Frankenstein Created Woman *** (1967, Peter Cushing, Susan Denberg, Thorley Walters, Robert Morris) – Classic Movie Review 2773

Director Terence Fisher’s 1967 Hammer horror Frankenstein Created Woman brings Peter Cushing back as the bad Baron Frankenstein in the sequel to The Evil of Frankenstein (1964).

Thorley Walters co-stars as his colleague Doctor Hertz, who re-animates the dead and frozen Baron Frankenstein, proving that the soul does not leave the body on the instant of death.

Still working with illegal medical experiments, Frankenstein revives the body of young, lovely, crippled young woman Christina (Susan Denberg), who has committed suicide after seeing her boyfriend, Frankenstein’s young lab assistant, Hans (Robert Morris), wrongly guillotined for a murder committed by three other men. 

But, with Hans’s brain replacing her own, he gives her the soul of her boyfriend. Hans’s memories come back to her and she sets out to pursue and kill those responsible for having sent him to his death.

It is an intriguing, well-contrived set-up, but the screenplay and production are rather basic and creaky, with Morris and Denberg only adequate. However, Cushing gives another of his always admirable performances, Walters is strong as Dr Hertz and Fisher directs vigorously and with a fast pace, with lots of blood to liven things up.

Also in the cast are Duncan Lamont as Hans’s father, Peter Blythe as Anton, Derek Fowlds as Johann, Barry Warren as Karl, Alan MacNaughton as Kleve, Peter Madden as Chief of Police, Stuart Middleton, Colin Jeavons as Priest, Ivan Beavis, John Maxim, Philip Ray as as Mayor, Kevin Flood, Bartlett Mullins as bystander and Alec Mango as spokesman. Susan Denberg is dubbed by Nikki Van der Zyl.

The writer is Anthony Hinds, hiding behind his usual pseudonym of John Elder. Sample dialogue… Chief of Police (Peter Madden): ‘Do you expect us to believe this childish rubbish, sir? Do you take us for fools?’ Baron Frankenstein: ‘Yes.’

Martin Scorsese made it a surprise choice in his 1987 National Film Theatre season of his favourite films: ‘If I single this one out, it’s because here they actually isolate the soul. The implied metaphysics are close to something sublime.’

It is the fourth film in Hammer’s Frankenstein series, following The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) and The Evil of Frankenstein (1964).

Further sequels: Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell.

Derek Fowlds (1937 – 2020) appeared in various films, including The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, We Joined the Navy, Doctor in Distress, Hot Enough for June [Agent 8 3/4], Tamahine (1963), East of Sudan (1964), Hotel Paradiso (1966), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), The Smashing Bird I Used to Know (1969), Tower of Evil (1972) and Mistress Pamela (1974).

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2773

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