Frank Watch: The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Watched:  10/24/2026

Viewing:  Third?

Format:  Disc

Director:  Terence Fisher

One of the fun things about having Peter Cushing in so many Hammer and horror movies is that you can see how Hammer had specific ideas and Cushing absolutely crushes it when he plays both the absolutely vile Victor Frankenstein versus the obsessive but good Van Helsing. 

Yes, of course, Christopher Lee shows his range as The Creature and Dracula - two *very* different roles.  But Cushing goes from one of the most well-crafted concepts for a villain in cinema in the Frankenstein movies to one of the most driven/ obsessed heroes in Van Helsing.   Good stuff.

Hammer's Frankenstein movies are the opposite of the Universal pictures.  First, they know that Frankenstein is the name of the creator - and, second, they focus on the doctor in every single movie (Henry Frankenstein only appears in 2 films of the Universal films, and then the name is bestowed to the creature).  With Hammer, the creature is a product of Victor's genius and madness in the first movie and never appears again.  Instead, the movies are about Victor Frankenstein being 100% right, that he *does* know how to create life, sees everyone else is below him in intellect and therefore only valued if of use to him, personally.  He's also largely on the run.

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) is a departure so large from the Shelley novel it's kind of mind-boggling, but as its own thing - a series of movies about the arrogant and psychopathic doctor, it's wild to see where the movies go.  That said, I've only seen the first five, and it's been some time since I watched the rest.

The movie creates Paul Krempke (Robert Urquhart) from whole cloth - a tutor and eventual scientific partner to Victor, he's also the Jiminy Cricket to Victor, informing him maybe they shouldn't be building men from parts.   He's such a bummer of a character, you kind of root against him and for Victor to just do his thing, as it seems like maybe he's just nice-guying his way around the fair Elizabeth who is promised to Victor.

That fair Elizabeth is played by Hazel Court, who is so well-mannered it never occurs to her to look in the lab where her betrothed spends 18 hours a day.  Like, gurl...  She also reacts to seeing a monster looking at her through the window by going outside to see what *that* was about.  Not exactly a rocket scientist, our Elizabeth.

Valerie Gaunt plays Justine in the film, a character changed a great deal from the book, but the first signs of Victor's real madness start bubbling up in his relationship with her.  You'll remember her as the first vampire woman from Horror of Dracula, and she's probably even better here?  I think so.  But she only did four things that showed up on IMDB, and these are two of them.  Not bad to have half your work wind up as pop culture favorites.

If James Whale built a fascinating, crumbling watch tower for his sweeping sets for Frankenstein and Bride of, the sets here are very proto-Hammer.  a castle interior with stairs and a balcony opening up to the main area.  The lab feels more *likely* as a lab in someone's actual home, but still has kooky equipment and makes the most of the color film utilized, with bubbling Kool-Aid flavors.  And, fun fact, the tank used in Rocky Horror Picture Show where Janet and Rocky make it?  That's the same tank used in this film to build the creature.

Anyhoo - I recommend it.  I'm a fan.  It's a fun distraction of a movie even if it basically tosses the book aside altogether to make a true mad scientist film.

Also, if anyone wants to buy me the 4K restoration, I won't turn down a copy.