Director: Terence Fisher
Cast: Peter Cushing, Hazel Court, Robert Urquhart, Christopher Lee
Screenplay: Jimmy Sangster
83 mins. Approved.

The year is 1957. Universal’s company of monster horror films has essentially run its course twice, once in th early 1930s and then a resurgence in the 40s. By the 50s, The Creature from the Black Lagoon is the only film that’s referred to as part of the canon, and it takes most of its cues from the current string of science fiction/monster/big bug films just as much as anything else. Along came Hammer Films, which attempted to do the unthinkable: they planned what amounts to horror reboots of Frankenstein and then quickly Dracula and The Mummy. Going back to the drawing board, and this time with the benefit of glorious color, Hammer re-adapted Mary Shelley’s iconic novel, forced to keep its difference from James Whale’s iconic interpretation, and succeeded in making…well, a new iconic vision.

After the death of his family, the young but brilliant Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing, Star Wars) begins experimenting with the reanimation of the dead, much to the concern of his instructor and friend Paul Krempe (Paul Urquhart, The Dogs of War). When Victor’s fascination turns away from animals and toward human flesh, Paul will have none of it, but Victor pushes on without him, crafting a creature made from the discarded cadavers of the dead and a damaged brain, Victor’s Creature (Christopher Lee, The Lord of the Rings) goes on a rampage, endangering him and the people around him.

Whereas Universal’s Frankenstein franchise chose Boris Karloff’s Monster as the main mascot, this Hammer series of films is all about the Doctor himself. In many ways, he is the central monster of this franchise, and each film showcases more of his depraved creations, blurring the lines of who really is the villain. This allows the excellent and deliciously wicked Cushing to have a lot of fun, especially in crafting a despicable and dangerous man at the center, a true character study. The Colin Clive version of Frankenstein is far more sympathetic, a man who is on the cusp of losing his soul; Cushing plays Frankenstein as a man who’s already lost his. It’s an excellent, career-making portrayal that evolves as the dangerous doctor moves through each installment, but especially in this one, Victor takes what he wants in either dead flesh or the living, and of the living, he has his way with it via his scientific experiments or, in the case of his sexual pursuits of Justine, a woman who works for him. He cares not for feelings, only to satisfy that power he has over both the living and the dead, a true monster.

Lee’s Creature is simple, but the look is quite effective. Lee has always had some thankless jobs in the Hammer films, but he always puts his effort in, and with The Creature, we have a sad, pathetic mop of body parts that is the embodiment of Cushing’s power, working for his deeds until they can no longer be sated. The Creature is a tool until it outlives its usefulness, working antithetically from Paul, the moral compass of the film. Paul wants to protect both Victor and his betrothed, Elizabeth (Hazel Court, The Masque of the Red Death), but sadly she is too blind by love for the doctor who cares little for her, and she cannot see the danger lurking behind the laboratory door.

What Universal and James Whale did for black-and-white atmosphere, Terence Fisher and Hammer have crafted a gorgeously-produced and lushly photographed world, complete with laboratory ambience. This is a stunning and cinematic picture. Hammer Horror has always been the home of beautiful castle sets and lovely costumes, and Curse of Frankenstein is no exception. Terence Fisher is one of the most important directors in all of horror, defining an entire era and the visual aesthetic of an entire company. He never got his flowers in the way that Universal’s stable of directors did, but I’d argue his designs for his big free (Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Mummy) have been as influential (if not moreso) to the horror landscape as their thematic predecessors.

The Curse of Frankenstein takes the landmark story in a different direction, a spectacular introduction for the rarely used villainous take on the titular doctor and a lushly produced enviroment full of sparkling light and stunning darkness. As always, liberties have been taken with the central adaptation, but I don’t mind, as we’ve had so many takes on Frankenstein and I just want a director’s stamp, which this film very much has. It’s disturbing, especially an early scene of canine resurrection, and it sets the tone, not just for Frankenstein but always for Hammer as a studio and a label.

4/5
-Kyle A. Goethe

For more Terence Fisher: Phantom of the Opera, The Devil Rides Out