Curse of Frankenstein, The (Hammer 1957)
The Curse of Frankenstein, the classic that started the rebirth of the horror film, was released on 2nd May, 1957 by Hammer Film Productions.
Their first colour horror feature, its worldwide success led to several sequels, and the studio’s new versions of Dracula (1958) and The Mummy (1959), establishing Hammer Horror as a distinctive brand of Gothic cinema. Directed by Terence Fisher, and starring Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as The Creature (Universal still held copyright for Karloff’s make-up and the term ‘Monster’), The Curse of Frankenstein rightly holds its revered place in movie monster history.
Dr. Frankenstein is relating his story in flashback to a priest, hoping to avoid execution. But the flashback includes the murders of both Professor Bernstein and the maid Justine.
Surely a slip here.
As well, when the hanged highwayman is brought into the laboratory, Frankenstein and Paul Kremper remove his clothes. He is later seen in a giant aquarium, wrapped in bandages. When the creature escapes, the bandages are on the floor, and the creature is in the woods dressed in his highway robber clothes, heavy black coat, etc.
Terrence Fisher was well-known for assuming that audience wouldn’t notice or care about details, but…! Surely another slip-up here.
Love the movie. It’s one of my favorites. Maybe they just didn’t want Christopher Lee out in the woods, shivering in his bandages.