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3
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7 |
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10
= Highest Rating |
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Released
in the States on a double bill with Scars
Of Dracula, this was a rare attempt by Hammer
Films to blend gothic horror with dark, tongue-in-cheek
humor. It bombed. Fans didn't care for the unfamiliar
mixture, nor the replacement of Peter Cushing
in the role of mad scientist supremo Baron Frankenstein.
It was made on the cheap and atypical for Hammer
looks it. None of the people involved in making
the film seem to truly like it either. Yet I enjoyed
the droll, sardonic humor... The injection of
black comedy adds a fresh dimension to the story
that kept me entertained (when I wasn't drooling
over Kate O'Mara, that is). Ultimately though,
this is a failed experiment for Hammer and the
Herr Baron.
The outline of the film's script is basically
a reworking of 1957's Curse
Of Frankenstein. Brilliant young Victor becomes
Baron Frankenstein upon the death of his father,
inheriting the title and all the land and wealth
that comes with it. Together with a friend, Victor
begins a series of scientific experiments with
the goal of harnessing the essential life force
in all living things. As their work grows increasingly
ghoulish, the two comrades have a falling out
over ethics. Only by resorting to murder can Victor
complete construction of his creature which,
once animated, also contributes to local homicide
statistics. His noble social standing can keep
the authorities at bay for only so long; more
trouble is caused for the Baron by a golddigging
housemaid with whomhe's been sleeping. A sweet,
innocent young woman named Elizabeth is also madly
in love with Victor, totally clueless as to his
wicked ways.
Though Horror
shares all these plot elements with Curse
Of Frankenstein, they couldn't be more
different films. The latter was played totally
straight. The first Frankenstein film shot in
color, Curse featured
Peter Cushing's dynamic, star-making portrayal
of the Baron and Christopher Lee's horrific "road
accident" of a creature, which provided genuine
shocks back in '57 (and also put Hammer on the
international cinema map). Sangster's 1970 re-imagining
of the story takes none of the proceedings seriously,
favoring sardonic humor in a gothic setting over
thrills and chills. Cushing's Baron was an amoral
character, obsessed with his experiments, but
not truly evil until his fateful decision to commit
murder. Ralph Bates' take on the character is
significantly different; amoral and arrogant yes,
but completely devoid of
conscience from the get-go as a teen he murders
his own father in a staged hunting "accident"
to speed up his inheritance. To him, everyone
else in the world is an intellectual inferior;
their lives mean nothing to him beyond what he
can derive from them. Presenting a charming face
to the world when it benefits him, friendships
are cultivated purely for personal gain. He's
a narcissistic cad, of course, a womanizer who
views females as nothing more than bedwarming
splooge receptacles. Beyond himself, nothing and
no one means anything to him at all
except for
his Godlike dream to "make a person". (The genesis
of this obsession, by the way, is never explained.)
Bates pulls this off rather well. No "mad" scientist,
he. He's not insanely obsessed just utterly
cold, ruthless and callous. With a wry sense of
humor to boot.
Unfortunately Bates' spin on the character
can't carry the film. Nor can sexy Kate O'Mara's
deliciously hammy turn as the Baron's scheming
housemaid Alys beauty and acting skills aside,
her Irish brogue is out of place coming from a
character who's supposed to be Austrian. Gorgeous
Veronica Carlson, a favorite scream queen of Hammer
fans, is given nothing to do as the bubbleheaded
blonde Elizabeth but act stupid and moon over
Victor. Dennis Price (Vampyros
Lesbos) is on hand to provide additional comic
relief as a cheerfully seedy graverobber, but
by the time he shows up the movie after a briskly
paced first act has slowed to a crawl. The monster
doesn't even appear until two-thirds the way through!
Dave Prowse, who played Darth Vader in the first
Star Wars trilogy
(James Earl Jones provided the voice), is the
least memorable Frankenstein creation in the history
of the movies. Boris Karloff became a silver screen
immortal with his masterful portrayal of the man-made
creature; others are generally remembered for
their silly, gonzo makeup. (The "Mr. Potato Head"
monster in Dracula
Vs. Frankenstein springs to mind in
this regard, as does the mushroom-domed penis-domed?
creature in Mel Welles' Lady
Frankenstein.) Though the Hammer Frankenstein
films always focused more on the Baron than his
creations, it would seem that very little thought
at all went into designing this one. (The massive,
lumbering Prowse is certainly believable smashing
through doors and such, however.) What Horror
Of Frankenstein really needed, given its
"modern" spin on the tale, was a good dose of
nudity and/or gore to keep things lively. Sadly,
it contains none of the former and very little
of the latter. Casual horror fans will likely
be bored to death.
For die-hard "Hammerheads" only.
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Anchor
Bay comes through again with a blemish-free, widescreen
video transfer and clear Dolby Mono audio mix. Bonus
features are plentiful considering the relatively
low regard in which the flick is held: two theatrical
trailers (including the combo preview for the double
bill pairing it with
Scars Of Dracula, also
available on the DVD edition of that film); a production
stills/lobby card gallery set to music from the
film's score; a 14-minute video interview with Veronica
Carlson, who shares anecdotes about the three Hammer
films she appeared in along with her memories of
co-stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing; and
another slide show gallery showcasing some of Carlson's
original artwork. (A talented artist, our favorite
of the paintings is her portrait of an impish Michael
Ripper.)
An audio commentary is also included, featuring
director/co-writer Jimmy Sangster and Hammer historian
Marcus Hearns. Scriptwriter on most of the early
Hammer classics, the elderly Sangster holds forth
on his participation in those films as well as the
production of Horror Of Frankenstein.
Interesting for the Hammer fan but a rather dry
affair for anyone else.
8/19/01 |
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