The Horror of Frankenstein ** (1970, Ralph Bates, Kate O’Mara, Veronica Carlson, Dave Prowse, Dennis Price, James Cossins) – Classic Movie Review 2777

Ralph Bates stars in The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) as a reborn Dr Victor Frankenstein, the role having been played by Peter Cushing five times previously in Hammer horror movies.

Victor ruthlessly arranges the death of his father, the Baron von Frankenstein (George Belbin), by sabotaging the old man’s shotgun, and then inherits his title, castle home and his money, some of which he uses to enter medical school in Vienna and most of it he uses on his reanimation experiments.

[Spoiler alert] He is forced to return home when he impregnates the daughter of the Dean (James Cossins). Then he cheats on the woman who loves him, Elizabeth Heiss (Veronica Carlson), with his comely live-in maid Alys (Kate O’Mara), kills Elizabeth’s father Professor Heiss (Bernard Archard), kills his friend Wilhelm Kassner (Graham James), and in his spare time does what he’s famous for – creates a new Monster (Dave Prowse) from human parts. Naturally, once revived, the Creature goes on a homicidal rampage, romping around with not very much on, encouraged to kill by Frankenstein, who has chained him up in a cell.

Producer/co-screenwriter Jimmy Sangster also directs this reworking of The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), but unfortunately all too hesitantly. Both a remake and a semi-parody, Hammer’s sixth and penultimate movie in its Frankenstein series is a misconceived stab at black comedy, with plenty of blood too, and a fairly high body count. And the re-conception of Frankenstein as a swinging 70s-style randy villain is rather tasteless and an unprofitable cul-de-sac for the horror franchise.

The film is not good, with wobbly dialogue and unsatisfactory plotting, and a rushed unsatisfying ending, and a feeble score. But the acting is fine, with Ralph Bates holding the attention as a smug, ruthless, lustful young Frankenstein, and decent work from Carlson, O’Mara, Archard and James), and Dave Prowse effective and with decent make-up as the Monster.

With Frankenstein bumping folks off one by one, there are shades of Kind Hearts and Coronets here, and that film’s star Dennis Price co-stars entertainingly here as The Grave Robber, providing Frankenstein with copious corpses, with Joan Rice also good value as his grace digging wife. And the cast also includes Jon Finch as the local policeman Lieutenant Henry Becker, Graham James as Wilhelm Kassner, Bernard Archard as Professor Heiss, James Hayter as Bailiff, Stephen Turner, Neil Wilson, Glenys O’Brien, Chris Lethbridge-Baker and Geoffrey Lumsden.

Jeremy Burnham is the co-screenwriter. The original score is composed by Malcolm Williamson.

Though a Hammer Film Production, the film is entirely financed by EMI.

Peter Cushing returns for the seventh and last Hammer Frankenstein movie: Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974). Dave Prowse returns to play the Monster, an entirely different one, making him the only actor to play the Monster more than once in a Hammer Frankenstein movie.

Ralph Bates returned in the Hammer film Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), which co-starred Martine Beswick.

Ralph Bates died on 27 March 1991 in London at age 51 from pancreatic cancer.

Veronica Carlson, born in Yorkshire, England, as Veronica Mary Glazer, died on 27 February 2022, aged 77. She is one of Hammer Films’ most memorable stars. The British model and actress was signed by Sir James Carreras after he saw her photo in a newspaper, and she made three films for Hammer: Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) and The Horror of Frankenstein (1970). She also appeared in Vampira [aka Old Dracula] (1974), The Ghoul (1975) and House of the Gorgon.

The Horror of Frankenstein runs 95 minutes, is produced and directed by Jimmy Sangster, written by Jeremy Burnham and Jimmy Sangster, based on the characters created by Mary Shelley, scored by Malcolm Williamson, shot by Moray Grant, designed by Scott MacGregor, and edited by Chris Barnes, with make-up by Tom Smith.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2777

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