Locked in a cell, an hour away from the guillotine, Baron Frankenstein recounts to a priest how he built a creature from human body parts and successfully brought it to life.The Curse of Frankenstein might not be one of my favourite of Hammer's Frankenstein films—I prefer the studio's later entries in the series with their lurid gore and overt sexuality—but I still hold it in extremely high regard for helping to revive the flagging horror genre (sci-fi having dominated much of the fifties) and for being the first film to team British horror icons Peter Cushing (as Baron Victor Frankenstein) and Christopher Lee (who plays his creation).Working with a limited budget, director Terence Fisher stages much the action within Victor's home and laboratory, his film very much a character driven piece, with Cushing's obsessed scientist to the fore and Lee's monster taking a back seat. Thankfully, Cushing is such an accomplished performer that he is able to carry the film virtually by himself, delivering a truly chilling turn as a genius driven to unspeakable acts by his obsession. Lee, on the other hand, simply gets to stumble around a bit (he would get his chance to really shine the following year in Hammer's Dracula).6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for Hazel Court as the Baron's cousin Elizabeth, who adds some welcome glamour to proceedings.

Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) is moping inside a jail cell, awaiting execution by guillotine for his crimes. Desperate for somebody to believe his story, he calls in a priest (Alex Gallier) and relates his sad tale. He'd been determined to realize his dream of contriving a man made being, and succeeded to some degree, bringing a scar faced brute (Sir Christopher Lee) to deadly life. But his associate / tutor Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart) had developed a severe case of scruples, deciding that absolutely nothing good could come of their activities.This was the film that really made the fortunes for Britains' famed Hammer Studios. They truly gave the Gothic horror a fresh coat of colorful paint in the 1950s, and set a standard in period detail and set decoration that they would maintain for over the next decade and a half. Even after period horror was no longer in vogue, they gamely continued in their pursuits. They played up the sex appeal of the material with their attractively costumed, lovely female cast members, and also upped the level of on screen violence.Hammer makeup expert Phil Leakey gave the towering Lee an appropriately gruesome face to behold, no matter if it's not iconic as Jack Pierces' work was in the Universal horrors of the 30s and 40s. Director Terence Fisher does a commendable job that would help see him become a favorite in house filmmaker for Hammer. And that laboratory equipment is quite fun to look at; there are some potent images here for fans to enjoy.Cushing is, as always, wonderful, and he makes a character that otherwise would come off as a coldly stubborn, dangerous fool a definite degree of likability. Lee does a fine job, equally menacing and somewhat sympathetic. Beautiful Hazel Court is our appealing leading lady, and Urquhart is excellent as the moral centre to Mary W. Shelley's classic tale. Valerie Gaunt, Paul Hardtmuth, and Melvyn Hayes are among those in an engaging supporting cast.Although not as thickly atmospheric as it might have been in black & white, "The Curse of Frankenstein" does entertain in a straightforward, quickly paced manner.Seven out of 10.

The Curse of Frankenstein was a monster smash at the UK box office. A low budget, colourful and Gothic re-telling of the Frankenstein story. Less baroque that the later Kenneth Branagh version of the 1990s this was the film that began the reputation of Hammer horror films.Christopher Lee plays the revived monster a world away from the flat headed and flat footed Boris Karloff whose makeup was trademarked to Universal Pictures.The real monster is Peter Cushing's Baron Frankenstein, an obsessive scientist, unethical and a cold blooded murderer. He performs medical experiments with his friend Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart) to reanimate tissue. Whereas Krempe has doubts, Frankenstein has none.In fact the viewer has little sympathy for any of the main characters. Krempe damages the brain that Frankenstein has procured, the result is a homicidal monster. Krempe can never get away from his former pupil and you know he is attracted to his fiancée.The film is more melodramatic than horror but its very flawed. Their are good production values, it is colourful. The scene where the old professor takes a plunge is well photographed but the constant argument between Krempe and Frankenstein gets irritating.

Let's get the usual caveats out of the way first, which are almost essential when a horror geek like myself is discussing this movie. There are so many historical reasons that this is an "important film". The first, and obvious, being that it was the first color horror film created by Hammer Studios and so launched the studio that would rule Brit horror for more than a decade to follow and change the landscape of the genre. Forgoing its' importance to Hammer, it is also considered by many to have "saved horror". By the late 50s ghouls and monsters and the old Gothic horror tradition had passed out of vogue to be replaced by giant creatures and radioactive animals. This movie brought real horror back to the masses in a big way. The last thing I will point out is that the movie had a huge effect on bringing sex into the horror genre. When you think of modern horror, sex and violence seem almost connected. While there were certainly horror movies before this with a sexual tone, Hammer brought it to the forefront and had a big effect.We don't watch movies for historical relevance, though. We watch them for entertainment, so let's get to the nitty gritty. It's hard to review this without the inevitable comparisons to Universal's movie, which I consider to be superior. The biggest change is that this is not a movie about the monster in any way. This is firmly a movie about Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein and he does a phenomenal job. Cushing established his horror rep here in a role playing a man who was not inherently evil, but obsessed with his dream of creating life and never considering the implications. As that dream gets closer to fruition, he is willing to do whatever necessary to fulfill that dream. He is the force that carries this movie, entirely, which is also what makes it less entertaining that Uni's movie, to me. It could have benefited from a little more monster.While we're discussing the monster, he's almost a cardboard caricature here. The makeup is sort of a mess and not as memorable as the Jack Pierce work. It's definitely a "scarier look" but isn't nearly as iconic. Christopher Lee is given almost nothing to do. The monster has no real personality. He kills because that's what the script needs and there is none of the tragedy of Karloff's role.The look of the movie is fantastic, as with most Hammer. This feels like a Reubens painting come to life, with a vibrant, rich color palette. The sets and costumes are lavish, though the lab is a little more realistic than Colin Clive's lab in the Uni movie and lacks some of the distinction. Hazel Court plays the obligatory beautiful gal and fills that role well.I was trying hard not to compare t the Uni classic, but failed in the end. While it may not be as good as that standard, I still give this a 9 out of 10 because it's still one of greatest horror movies of any era. It's paced well, it's exciting, it features some great acting and it created the Hammer blueprint that would dominate horror.