When I was a kid, I loved watching The World Of Hammer on SBS, the doco series that was basically a greatest hits package of Hammer Horror narrated by Oliver Reed. Seeing that Hammer Studios made their own version of Frankenstein, my kid brain had a weird brand loyalty to the Boris Karloff Frankenstein, like, “that’s how Frankenstein should look, not this British knock off.” I didn’t realise historically that The Curse Of Frankenstein (1957) came before the Christoper Lee Dracula series – that the success of this film, Hammer Studios’ first full colour movie, led to The Horror Of Dracula. In any case, the monster here takes a back seat to Peter Cushing in the lead as Baron Von Frankenstein, narrating his tale from a filthy prison cell to a visiting priest. The familiar beats of the story are here – pursuit of scientific glory, grave robbing, medical experiments, a lumbering monster – but the best change is how Dr. Frankenstein is characterised as a dashing, intelligent sociopath, someone who cheats on his bride with the maid while being quite happy to sacrifice anyone who gets in his way of creating new life. It’s a role that Cushing excels at, remaining coldly charismatic as an absolute rotter. Lee has some moments as the monster, kind of resembling a zombified ‘Hard Day’s Night’ era Beatle with his mop top and grey suit. Directed and written by Hammer Studios stalwarts, Terence Fisher and Jimmy Sangster respectively. While not as lurid or violent as the Hammer films from the 1960s and 1970s, The Curse Of Frankenstein is still entertaining, ribald and fun with its old-school sets, costumes, effects and score. Now to decide upon whether to explore further the five sequels with Cushing reprising his role. Available to rent/purchase on iTunes. Recommended.
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