Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1970) Starring Peter Cushing, Simon Ward and Veronica Carlson Director: Terence Fisher Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
This could have been an Eight or Nine Star entry into Hammer's Frankenstein series, but, unfortunately, the portrayal of the central character, Baron Frankenstein, is off when compared to other entries, particularly high-points like "Revenge of Frankenstein" and "Frankenstein Created Woman."
In those films, there was something twistedly heroic about Frankenstein... one almost finds oneself hoping he'll succeed. But here, he is just a vicious killer and a brutal rapist--a creature with no redeeming qualities save for the inherent charm of the actor who portrays him, Peter Cushing.
The plot has Frankenstein blackmail a crooked doctor at a local asylum into giving him access to a mad scientist so Frankenstein can cure the madness through brain surgery. The corruption of Frankenstein and the crooked doctor spread to engulf the doctor's otherwise innocent fiance. On the very night of Frankenstein's seeming triumph, everyone ends up paying for their crimes, including Frankenstein himself. The "morality play" aspect of this film works extremely well. What doesn't work is Frankenstein's completely monstrous nature. And it's made worse by the brutal rape he visits upon Veronica Carlson (who gives what is probably her best performance in this film).
The rape scene is disruptive to the movie not only because of what it does to the character of Victor Frankenstein, but also because it doesn't really fit with the overall flow of the story--it comes out of left field and it doesn't seem to have any impact on the events that follow, as the characters carry on as if it never happened. In fact, according to interviews with the principles, it was added late in the production on the insistence of the producers, and over the objections of the actors and the director; Cushing in particular, being a gentleman among gentlemen was reportedly more upset about the scene than anyone else, despising both what he had to subject Ms. Carlson to, as well as what it did to his on-screen character. The odd disconnect is there, because the later scenes with Carlson and Cushing had already been filmed, and there was neither the time nor the interest to reshoot any of them.
It's a shame, really, that this otherwise fine film should be marred to such a great extent because a studio executive wanted to "sex it up."
The Gorgon (1964) Starring: Peter Cushing, Barbara Shelley, Christopher Lee and Richard Pasco Director: Terence Fisher Rating: Nine of Ten Stars
When the spirit of the sole surviving Gorgon sisters of Greek legend rises again to plague a Balkan village, The doctor in a small Balkan village (Cushing) attempts to cover up the fact that citizens are being turned to stone under the full moon, even as a visiting scholar (Lee) attempts to determine the fate of a colleague.
"The Gorgon" is a curious mixture of elements, being part ghost movie, part romance movie, part fantasy epic--but all the elements congeal into a fabulous horror film.
With the usual lush sets that marked Hammer Films of this period, and the usual topnotch direction from Terence Fisher, we have a film that is gorgeous to look at. Add a great script being performed by a fantastic cast, some of whom are in parts we don't typically see them in (Christopher Lee is the monster-busting scholar here, while Peter Cushing is the antagonist who may or may not be in league with the monster) but all of whom are at the top of their game.
"The Gorgan" contains a number of truly chilling moments and the script features a couple of twists and turns, so that the viewer is kept guessing as to who is actually host to the gorgon's spirit until it is revealed. Even better, the final confrontation between the heroes and the Gorgon is one of the most dramatic endings to a Hammer film, period! (The film loses a bit of steam as it heads toward the climax, but the finale more than makes up for the slight drag.)
"The Gorgon" is one of the most underrated horror flicks from Hammer Films. For years it was unavailable even on VHS, but last year Sony finally released four Columbia-distributed Hammer Films in a multi-movie set as part of their "Icons of Horror" series. Get it. All four films in the set are excellent, with the "The Gorgon" being the very best.
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959) Starring: Peter Cushing, Andre Morell, Christopher Lee, and Marla Landi Director: Terence Fisher Rating: Eight of Ten Stars
Sherlock Holmes (Cushing) is retained to find the root of and bring to an end the curse that's been haunting the Baskervilles family for centuries before it claims the family's final male member, Sir Henry Baskervilles (Lee). With Dr. Watson (Morell) at this side, Holmes ventures onto the haunted moor to seperate fact from fiction and legend from the all-too-real killer who lurks there.
The Hammer Films adaptation of "The Hounds of the Baskervilles" is one of the best Sherlock Holmes movies ever made. Peter Cushing is excellent as Holmes, Morell is a fine Watson (and he is playing the part in a script that doesn't portray Watson as a bumbling idiot whose only reason for being around is for Holmes to made rude comments about--Watson is an intelligent, capable partner to Holmes here, just like he is in the Arthur Conan Doyle tales--and the rest of the cast is likewise perfect in their various parts.
This version may take some liberties with the novel here and there, but Cushing and Morell should definately be near the top of any list of "Great Homes & Watsons of the Movies." It's a must-see for fans of any of the stars or anyone who loves a well-done Sherlock Holmes adaptation. Lovers of director Terence Fisher's other films for Hammer (such as the Frankenstein series) will also definately want to check this one out.
