The Horror of Frankenstein
Encyclopedia
The Horror of Frankenstein is a 1970 British horror film
by Hammer Film Productions
that is both a semi-parody and remake of the 1957 film The Curse of Frankenstein. It was produced and directed by Jimmy Sangster
, starring Ralph Bates
, Kate O'Mara
, Veronica Carlson
and David Prowse
as the monster. The original music score was composed by Malcolm Williamson
.
, a cold, arrogant and womanizing genius, is angry when his father forbids him to continue his anatomy experiments. He ruthlessly murders his father by sabotaging the old man's shotgun, consequently inheriting the title of Baron von Frankenstein and the family fortune. He uses the money to enter medical school in Vienna
, but is forced to return home when he impregnates the daughter of the Dean
.
Returning to his own castle, he sets up a laboratory and starts a series of experiments involving the revival of the dead. He eventually builds a composite body from human parts, which he then brings to life. The creature goes on a homicidal rampage until it is accidentally destroyed when a vat where it has been hidden is flooded with acid.
. Later, he did a take on Dr. Jekyll in the Hammer film Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde
, which co-starred Martine Beswick
.
In the mid-1960s, David Prowse had actually gone into the Hammer offices to express his desire to portray one of their movie monsters, but was rather abruptly dismissed. As several years passed by and he went about building a larger body of work through various film roles, he was eventually approached by Jimmy Sangster about being cast as this revisionist Baron Frankenstein's laboratory creation. Prowse has the distinction of being the only actor to have portrayed Frankenstein's monster in more than one Hammer film, this production marked his first such appearance. The second occasion was 1974's Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell
, wherein his overall appearance was much more horrifically elaborate.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
by Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions
Hammer Film Productions is a film production company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1934, the company is best known for a series of Gothic "Hammer Horror" films made from the mid-1950s until the 1970s. Hammer also produced science fiction, thrillers, film noir and comedies and in later...
that is both a semi-parody and remake of the 1957 film The Curse of Frankenstein. It was produced and directed by Jimmy Sangster
Jimmy Sangster
James Henry Kinmel Sangster was an English screenwriter and director, known for his work for horror film producers Hammer Film Productions, including scripts for The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula .Sangster originally worked as a production assistant at...
, starring Ralph Bates
Ralph Bates
Ralph Bates was an English film and television actor, known for his role in the British sitcom Dear John and for being one of Hammer Horror's best-known actors from the latter period of the company....
, Kate O'Mara
Kate O'Mara
Kate O'Mara is an English film, stage and television actress. She is perhaps most widely known for her role as Caress Morell, the scheming sister of Alexis Colby in the 1980s American primetime soap opera Dynasty, though is also known for playing other villains such as The Rani in Doctor Who and...
, Veronica Carlson
Veronica Carlson
Veronica Carlson is an English model and actress, famous for her roles in Hammer horror films.Born as Veronica Mary Glazer, Veronica Carlson spent most of her childhood in Germany where her father was stationed...
and David Prowse
David Prowse
David Prowse, MBE is an English former bodybuilder, weightlifter and actor, most widely known for playing the role of Darth Vader in physical form. In Britain, he is also remembered as having played the Green Cross Code man...
as the monster. The original music score was composed by Malcolm Williamson
Malcolm Williamson
Malcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson AO , CBE was an Australian composer. He was the Master of the Queen's Music from 1975 until his death.-Biography:...
.
Plot
Victor FrankensteinVictor Frankenstein
Victor Frankenstein was born in Napoli, is a Swiss fictional character and the protagonist of the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, written by Mary Shelley...
, a cold, arrogant and womanizing genius, is angry when his father forbids him to continue his anatomy experiments. He ruthlessly murders his father by sabotaging the old man's shotgun, consequently inheriting the title of Baron von Frankenstein and the family fortune. He uses the money to enter medical school in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, but is forced to return home when he impregnates the daughter of the Dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
.
Returning to his own castle, he sets up a laboratory and starts a series of experiments involving the revival of the dead. He eventually builds a composite body from human parts, which he then brings to life. The creature goes on a homicidal rampage until it is accidentally destroyed when a vat where it has been hidden is flooded with acid.
Cast
- Ralph BatesRalph BatesRalph Bates was an English film and television actor, known for his role in the British sitcom Dear John and for being one of Hammer Horror's best-known actors from the latter period of the company....
as Baron Victor FrankensteinVictor FrankensteinVictor Frankenstein was born in Napoli, is a Swiss fictional character and the protagonist of the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, written by Mary Shelley... - Kate O'MaraKate O'MaraKate O'Mara is an English film, stage and television actress. She is perhaps most widely known for her role as Caress Morell, the scheming sister of Alexis Colby in the 1980s American primetime soap opera Dynasty, though is also known for playing other villains such as The Rani in Doctor Who and...
as Alys - Veronica CarlsonVeronica CarlsonVeronica Carlson is an English model and actress, famous for her roles in Hammer horror films.Born as Veronica Mary Glazer, Veronica Carlson spent most of her childhood in Germany where her father was stationed...
as Elizabeth Heiss - Dennis PriceDennis PriceDennis Price was an English actor, remembered for his suave screen roles, particularly Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts and Coronets, and for his portrayal of the omniscient valet Jeeves in 1960s television adaptations of P. G...
