Naturally, this being a Hammer production, the film is graced by a pair of especially lovely actresses in the well-endowed persons of Kate O'Mara and Veronica Carlson, and both of them do a fine job (and, notably, are allowed to play their roles rather seriously). O'Mara brings just the right amount of seductive charm and cold self-interest to the part of Frankenstein's housemaid and lover, while Carlson's innocent Elizabeth is absolutely irresistible (to any man but the twisted Frankenstein, at least). Without these two gifted actresses, the picture would be even more lackluster than it is. It should also be noted that the monster, played by David Prowse (yes, Darth Vader himself) is quite powerful and intimidating, with a bigger mean streak than Hammer often portrayed Frankenstein's creatures with. Prowse's monster is a nearly unstoppable killing machine, barely kept in check by Frankenstein's unholy influence, and provides a much-needed kick to the frequently silly proceedings. If the director had made a straight horror film, Prowse's version of the monster would probably be remembered as a truly frightening one. As it is, the tongue-in-cheek approach undercuts Prowse's effective performance. It's hard to imagine why the road to high camp was taken as opposed to Hammer's tried-and-true formula of Gothic chillers, unless someone was overcome by a burning desire to break out of the mould and do something different for a change. Horror of Frankenstein is different, though in a very unfortunate manner. All the pieces were in place to craft a fine remake of 1957's Curse of Frankenstein, but the satirical approach is a failure all-around. It's never even really funny, and the climax, as such, is a frustrating bomb of epic proportions. On the one hand, everyone involved deserves a lot of credit for managing to avoid making a truly awful movie despite the badly conceived humor, especially the beautiful Carlson and O'Mara and the imposing Prowse. But on the other, it's a shame that such a great opportunity was wasted. Hammer completists and fans of the cast may not regret checking this one out, but everyone else is better off sticking with Hammer's earlier, and more serious, Frankenstein efforts.

kevin olzak The only time Hammer presented a Frankenstein-Dracula double bill was in 1970, with "The Horror of Frankenstein" shot back-to-back with "Scars of Dracula." Neither was an artistic triumph, and both also slipped out together on the drive-in circuit in the US, courtesy of the short lived distribution outfit American Continental Films Inc.(their meagre five picture existence including one other Hammer title, 1970's "Lust for a Vampire"). These two films also began the downward spiral of Hammer Films, as American financing ended with their last production, "The Vampire Lovers" (done with American International Pictures). All future Hammers would find difficulty getting distributed outside Britain, and many would quickly find their way to American TV screens. "The Horror of Frankenstein" is an aberration in the Hammer series, the only entry without the beloved Peter Cushing in the starring role, although he did pose with the cast on the set for publicity purposes. Longtime Hammer screenwriter Jimmy Sangster originally passed on Jeremy Burnham's outline of the script, but once he was offered the chance to direct, he leapt at the opportunity. Groomed for horror stardom, Ralph Bates was the only choice for Victor Frankenstein, and this certainly qualifies as his finest hour at Hammer. Sangster went on to direct twice more for Hammer (1970's "Lust for a Vampire" and 1972's "Fear in the Night"), accounting for three of Bates' five Hammer titles, and they obviously worked well together. Critics at the time were somewhat positive in their reviews of this film, rather more negative toward "Scars of Dracula," and both have been quite maligned ever since. It's true that HORROR isn't up to the standards of the Peter Cushing features, but it's still superior to at least 1964's "The Evil of Frankenstein," the only other Hammer entry not directed by Terence Fisher (Freddie Francis did much better with 1968's "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave"). While Cushing tried hard to bring life (pun intended) to the Universal-imitation antics scripted by John Elder (producer Anthony Hinds) for EVIL, HORROR is a fairly straightforward remake of Hammer's own "The Curse of Frankenstein," the one that started it all in 1957. This time, the proceedings are done tongue-in-cheek, which Sangster now admits was a mistake, but I don't see how else they could have remade it, short of out and out comedy ("Andy Warhol's Frankenstein"). This way, viewers have the option of taking the film seriously, with the cast and crew sharing their amusement with the audience. The familiar plot is given life by the new interpretation, with Ralph Bates' Frankenstein starting out as a randy student interested in anatomy, mostly female, abruptly terminating his education to return to his ancestral castle to begin work on his own personal experiments. Right off the bat, we are presented with a Frankenstein that differs from Cushing's, in that this one performs his duties in the most self-serving manner possible, first arranging the 'accidental' death of his wealthy father, moving on to electrocuting his best friend when the fear of exposure prompts him to act quickly, and when his Monster escapes and commits murder, does not hesitate to put the blame on another trusted friend, engaged simply as a cook. The audience is kept at arms length from Bates, whose antics do not endear him to us, despite Sangster's attempts to soften things up with low key humor, acceptable to a point. He becomes more unlikable as the film goes on, especially when taunting Jon Finch's inspector, investigating the monster's mayhem. Veronica Carlson has little to do as Frankenstein's paramour, who isn't even allowed the privilege of becoming engaged to the man she loves, while luscious Kate O'Mara and her Irish accent steals every scene as the housekeeper/lover with the impressive cleavage. Dennis Price is great fun as the elderly grave robber whose pregnant wife (Joan Rice) does all the digging (Price would go on to play Dr. Frankenstein in two Jesus Franco turkeys). As The Monster, Dave Prowse is allowed to display his imposing weightlifter's physique wrapped in bandages, but later admitted he received little direction from Sangster. Given the square-headed, imitation Karloff look first employed for Kiwi Kingston in EVIL, Prowse hasn't much to work with, brought to life just 30 minutes before the film's conclusion. He periodically escapes and actually kills in obeying his creator's bidding, a plot device never employed by Cushing's Frankenstein, bringing back shades of Karloff and Lugosi working in tandem in 1939's "Son of Frankenstein." Prowse is allowed little in the way of personality, and would benefit from his later Monster in 1973's "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell," this time opposite the always endearing Cushing. Yes, Ralph Bates suffers in comparison, but that's the way it was written, and quite understandable that no attempt was made to continue the series with him, despite the ending leaving him free to continue his work (at least Cushing was sentenced to hang). No classic, but not a bad film, "The Horror of Frankenstein" aired three times on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater ("Scars of Dracula," "Lust for a Vampire" aka "To Love a Vampire," and "Fear in the Night" were also shown at other times)- Nov 30 1974 (followed by 1966's "Return from the Past" aka "Dr. Terror's Gallery of Horror"), July 10 1976 (following 1967's "King Kong Escapes"), and Dec 9 1978 (followed by 1965's "Planet on the Prowl" aka "War Between the Planets").