Horror of Dracula (1958) Starring: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Melissa Stribling, Michael Gough Director: Terence Fisher Rating: Eight of Ten Stars
"The Horror of Dracula" starts out looking like a straight adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel, but ten minutes in, the film takes a hard left when its revealed that Jonathan Harker has come to Castle Dracula not as a hapless victim but as an agent of vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing and that Harker is fully aware of Dracula's true nature.
But it all works, because when Van Helsing appears on screen (played by the late, great Peter Cushing), we get a different interpretation of him than offered in Stoker's novel, and a different spin on vampirism as well. In the Hammer version, Dracula is devoted to spreading a cult of undeath that consists not only of vampires but of human minions who thirst for everlasting life and who are committed to turning the world into a cesspool of evil and corruption. Van Helsing is a man both of action and letters who is the center of a network of brave men and women who have dedicated themselves to eradicating this sinister evil, which, by the close of the 19th century, is viewed as so much superstitious poppycock.
As "Horror of Dracula" unfolds, Dracula claims Mina and Lucy as victims, mostly because he wants to take revenge against Harker and Van Helsing for being pains in his rear... but this vindictive streak becomes his downfall, as Van Helsing penetrates Dracula's lair and confronts him in one of the neatest climaxes of any of Hammer's Dracula films.
While Cushing's energetic, action-hero Van Helsing is a sharp departure from how the character comes across in Stoker's novel, the Dracula in this and subsequent films in what I designate as the "Van Helsing Papers" is truer to Stoker's portrayal of him than any other film version I've come across. He's not the incongruously eveningwear-sporting-but-decaying-castle-dwelling Bela Lugosi, nor is he the pathetic whiner that Gary Oldman portrayed in so so-very-inaccurately named "Bram Stoker's Dracula"... no, the Lee Dracula is a blood-thirsty monster who preys on the life and emotions of the living. He is a strange and alien fearsome outsider, just as Stoker wrote him.
It's over 50 years since "Horror of Dracula" was released, yet it's still a an exciting item to pop in the VCR or DVD player when you're looking for a chilling, adventuresome diversion.
Island of Terror (aka "Night of the Silicates) (1966) Starring: Edward Judd, Peter Cushing, Carole Gray, Eddie Byrne and Sam Kydd Director: Terence Fisher Rating: Eight of Ten Stars
Bone specialist Dr. David West (Judd) and pathologist Dr. Brian Stanley (Cushing) travel to a remote island off the coast of England to help stem an outbreak of a strange disease that seems to be dissolving the very bones of animals and island residents. The soon discover that the island is about to be overrun by gigantic, mobile, mutated cells that survive by sucking calcium and other minerals from their victims. Will the scientists find a to destroy the seemingly indestructible, rapidly multiplying monsters before they kill everything on the island... and then spread to the rest of the world? More importantly, will the lovely Toni (Gray) slap Dr. Stanley for his heavy-handed flirtatious comments?
"Island of Terror" is a GREAT monster movie with a fabulous setting and a cast that deliver excellent performances. The movie starts creepy, builds tension steadily, and ends up with an exciting climax where survivors are crammed into a single building for a desperate last stand. It is a classic in every sense of the word, from the Golden Age of sci-fi in at the cinema.
I've heard this film compared to the original "Dr. Who" series, both in a favorable and a disparaging sense. I tend to think the comparison is accurate, particularly of the John Pertwee and Tom Baker years. The monsters bear some resemblance in design to many of those we saw on "Dr. Who" (and perhaps they may seem laughable to the "sophisticated" viewer in the 21st century) and the setting, nature, and development of the story is likewise similar to the stories featured on the TV show. However, "Island of Terror" is much better paced, far better acted, and far better filmed than any "Dr. Who" storyline. (I also suspect that a couple of people who have made such comments have had limited exposure to British sci-fi from the 50s and 60s... and so perhaps everything would remind them of "Dr. Who.")
If you like monster movies and classic sci-fi films, you owe it to yourself to check out "Island of Terror." Another reason to see it is Peter Cushing's performance. He gets to show off his more comedic side, as his character of Dr. Stanley is a lovable joker who is always playfully hitting on his colleagues fiance, Toni.
Unfortunately, this very excellent film has not yet been made available on DVD. The continuing cinematic tragedy of garbage like "Night of Ghoul" being available in several different versions, yet a real classic like "Island of Terror" (and the equallly excellent Cushing thriller "Cash on Demand") continue to languish in VHS obscurity, even being out of print on that media.
One of my favorite versions of monster-maker Victor Frankenstein is the one portrayed by Peter Cushing. Although Cushing appeared in a total of six Frankenstein movies from Hammer Films, it is the following four films--the ones I think of as "The Frankenstein Chronicles"--that are his best.
