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The
Curse of Frankenstein
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9
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5 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Guest
Review by John
J. Cook |
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"Wicked!
Insane! EVIL!" the trailer bellows, describing
the one and only Peter Cushing, star of what many
consider to be the first modern horror film: The
Curse of Frankenstein. A mad mix of Grimm
fairy tale, costume melodrama, and Gray's Anatomy,
Curse brought back
the gothic horror film like no other since the
Universal Monsters of the 1930s and '40s. It was
that same "classic" monster movie experience —
albeit with a splash of crimson and pasty, green
flesh.
When I think of Hammer's Curse
of Frankenstein (1957), certain images
spring immediately to mind: dead, brown, shivery
leaves whirling in a bleak and sinister forest
encircling the heavy black boots of a misshapen,
repugnant "creature." Two men, one with a rifle,
who aims and fires at this grotesque figure's
green, scarred and mangled face... Black blood
gushes out between the corpse-like fingers of
the Creature. Another image is of actor Peter
Cushing in a prison cell, recounting the story
of his unholy creation to a jailhouse priest before
being sent to the guillotine for murder. Cushing,
with his gaunt face, disheveled hair, and tired,
sagging eyes, tells his macabre story to the "one
who would listen" (the padre) with the same frenzied
energy in which he plays the role that he'd be
forever identified with: Baron Victor Frankenstein.
The Curse of Frankenstein
borrows from both the immortal Boris Karloff original
and Mary Shelley's work, but is a totally unique
story all its own. Jimmy Sangster was one of Hammer's
best screenwriters, and his refreshing focus on
the Baron instead of his "creation" deliniate
this film (and the other Hammer Frankenstein films)
from their Universal counterparts. Here, Cushing
is the star —
he's the villain that you both love and hate.
He is the one that the audience sees wreaking
murder and mayhem, scheme diabolically, dismembering
corpses and fetching body parts. Christopher Lee
does evoke some pity with his portrayal of the
"Creature" (as it's explicitly referred
to in the film), especially when he's turned into
an obediant 'animal' after the Baron labotomizes
him.
The strongest relationship in this film is
that of the Baron and his tutor and friend, Paul
Krempe (Robert Urquhart). Paul initially assists
Victor with his experiments with life and death.
They develop a life-long friendship until Paul
realizes Victor has become obsessed with his detestable
experiments; he suspects him of obtaining body
parts through less than savory means. A wedge
is finally driven between the two men once Victor's
cousin, Elizabeth (Hazel Court), comes to live
with him. Paul almost immediately tells her she
must leave, that she's in danger. Elizabeth is
naturally confused by this, explaining that she
is betrothed to Victor and the two will soon wed.
We know that any hope of marital bliss was doomed
from the moment she entered the House of Frankenstein...
Cushing's character, the Baron, is your classic
anti-hero. He can sit by the fire and sip a fine,
red wine after just having pushed an old man to
his death, or, after a nighttime jaunt to the
undertaker, proudly display to his friend a fresh
set of severed eye-balls or hands. He reminds
me, slightly, of Hannibal Lecter.... A mad genius,
likable yet evil.
The Curse of Frankenstein
was the first movie to pair two marquee names
which easily rank alongside Bela Lugosi and Boris
Karloff, the ever watchable Peter Cushing and
Christopher Lee —
two fine, British gentleman actors who have immortalized
themselves to generations of horror and sci-fi
filmgoers.
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Finally,
after a long, long wait Warner Brothers has
released this Hammer horror classic on DVD, and
it was worth it. Of course, had Anchor Bay or Blue
Underground released the film there would be tons
of extras —
interviews, TV spots, etc. —
which you won't get here. It's a disappointment.
I won't waste a lot of time lamenting the fact.
Since you can purchase both this and Horror
of Dracula at some stores for under $15 it's
a no-brainer that you'll add this DVD to your collection.
As a horror fan, though, I can't help but think
what could've been, and maybe someday Warner Brothers
will too. Give them some credit —
they've finally released the film, it's a great
transfer (1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen), and the
cover art, from a foreign movie poster, looks awesome.
The special features on this disc aren't so
special, unfortunately. There's scene access (come
on, that's a special feature?) the theatrical
trailer, two language tracks (English and Francais),
plus optional subtitles in English, French, Spanish,
and Portuguese. There are a few production notes
brushing over the history of the Hammer Frankenstein
films, but they're quite skimpy and nothing special.
I would've been happy with even a 10-minute featurette
like those Columbia did for their William Castle
releases —
no such luck here. Now, until Warner Bros. decides
to really make "special" editions of these classic
Hammer titles I'll gladly purchase their discs at
a discounted rate... but c'mon Warner, Anchor Bay
and the like are consistently beating you at your
own game —
and for almost the same price.
But even with this somewhat disappointing release,
it's a very simple call: if you're a horror fan
worth your blood and brains, you'll pick up a copy
of The Curse of Frankenstein
on DVD. 10/19/02 |
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