Frankenstein Created Woman
Reviews
Wuchak
_**Gothic horror at its finest**_ Hammer Studios did seven Frankenstein films from the late 50s to early 70s: 1. The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), 2. The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), 3. The Evil of Frankenstein (1964), 4. Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), 5. Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969), 6. The Horror of Frankenstein (1970), and 7. Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973). Peter Cushing played Baron Frankenstein in every one of these except "The Horror of Frankenstein." The reason being "Horror" was a remake of the original story and they needed a much younger actor to play the role; they chose Ralph Bates (who superbly played the love-to-hate satanist in "Taste the Blood of Dracula," released the same year). What got me interested in the series was "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed," which is a creative and well-done piece of Gothic horror. Directed by Terence Fisher, "Frankenstein Created Woman" is similarly impressive. One thing that perked my interest in this film was Susan Denberg as the titular "woman"; she appeared in the 1966 Star Trek episode "Mudd's Women" as the blonde bombshell and was also a playmate-of-the-month that same year (not that I keep up on such things). The story revolves around Baron Frankenstein (Cushing) resurrecting a young deformed, partially paralyzed woman (Denberg) in a very peculiar way and thus he "creates woman." Things go awry when his creation starts doing things she's not supposed to do (as usual). With a title like "Frankenstein Created Woman" I wasn't expecting much. In fact, I was expecting unwanted goofiness but, no, this is a serious and moving piece of Gothic horror. Like all Frankenstein yarns faithful the spirit of Mary Shelley original tale, it's a tragedy at heart. The story hooks the viewer right away with the dilemma of both Christina and Hans. Anyone who's ever been teased for one reason or another when they were young will no doubt relate to Christina. The only one who sees her true beauty and worth is the orphaned peasant, who is ostracized because his father was guillotined. By contrast the high-class mockers are cruel towards her. There's something about being poor in spirit that naturally creates true character and beauty; such is the case with both Christina and Hans. This is perhaps why a certain well known person said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit." Humility is beautiful; arrogance is repellent. Another potent piece is the entire sequence culminating in someone being falsely accused. It effectively shows how easily someone can APPEAR to be guilty even though the charges are false. Add the pressure of governing officials to apprehend a culprit as fast as possible for political reasons and it’s a recipe for unjust indictment. The film drives home the point that those who commit injustice and evil will reap what they sow sooner or later. The villains are good in a love-to-hate sense and the viewer can't help but hope they get their comeuppance. Peter Cushing is excellent as Frankenstein. The story emphasizes his brilliance and skill, which so exceeds that of his contemporaries that he's accused of witchcraft. Some complain about the ending but actually it's a quite fitting way to end the storyline if you reflect on it. Bottom Line: both "Frankenstein Created Woman" and "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" are excellent pieces of Gothic horror – intelligent, creative, potent, moving. THE FILM RUNS 1 hour, 34 minutes, and was shot at Bray Studios, just west of London, and areas nearby (Surrey, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire). WRITER: Anthony Hinds. GRADE: A-
John Chard
I spit on your soul! Frankenstein Created Woman is a Hammer Films production that is directed by Terence Fisher. Written by Anthony Hinds under the alias of John Elder, it stars Peter Cushing, Susan Denberg, Thorley Walters, Robert Morris & Derek Fowlds. Cinematography is by Arthur Grant and the music score by James Bernard. Baron Frankenstein (Cushing) is dabbling with transference of the soul, when Christina (Denberg), a disfigured local who girl commits suicide after her lover Hans (Morris) is wrongfully executed, comes his way for revival, it sets the wheels in motion for violent and bloody revenge. Bonkers plot and bonkers movie, but one that's well regarded in critical circles and by fans of Hammer Horror in general, and even one Martin Scorsese has it on his favourite movies list. Reworking Bride Of Frankenstein into a metaphysical based tale is close to being a genius idea, even if at times it's difficult to know if it's meant to be funny or not. The thematics most certainly are intelligent and well played out, not just the notion of transferring a peasant boy's soul into that of a former cripple who now looks like (and is) a playboy model, but also class snobbery, corrupt justice system, bullying and of course revenge. All crammed into a 90 minute movie. However, some scenes are just too daft to take seriously if they were meant to be so in the first place? After crafting bona fide horror classics like Curse Of Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy, Terence Fisher owes Hammer Horror fans absolutely nothing. But gauging his efforts here is tough to do, for the blend isn't quite right. Moody and almost dreamlike in tone, it's also low on production values and, Cushing excepted, performed all very hammy by the overacting cast. But again, that may well have been the remit when shooting began? It's a safe recommend to Hammer fans because it's entertaining on either front, as a comedy or a dark little chiller. But personally I wouldn't be surprised to see it rated from anything between 1/10 to 10/10 across internet sites because it's really an odd piece of Brit cinema. So I'll sit on the fence and go 7/10 for it.
