Director: Terence Fisher
Stars: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Hazel Court, Robert Urquhart, Valerie Gaunt
Victor Frankenstein (Cushing) is a precocious genius whose reach exceeds his grasp. After engaging in dangerous experiments with his tutor and friend Paul Krempe (Urquhart) he has delusions of godhood and wants to create the perfect specimen of man, which turns into a creature (Lee).
The story is told through a flashback as at the beginning Frankenstein is in a prison, and from this we see the events that led him here. I liked the fact that the real villain here wasn’t the creature, rather it was Frankenstein. This gives it a bit of a different spin to the Universal film. Cushing was great, with a ruthless streak corrupting his scientific curiosity. Krempe was the moral compass really and I liked how their relationship devolved from friends to enemies. Christopher Lee managed to imbue the creature with some humanity and created quite a tragic, pitiful figure. The make-up was magnificent as well. The creature’s appearance was teased, but when it was finally revealed it is terrifying.
There’s a strong story here that’s focused in the house of Frankenstein. There are interpersonal dramas as well, which adds another layer to the film. There are a few unintentionally funny moments (like when Frankenstein attempts to fight the creature by throwing his pistol at it) but it all comes together nicely. I enjoyed this one quite a bit, and the ending is haunting.