The Curse of Frankenstein

Terence Fisher (1957)

79min

X Certificate

Review

Our Score

by Alan Jones

This was the classic that single-handedly revived traditional British Gothic and firmly placed the "Hammer House of Horror" on the global gore map. Peter Cushing is the demented Baron who yearns to resurrect the dead, while Christopher Lee plays the hideous creature who proves his mad theories correct. With its gruesome atmosphere, unflinching direction and outstanding design, this phenomenally successful film was the first colour version of Mary Shelley's gallows fairy tale, setting a standard Hammer found it hard to live up to.

Summary

An obsessive scientist is determined to create life and builds a creature using parts taken from various corpses. He succeeds in animating the monster, but its brain is damaged in the process, driving it mad and causing it to embark on a killing spree. The first in Hammer's series of horror films inspired by Mary Shelley's novel, starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.