Movie Recommendation
Asylum1972-11-17A young psychiatrist applies for a job at a mental asylum and must pass a test by interviewing four patients. He must figure out which of the patients, is in fact, the doctor that he would be replacing if hired.More...
Horror Express1972-09-30Mysterious and unearthly deaths start to occur while Professor Saxton is transporting the frozen remains of a primitive humanoid creature he found in Manchuria back to Europe.More...
Teen Witch1989-04-28Louise is not very popular at her highschool. Then she learns that she's descended from the witches of Salem and has inherited their powers. At first she uses them to get back at the girls and teachers who teased her and to win the heart of the handsome footballer's captain. But soon she has doubts if it's right to 'cheat' her way to popularity.More...
Frankenstein1910-03-18Frankenstein, a young medical student, trying to create the perfect human being, instead creates a misshapen monster. Made ill by what he has done, Frankenstein is comforted by his fiancée; but on his wedding night he is visited by the monster.More...
Dracula A.D. 19721972-06-26Set in London in the early 1970's, supposedly for teen thrills, Johnny organises a black magic ceremony in a desolate churchyard. The culmination of the ritual, however, is the rejuvenation of Dracula from shrivelled remains. Johnny, Dracula' s disciple, lures victims to the deserted graveyard for his master's pleasure and one of the victims delivered is Jessica Van Helsing. Descended from the Van Helsing line of vampire hunters her grandfather, equipped with all the devices to snare and destroy the Count, confronts his arch enemy in the age-old battle between good and evil.More...
The Revenge of Frankenstein1958-06-13Rescued from the guillotine by his devoted dwarf Fritz, the Baron relocates to Carlsbruck, where he continues his gruesome experiments.More...
Salvador1986-04-23In 1980, an American journalist covering the Salvadoran Civil War becomes entangled with both the leftist guerrilla groups and the right-wing military dictatorship while trying to rescue his girlfriend and her children.More...
Torture Garden1967-11-01Five people visit a fairground sideshow run by the sinister Dr. Diabolo. Having shown them a handful of haunted-house-style attractions, he promises them a genuinely scary experience if they will pay extra.More...
When the Wind Blows1986-10-24With the help of government-issued pamphlets, an elderly British couple build a shelter and prepare for an impending nuclear attack, unaware that times and the nature of war have changed from their romantic memories of World War II.More...
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed1969-05-22Blackmailing a young couple to assist with his horrific experiments the Baron, desperate for vital medical data, abducts a man from an insane asylum. On route the abductee dies and the Baron and his assistant transplant his brain into a corpse. The creature is tormented by a trapped soul in an alien shell and, after a visit to his wife who violently rejects his monstrous form, the creature wreaks his revenge on the perpetrator of his misery: Baron Frankenstein.More...
Blood for Dracula1974-08-13Deathly ill Count Dracula and his slimy underling, Anton, travel to Italy in search of a virgin's blood. They're welcomed at the crumbling estate of indebted Marchese Di Fiore, who's desperate to marry off his daughters to rich suitors. But there, instead of pure women, the count encounters incestuous lesbians with vile blood and Marxist manservant Mario, who's suspicious of the aristocratic Dracula.More...
Edge of the World2021-08-27Sarawak, in the northeast of the island of Borneo, 1839. Almost by chance, the British adventurer James Brooke is appointed rajah by the Sultan of Brunei, and as an independent ruler he embarks on a personal crusade to eradicate piracy, slavery and headhunting, while trying to curb the malevolent expansionist ambitions of the British Empire.More...
The Curse of the Werewolf1961-05-01A child conceived by a mute servant girl transforms from an innocent youth to a killer beast at night with uncontrollable urges.More...
One on Top of the Other1969-08-15A San Francisco doctor encounters a prostitute who bears a striking resemblance to his late wife.More...
The Old Dark House1963-10-30An American car salesman in London becomes mixed up in a series of fatal occurrences at a secluded mansion.More...
Viva Las Vegas1964-02-08Lucky Jackson arrives in town with his car literally in tow ready for the first Las Vegas Grand Prix - once he has the money to buy an engine. He gets the cash easily enough but mislays it when the pretty swimming pool manageress takes his mind off things. It seems he will lose both race and girl, problems made more difficult by rivalry from Elmo Mancini, fellow racer and womaniser.More...
Sammyville1999-01-01In the wilds of Oregon, a social worker is determined to find a kidnapped child. When she tries to get inside Sammyville, she finds dark and mysterious secrets within.More...
Wet Hot American Summer2001-07-27The setting is Camp Firewood, the year 1981. It's the last day before everyone goes back to the real world, but there's still a summer's worth of unfinished business to resolve. At the center of the action is camp director Beth, who struggles to keep order while she falls in love with the local astrophysics professor. He is busy trying to save the camp from a deadly piece of NASA's Skylab which is hurtling toward earth. All that, plus: a dangerous waterfall rescue, love triangles, misfits, cool kids, and talking vegetable cans. The questions will all be resolved, of course, at the big talent show at the end of the day.More...
