Being Film #11 for Hooptober 2023
Peter Cushing is the greatest. That’s it, that’s the review.
You shouldn’t more than the fact that Cushing stars in The Revenge of Frankenstein to immediately watch if (if you haven’t already). A sequel to The Curse of Frankenstein, the film that really put Hammer on the map for horror, Cushing returns as the egomaniacal Doctor, hellbent on perfecting his creation. Everything you could want from a Hammer film here, from the sumptuous sets, lush colors, and of course darkness and madness permeating every frame of the film.
THE QUICK SUMMARY: When we last left the diabolical Dr. Frankenstein he was on his way to the guillotine for the crimes of his abomination. Well, we pick up immediately here, with the good baron escaping his fate and moving to Carlsbrück where he continues to experiment in the hopes of perfecting what went wrong the lasts time. Although this time he has a willing participant in Karl, who wishes for a body that isn’t twisted and deformed like his own. Working with an assistant Frankenstein succeeds, maybe even perfectly: the new Karl looks perfect, save for a few scars, and he can move with freedom. But wait? Why does Otto, the chimpanzee who Frankenstein experimented on earlier now crave the flesh of other chimps? I guess Karl needs to really be careful his brain doesn’t get bruised or hurt unless the same thing happens to h— oh, he just got into a fight and had his head bashed. Whoops!
With not only Cushing returning but Terence Fisher and Jimmy Sangster in the director and writer’s chairs, respectively, this wasn’t going to anything other than a slam dunk for me. Even if it was just simply “more of the same” I would have loved it. So what makes The Revenge of Frankenstein really special is in the way it isn’t like its famous predecessor. The addition of Karl as the willing participant in brain switching is a great stroke, giving us a change to understand the mind of the monster before he inevitably becomes a monster. Oscar Quitak gives a low key, sympathetic performance as the man with a sharp brain who so resents his body he’s willing to change it out. And when Michael Gwynn takes over as the “new Karl” he’s able to mirror not only the physical quirks and tremors but the sympathy and heart of Karl. This is a monster who knows what he is, and strains to keep his humanity in check.
It’s another choice that by the end, the monster before death reaches out for help one more time. I’m still talking about the to be pitied Karl, but is he the real monster of The Revenge of Frankenstein? Was the monster ever the villain in these films? Of course not, and the way they work to keep Peter Cushing alive and ready for the inevitable next chapter of the series is hilarious and wonderful and dark in equal measure. Spoiler: not only do you get a stellar Peter Cushing performance here, but you get him wielding a deliciously hysterical mustache.
I have a habit of where, when I discover I really like something, whether it’s a book series, film series, or anything else, that instead of devouring all of it as fast as I can I dole it out in small doses, savoring every bite. That’s been the case with Hammer in general, which explains why despite there being seven Frankenstein films this is only the fourth one I’ve seen – an yes, I do own them all on Blu-ray. I loved The Revenge of Frankenstein, perhaps even just a little bit more than the original. Now to see how long I can hold out until giving in to the next Hammer fix…
Cinema Dual 
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