The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Bruce B

  
  This film produced by Hammer Studio's is just a little different then most of the Frankenstein stories. Hammer Studio seem to always create a great cast of actors and actresses, this film is no exception. Frankenstein's monster wasn't only created once but twice in this… More
  This film produced by Hammer Studio's is just a little different then most of the Frankenstein stories. Hammer Studio seem to always create a great cast of actors and actresses, this film is no exception. Frankenstein's monster wasn't only created once but twice in this movie. And the good doctor doesn't burn in this movie but goes to prison for kill his lover / maid. 3 1/2 stars.

• AJ V

  
  Another Frankenstein movie, but with the great Hammer Horror cast, with Cushing and Lee as the stars. It's pretty good, but the original Frankenstein is better.

• Conner R

  
  While I certainly used to hold this in higher regard than I do now, it's still a really good movie and focuses on the actual humanity of Dr. Frankenstein. Peter Cushing does a great job at being the most cold and calculated human being, that is where the horror is present in the… More
  While I certainly used to hold this in higher regard than I do now, it's still a really good movie and focuses on the actual humanity of Dr. Frankenstein. Peter Cushing does a great job at being the most cold and calculated human being, that is where the horror is present in the movie. The Monster isn't really featured all that much, which was a brave move considering audience expectations. Where this really just doesn't cut it anymore is the lacking of true storytelling. There's some nicely written dialogue, but it never reaches you on an emotional level. This is a fun movie without a doubt and very watchable, the positives definitely outweigh the negative aspects.

• Stella D

  
  hammer's version of the familiar story with the always awesome peter cushing as the baron. i have to say i much prefer karloff's monster to christopher lee tho

• David L

  
  Like most of the classic tales, Frankenstein has had a twist put on it by the fantastic Hammer studios. It has actually been done by Hammer many times, but this film is the one that sticks closest to the original source material. That's not to say that it sticks to it entirely,… More
  Like most of the classic tales, Frankenstein has had a twist put on it by the fantastic Hammer studios. It has actually been done by Hammer many times, but this film is the one that sticks closest to the original source material. That's not to say that it sticks to it entirely, not by a long shot; as Terence Fisher has still found than enough room for changes to the classic tale, thus making this film a fresh take on the classic tale. Peter Cushing stars as Baron Frankenstein; a role which may well be his finest of all time. Cushing's Frankenstein is more malevolent than the character usually is, giving this film a different twist on the tale from the start. In the Universal classic, Frankenstein was a mad scientist that realised his mistake, and thus the audience was able to forgive him after he repented his sins. Here, we have no such luck; the Frankenstein in this film is a completely morally bankrupt character that seeks no redemption for his sins. We follow Frankenstein from being a boy and taking control of the Frankenstein estate. It is then that he meets his tutor and later collaborator on his experiments, Paul Krempe. We then follow the two as they conduct experiments in an attempt to bring the living back to life, a la the classic story. It's also a bonus to see Frankenstein in color as most, if not all, of the Frankenstein films before this one were in black and white. Naturally, the inclusion of Peter Cushing in the lead role does this film no end of favors and despite his character being so awful, we are still able like him just because it's Peter Cushing. Cushing's co-star is Robert Urquhart, who plays his tutor. Urquhart does well with the role and it's a shame that the actor never made more notable films because he's not bad at all. The cast is topped off by Cushing's long time collaborator and a man that would go on to become one of Hammer's biggest stars - the excellent Christopher Lee, who does a grand job in a campy turn as the monster itself. The Curse of Frankenstein is one of Hammer's best production, this stands tall as a solid entry in their oeuvre and is recommended to horror fans

• Stephen M

  
  First of the Gothic Hammers and the first of their seven 'Frankenstein' films, all but two of which ("The Evil of..." and "The Horror of...") were directed by Terence Fisher. Christopher Lee did not return to the role of The Monster for subsequent… More
  First of the Gothic Hammers and the first of their seven 'Frankenstein' films, all but two of which ("The Evil of..." and "The Horror of...") were directed by Terence Fisher. Christopher Lee did not return to the role of The Monster for subsequent outings. Cushing appeared in all of the sequels except "The Horror of...", which starred Ralph Bates. Though better known for their 'Dracula' series, the Frankenstein films were generally superior.

• Dr Blood  

  
  Christopher Lee looks odd as the monster because Universal had copyright over the traditional ''bolts through the neck'' makeup. Some say the improvisation is better but you can't help feeling that it would have been nicer to have had the Karloff monster in… More
  Christopher Lee looks odd as the monster because Universal had copyright over the traditional ''bolts through the neck'' makeup. Some say the improvisation is better but you can't help feeling that it would have been nicer to have had the Karloff monster in it.

• Matthew Y

  
  The Curse of Frankenstein kick started the Hammer Films low-budget remakes of Universal Monster movies just about all of which star Peter Cushing (always the protagonist) and Christopher Lee (always the monster) and were directed by Terence Fisher. Aside from being the first… More
  The Curse of Frankenstein kick started the Hammer Films low-budget remakes of Universal Monster movies just about all of which star Peter Cushing (always the protagonist) and Christopher Lee (always the monster) and were directed by Terence Fisher. Aside from being the first it's also one of the best and a top 5 Frankenstein movie of all-time. Must see for horror fans and general audiences should check out at least one Hammer Horror Film before they die.

• Brandon K

  
  The monster looked worse than it did in the 30's.

• cody f

  
  Enjoyable Hammer version on the Frankenstein story. Great relationship between Cushing (Baron Frankenstein) Urquhart(his mentor and partner Paul). Cushing is obsessive, not mad in this which makes it more realistic and the story concentrates on the tearing apart of a partnership more… More
  Enjoyable Hammer version on the Frankenstein story. Great relationship between Cushing (Baron Frankenstein) Urquhart(his mentor and partner Paul). Cushing is obsessive, not mad in this which makes it more realistic and the story concentrates on the tearing apart of a partnership more than the monster itself. Christoper Lee is sad and creepy as the tortured monster. The studio had to come up with it's own version of the monster because of Universal's copyright of the Karloff monster and it looks like a decomposing version of Michael Myers, which is effective in bright 50's color. If you like Hammer films this is a must.

• MJS M

  
  My exploration of Hammer horror doesn?t get much rosier with this film, although it is a marked improvement over The Brides of Dracula. The main problem is that, again, this takes forever to get started. The movie wastes a good hour waiting for Frankenstein to finally make his… More
  My exploration of Hammer horror doesn?t get much rosier with this film, although it is a marked improvement over The Brides of Dracula. The main problem is that, again, this takes forever to get started. The movie wastes a good hour waiting for Frankenstein to finally make his monster, contrast this to the Universal version which wisely has the monster coming alive well before the twenty minute mark. I was hoping this would at least have some good technical elements like the way they killed Dracula in The Horror of Dracula, but that wasn?t to be. The monster here looks like it was a dude in a slightly above average Halloween costume, its particularly lame when seen in daylight. The film has none of the atmosphere that James Whale was able to evoke in the 1931 production. It?s also got a really dumb and pointless framing story.

• Leo L

  
  Great!

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