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) Starring: Peter Cushing, Paul Urqhart, Christopher Lee, and Hazel Court Director: Terence Fisher Rating: Seven of Ten Stars
In this first movie in Hammer's Frankenstein cycle, scientific genius Victor Frankenstein embarks on his life-long quest to be the first human being to create life. He is initially aided and abetted by a fellow scientist, his boyhood tutor, but as Frankenstein turns to murder in order to ensure his success, the assistant turns against him. Soon, Frankenstein's cold-blooded schemes are spinning out of control, and all his evil is turned back upon him. The technical aspects of the film are top-notch, the acting by all the principals is excellent, and on every other level this is a fine horror film.
Although Christopher Lee is present as the creature Frankenstein creates, the real monster is Victor Frankenstein, a man who becomes consumed first by ambition, then arrogance, and eventually madness. Cushing's portrayal of Frankenstein, however, makes this monster personable and likableóthe viewer almost wishes at times that he succeeds in the end. This effect is further enhanced by the fact that the film actually provides a solid reason for why Victor Frankenstein is the way he is. (We have a character who grew up under the tualage of a morally questionable mentor, and who was undoubtedly scarred by the early death of his parents. In fact, although I think he was intended to be sympathetic character, Urqhart's Paul Krempe is as big a villain as Frankenstein, perhaps even bigger. Paul was supposed to be the older, wiser man, but he never instilled his young charge with proper morals... and he never really tried to stop him. He just stole his girlfriend!)
Revenge of Frankenstein (aka "I, Frankenstein") (1958) Starring: Peter Cushing and Francis Matthews Director: Terence Fisher Rating: Eight of Ten Stars
Although Baron Frankenstein seemed certain to pay for his sins against man and nature at the end of the first film, Hammer and director Fisher nonetheless managed to save him for an intelligently written and solidly directed sequel. Assuming a new identity and becoming the new head of a hospital for the poor, he builds a body for his crippled assistant from parts amputated from his patients. Unfortunately, body battles mind for supremacy and turns the newly ambulatory man into a shambling, murderous cannibal.
This is one of those rare sequels that is as good as the original. Cushing's Frankenstein is once again a likable character, showing himself to be the only man of medicine in a town who cares about the health of the poor... even if his concern is largely derived from a desire to keep a steady supply of raw materials available for his experiments.
Once again, Cushing is supported by a strong cast and a great script. If there's anything that dissapoints me about this this film, it's that Frankenstein didn't really get revenge on anyone. When I first heard that this film was a direct continuation of "Curse of Frankenstein," I thought the people who stood by and let him go to the guillotine would also return, but they are no where in this story. But, that's a quibble that doesn't make the actual movie any weaker.
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) Starring: Peter Cushing, Susan Denberg, and Thorley Walters Director: Terence Fisher Rating: Nine of Ten Stars
"Frankenstein Created Woman" is one of the most unusual Hammer films. Although obstensibly a horror film, it is probably better described as a poetic mood piece steeped in gothic romanticism. As such, it ranks among most intelligent of all Frankenstein films.
The usual elements of a Frankenstein story are all but missing here, and the mad doctor isn't creating a terrible patchwork man, but instead a beautiful woman. What's more, he is endevours to inhabit the body with a soul. (It seems he is operating under the theory that previous efforts went awry because he was just dealing with brains, not souls.) The story is a quirky one, but it has all the elements of a great gothic tale--dark secrets, tragic love, and ultimate justice. The ending is also a curiously melancholy one.
While Cushing doesn't have as much screentime in this film as in other entries in the series--Frankenstein is more of a catalyst for the film's events than its focus--he gives a performance that is equal to the one in "Curse of Frankenstein." It may even be better than his original portrayal of the character, as something truly different is done with Victor Frankenstein in this film. While all the perfomances here are all superb, Cushing's more gentle portrayal of the fiendish doctor truly shines.
Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell (1974) Starring: Peter Cushing, Shane Briant, and Madeline Smith Director: Terence Fisher Rating: Six of Ten Stars
Victor Frankenstein has buried his old identity and taken control of an insane asylum that serves as a rich source of parts for his continuing experiments. With the help of a young medical student who has read Frankenstein's 20-year-old texts on his early efforts, Frankenstein creates a creature from parts of the asylum's most promising inmates. Unfortunately for the not-so-good doctor, he is once again saddled with a protoge who starts to suffer pangs of conscience when the lengths to which Frankenstein is willing to go becomes apparent. In the end, everything that can go wrong, does go wrong.
Once again, Cushing's Frankenstein comes across as likable, even kindhearted when contrasted with the officials in the insane asylum. However, any admirable qualities are quickly revealed as illusions when it becomes apparent that he no longer has within him even the slightest shred of human decency or even a genuine interest in scientific pursuits. For Frankenstein, the creation of his creature has become the means to its own end... he is through and through a heartless monster.
The dark, dank, cramped asylum where the story takes place serves as the perfect mirror of Frankenstein's spiritual state, and Cushing's intense and commanding performance of this man now totally lost in madness is spellbinding. Although Hammer Films was quickly dying as a production house, the final reunion for Cushing and Fisher, who together launched Hammer's gothic reign with "The Curse of Frankenstein" is a splendid and worthy end to an era in cinematic history.
