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Hammer Films’ version of Mary Shelley’s classic story focuses more on Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) than the monster (Christopher Lee), which is perhaps its biggest departure from Universal’s 1931 film. Through the eyes of his mentor and lab partner Paul (Robert Urquhart), we see Frankenstein grow from privileged adolescence to snobby adulthood, dabbling in the pursuit of reanimating dead flesh until he becomes obsessed with it — even if it means graverobbing and murder. We also see Frankenstein treating his bride-to-be (Hazel Court) badly while carrying on an affair with a jealous house maid (Valerie Gaunt). His indiscretions catch up to him, of course, when his ghastly creation breaks loose and threatens to kill anyone who gets in its way.
The Curse of Frankenstein is a first of many things. It was the first gothic horror film from Britain’s Hammer Studios, the first leading role for Peter Cushing, the first pairing of Cushing with Christopher Lee in a horror film, and the first time blood was ever depicted in color — albeit in more of a magenta hue than a natural deep red. It established what would become the ‘Hammer style’ for over a decade, color horror films featuring great actors and budget-defying production values while stepping a toe over the line where sex and violence are concerned.
Cushing carries the film admirably and Christopher Lee steals his relatively few scenes as the mute monster. The sets, while small and cramped, join with James Bernard’s romantic score to create a sumptuous antique tone and atmosphere. But despite its historic significance, The Curse of Frankenstein is… well, boring. The first half of the film focuses on Paul’s attempts to halt Victor’s experiments before they go too far. Things pick up in the second half, when Lee’s monster makes its appearance, but even then, the film spends significant time on Paul’s quest to warn Hazel Court’s character of Victor’s dark deeds and stop Victor from achieving his blasphemous aim. This kind of insular storytelling sometimes works, but The Curse of Frankenstein ends up feeling stymied by it. It needed a slightly bigger scope and scale — something Hammer would better achieve in future productions.
Directed by Terence Fisher.