as The Graverobber - Jon FinchJon FinchJon Finch is an English actor noted for many Shakespearean roles. Perhaps his most notable role was the title role in Roman Polanski's 1971 film adaptation of Shakespeare's Macbeth. His other famous role was as a down-and-out ex-RAF pilot wrongly accused of murder in Alfred Hitchcock's...
as Lieutenant Henry Becker - Bernard ArchardBernard ArchardBernard Joseph Archard was an English actor.Born in Fulham, London, he was a tall, imposing actor with a distinctive face. He was a conscientious objector in the Second World War and worked on the land...
as Professor Heiss - Graham James as Wilhelm Kassner
- James Hayter as Bailiff
- Joan RiceJoan RiceJoan Rice was a British film actress.Rice is best known for her role as Dalabo in the film His Majesty O'Keefe which co-started Burt Lancaster...
as Graverobber's wife - Stephen Turner as Stephan
- Neil Wilson as Schoolmaster
- James CossinsJames CossinsJames Cossins was an English character actor. Born in Beckenham, Kent, he became widely recognised as the abrupt, bewildered Mr. Walt in the Fawlty Towers episode "The Hotel Inspectors"...
as Dean - Glenys O'Brien as Maggie
- Geoffrey LumsdenGeoffrey LumsdenGeoffrey Lumsden was a British character actor who had a lengthy career on television.By some way his best known role was Captain Square in Dad's Army, the pompous commander of the Eastgate platoon of the Home Guard who was a rival of Captain Mainwaring.He appeared in a few episodes, though...
as Instructor - Chris Lethbridge-Baker as Priest
- Terry DugganTerry DugganTerry Duggan was a comedian and actor who had a successful career in cabaret and variety and played numerous character roles on television. He was married to the actress Anna Karen, best-known for playing the part of Olive in the ITV sitcom On the Buses, in which Duggan frequently appeared.Duggan...
as First Bandit - George Belbin as Baron Frankenstein
- Hal Jeayes as Woodsman
- Carol Jeayes as Woodsman's Daughter
- Michael GoldieMichael GoldieMichael Goldie was a British Character actor active between 1963 and 1996.He starred in many TV roles including Coronation Street, Doctor Who, Wycliffe, Inspector Morse and Z-Cars. Probably his most watched role though was as Kenneth of Cowfell in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves....
as Workman - David ProwseDavid ProwseDavid Prowse, MBE is an English former bodybuilder, weightlifter and actor, most widely known for playing the role of Darth Vader in physical form. In Britain, he is also remembered as having played the Green Cross Code man...
as The MonsterFrankenstein's monsterFrankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...
Credits
- Produced and directed by Jimmy SangsterJimmy SangsterJames Henry Kinmel Sangster was an English screenwriter and director, known for his work for horror film producers Hammer Film Productions, including scripts for The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula .Sangster originally worked as a production assistant at...
- Screenplay by Jeremy BurnhamJeremy BurnhamJeremy Burnham is a British television actor of the 1960s and 1970s and a screenwriter.Burnham began in the late 1950s as an actor and appeared in many popular British TV series such as The Avengers, The Saint and Randall and Hopkirk in 1969....
and Jimmy Sangster, based on the characters created by Mary ShelleyMary ShelleyMary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley... - Production manager: Tom Sachs
- Music by Malcolm WilliamsonMalcolm WilliamsonMalcolm Benjamin Graham Christopher Williamson AO , CBE was an Australian composer. He was the Master of the Queen's Music from 1975 until his death.-Biography:...
- Photography by Moray Grant
- Art direction: Scott MacGregor
- Edited by Chris BarnesChris BarnesChris Barnes may refer to:*Chris Barnes , American death metal vocalist*Chris Barnes , American child actor*Chris Barnes , American bowler...
- Make-up by Tom SmithTom Smith- Sports :* R. Thomas "Tom" Smith , American thoroughbred racehorse trainer of Seabiscuit* Tom Smith , Major League player* Tom Smith , Major League player...
Cast Notes
Ralph Bates was cast as Victor Frankenstein, the role having, five times previously, been played by Peter CushingPeter Cushing
Peter Wilton Cushing, OBE was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the handsome but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally...
. Later, he did a take on Dr. Jekyll in the Hammer film Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde
Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde
Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde is a 1971 British film directed by Roy Ward Baker based on the short story Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson. The film was made by British studio Hammer Film Productions and was their second adaptation of the story after their 1960 film The...
, which co-starred Martine Beswick
Martine Beswick
Martine Beswick is an English actress and model, best known for her roles in two James Bond films.-Biography:Beswick was born on 26 September 1941 in Port Antonio, Jamaica to English parents....
.
In the mid-1960s, David Prowse had actually gone into the Hammer offices to express his desire to portray one of their movie monsters, but was rather abruptly dismissed. As several years passed by and he went about building a larger body of work through various film roles, he was eventually approached by Jimmy Sangster about being cast as this revisionist Baron Frankenstein's laboratory creation. Prowse has the distinction of being the only actor to have portrayed Frankenstein's monster in more than one Hammer film, this production marked his first such appearance. The second occasion was 1974's Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell
Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell
Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell is a 1974 British horror film from Hammer Film Productions. It was directed by Terence Fisher and starred Peter Cushing, Shane Briant, and David Prowse...
, wherein his overall appearance was much more horrifically elaborate.