Frankenstein and the Monster from
Hell starring Peter Cushing, Shane
Briant, Madeline Smith, David
Prowse, John Stratton
Yet Another Great Cushing Entry For Hammer
Though it wasnt Hammer Studios final film, Frankenstein and the Monster
from Hell can be considered its swan song, an intelligent, inventive,
stylized reworking of the themes that had sustained the series for almost
two decades. Dr. Frankenstein has buried his old identity and reigns over
an insane asylum as Dr. Victor (Peter Cushing under a flamboyant blond
wig in his sixth and final turn as the mad scientist) as if it were a live-parts
yard for his continuing experiments. With the help of an ambitious acolyte
he builds his latest creature, a hirsute apelike brute stitched together from
the asylums most promising inhabitants and turned into a sad, tortured
slave. The film was shot at the end of Hammers glory days, and the
budgetary constraints can be seen in unconvincing miniatures and the
rather bulky and stiff ogre suit, but the dark, claustrophobic sets create an

effectively gloomy atmosphere. Director Terence Fisher effectively pulls
out all stops for a marvelous sequence of the creature digging through the
asylum graveyard in the middle of a flashing electrical storm, a demonic
twist on the iconic gravedigging images that go all the way back to the
1931 Frankenstein. This was the last reunion for Cushing and Fisher, who
together gave birth to Hammers gothic reign with The Curse of
Frankenstein and Horror of Dracula. Fisher retired after finishing the film. --
Sean Axmaker
Personal Review: Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell
starring Peter Cushing, Shane Briant, Madeline Smith, David
Prowse, John Stratton
Terence Fisher's last film for Hammer (ever?) sees him re-united with the
excellent Peter Cushing and doing what he does best; creating a dark,
alien world with lush, watery colours, and using fluid camera tracking shots
to tell a simple, gory, fairy-tale.
Fisher's influence is omnipresent in today's cinema - I saw 'Pan's
Labyrinth' recently and had to smile at del Toro's gentle homage; his
camera moving smoothly, yet malevolently through the forest trees,(on the
edge of the soldiers camp) just as Fishers so often did.
And am I alone in thinking that the asylum set here at 'FATMFH' (though
making 'Cell Block H's' look like 'Lord of the Rings' in terms of budget),
bears more than a passing resemblance to the long-shot interiors of the
good-ship Nostromo - such an important factor in the success of 'Alien'.
Fisher was a straight forward story-teller, the budget restrictions he
worked under saw to that.
No camera pyrotechnics or ambitious Russellian flourishes for him. No
million dollar special effects, no prima-donna histrionics if he wasn't
allowed more weeks to finish his latest masterpiece. A team player. A
proper, old school pro.
Modern directors would pay a fortune for just a pinch of 'FATMFH's dank,
enclosed atmosphere and many have tried to emulate it. Tim Burton being
the most obvious, with varying degrees of success (Try shaving 90% off
your budget Tim, that should do it).
Despite the fond memories and cosy reminiscences, this film is certainly
not kid-friendly. There's an ugly incest sub-plot..hints at creationist
engineering involving the divine Madeline Smith..and the eye-popping
(fabulous, considering the budget) operation sequences, which had my
long-suffering girlfriend reaching for her trusty 'green cushion' (the Ess
households' equivalent of the Dr Who 'sofa') in abject abhorrence.
There's a lot to amuse as well. Cushing looks as though he's having an
absolute blast as the obsessed but clearly bonkers Baron F.
The 'God' character; mock-solemn, but really funny in a mad-haired, drunk
itinerant kind of way.

A brilliantly low budget courtroom scene, where a pompous-rector judge's
lines have obviously just been written ten minutes before, and the scene at
the end; where one of the warders shouts "There's a monster at large!" at
a mob of strung-out lunatics, makes me grin like a scalpel incision every
time.
Technically its not bad either. Music, editing and the aforementioned sets
are all good (just don't look TOO closely!). The only slight reservation I
have is the 'monster' itself. Though facially hideous, its body looks like it's
made of dusty buckram or something, draped in a muddy kaftan shawl
(sorry, I've just been watching Glastonbury), but it's a tiny niggle.
In short, a rousing and grimly entertaining epitaph to some influential and
majorly talented people.
The ultimate star rating then. Not just for the movie, which I like a lot; but
for all that these people achieved, meant to me, and still do.
{I took Mr. Retrostars advice and tracked down the much-more-complete
German R2 dvd,(hence the late review) as the razored 'DD' release is an
insult;
It's miles better. Deeper colours and the German language soundtrack is
easily turned to English. It's hard to review a film (or anything!!) when big
chunks of it are missing; and no, those rotters at the BBFC bear no blame
this time. Well worth the extra effort.}
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