Peeping Tom1960-05-16Loner Mark Lewis works at a film studio during the day and, at night, takes racy photographs of women. Also he's making a documentary on fear, which involves recording the reactions of victims as he murders them. He befriends Helen, the daughter of the family living in the apartment below his, and he tells her vaguely about the movie he is making.More...
Rocky IV1985-11-21Rocky Balboa holds the world heavyweight championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago, a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union. This time, Rocky's training regimen takes him to Siberia, where he prepares for a globally televised match in the heart of Moscow. But nothing can truly prepare him for what he's about to face – a fight to the finish, in which he must defend not only himself, but also the honor of his country!More...
Similar Movies
Metropolis
1927-02-06In a futuristic city sharply divided between the rich and the poor, the son of the city's mastermind meets a prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.Freaks
1932-01-01A circus' beautiful trapeze artist agrees to marry the leader of side-show performers, but his deformed friends discover she is only marrying him for his inheritance.The Omen
1976-06-25Immediately after their miscarriage, the US diplomat Robert Thorn adopts the newborn Damien without the knowledge of his wife. Yet what he doesn’t know is that their new son is the son of the devil.The Omen
2006-06-06A diplomatic couple adopts the son of the devil without knowing it. A remake of the classic horror film of the same name from 1976.Videodrome
1983-02-04As the president of a trashy TV channel, Max Renn is desperate for new programming to attract viewers. When he happens upon "Videodrome," a TV show dedicated to gratuitous torture and punishment, Max sees a potential hit and broadcasts the show on his channel. However, after his girlfriend auditions for the show and never returns, Max investigates the truth behind Videodrome and discovers that the graphic violence may not be as fake as he thought.2046
2004-10-20Women enter and exit a science fiction author's life over the course of a few years after the author loses the woman he considers his one true love.Final Fantasy: The Sp...
2001-07-02Led by a strange dream, scientist Aki Ross struggles to collect the eight spirits in the hope of creating a force powerful enough to protect the planet. With the aid of the Deep Eyes Squadron and her mentor, Dr. Sid, Aki must save the Earth from its darkest hate and unleash the spirits within.Attack of the Killer ...
1978-10-04After a wave of reports of mysterious attacks involving people and pets being eaten by the traditionally docile fruit, a special government task force is set up to investigate the violent fruit and put a stop to their murderous spree.The Tell-Tale Heart
2010-10-01A computer-generated rendering of the classic Poe tale about a man haunted by an old man's strange eye and the drastic measures he takes to rid himself of it.The Last Survivors
2014-06-12In the near future, society collapses and water becomes scarce. When a greedy water baron starts violently clearing out survivors, Kendal, a 17-year-old teenager, fights the baron's henchman to keep a well open.The Gifts of My Cousi...
1969-01-01Following the death of his female cousin Marija, Moma sets out to her house where only her aunt lives. The old woman remembers Marija's awkward temper that left her unmarried and even led to a suicide of one of her courters. Based on a novel written by Momčilo Nastasijević.The Grudge 3
2009-05-12Jake Kimble, the sole survivor of the Chicago massacre, is killed while in solitary confinement. His doctor begins investigating the claims he made about a long-haired woman in white, as a mysterious Japanese woman arrives at his old apartment building to help them get rid of the curse.Fantastic Four: Rise ...
2007-06-13The Fantastic Four return to the big screen as a new and all powerful enemy threatens the Earth. The seemingly unstoppable 'Silver Surfer', but all is not what it seems and there are old and new enemies that pose a greater threat than the intrepid superheroes realize.Unforgettable
1996-02-23Seattle medical examiner David Krane is obsessed with solving his wife's murder. A possible solution presents itself in an experimental "memory" serum designed by a neurobiology professor, which has the ability to transfer memories from one person to another, but with potentially fatal consequences.Cube
1998-07-11A group of strangers find themselves trapped in a maze-like prison. It soon becomes clear that each of them possesses the peculiar skills necessary to escape, if they don't wind up dead first.Cube Zero
2004-10-10A young programmer whose job is to watch over the reality-warping Cube defies orders to rescue an innocent mother trapped in one of its rooms.The Hole
2001-04-20Four teenagers at a British private school secretly uncover and explore the depths of a sealed underground hole created decades ago as a possible bomb shelter.Blood: The Last Vampi...
2000-11-18In Japan, the vampire-hunter Saya, who is a powerful original, is sent by her liaison with the government, David, posed as a teenage student to the Yokota High School on the eve of Halloween to hunt down vampires. Saya asks David to give a new katana to her. Soon she saves the school nurse Makiho Amano from two vampires disguised of classmates and Makiho witnesses her fight against the powerful demon.Star Trek II: The Wra...
1982-06-04The starship Enterprise and its crew is pulled back into action when old nemesis, Khan, steals a top secret device called Project Genesis.Star Trek III: The Se...
1984-06-01A surprise visit from Spock's father provides a startling revelation: McCoy is harboring Spock's living essence.