Rating: 3.5/5
Hooptober 9.0 | 26/34 | Christopher Lee films 1/2
A priest on horseback arrives at a gated prison. The prisoners beg for the priest to set them free. He is there for one prisoner: Viktor Frankenstein.
Viktor tells of Herr Paul Krempe’s tutelage that fostered his scientific curiosity and probing into the unknown.
Alongside his tutor, they developed a method of bringing a dead dog back to life.
Viktor wishes to apply their results to a human body — not just bringing it back to life but reassembling it to be a perfect human specimen.
Paul is reluctant, but Viktor pushes forward. Paul tries to tell him how evil, how horrifying it all is.
Viktor’s cousin Elizabeth comes to live with him. The two are to be married. Meanwhile, Viktor carries out a private affair with Justine, his maid.
Paul urges Elizabeth to leave.
However, the family arranged the marriage to grant her family financial stability.
The brain comes from a brilliant scientist, Professor Bernstein, who came to visit Frankenstein and befell a fatal accident.
An accident started by Frankenstein.
I enjoy Terrence Fisher’s updates on the classic Universal horror stories. He knows we know them by heart and so makes them engaging again.
Adding Paul to the story is a mixed bag. Paul is such a strong foil that Frankenstein acts less on blind ambition than amoral arrogance. His intercessions result in redundant scenes that do little except take up time.
Christopher Lee’s role is an odd choice. He leans more into the id-driven monster of the Universal film over the novel’s intelligent beast.