Peter Cushing stars as Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee is his monster in Hammer Films’ production of The Curse of Frankenstein. This version, told in flashback by an imprisoned Frankenstein, shows how he came to undertake his ghastly experiments with the dead, in hopes of creating new life like some sort of self styled God. As in Mary Shelley’s original novel, things don’t go as planned, and it’s not long before Frankenstein’s monster is killing people, be it on his own or at his master’s urging. Cushing and Lee give their usual skillful performances, and Terence Fisher expertly helms what would be a big hit for Hammer, leading to a long run of monster movies by the studio.
Print courtesy of the National Film & Sound Archive of Australia
“Peter Cushing gets every inch of drama from the leading role, making almost believable the ambitious urge and diabolical accomplishment.” – Variety
“In its best scenes, it adds dynamism and British grit to a genre that had previously tried to get by on atmospherics and mood alone. It manages to be shocking without being especially frightening, and its virtues of performance and style remain striking.” – Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
