Curse of Frankenstein

Starring:Peter Cushing, Hazel Court, Robert Urquhart, Christopher Lee, Melvyn Hayes, Valerie Gaunt, Paul Hardtmuth, Noel Hood, Fred Johnson, Claude Kingston, Alex Gallier, Michael Mulcaster, Andrew Leigh, Anne Blake, Sally Walsh, Middleton Woods, Raymond Ray, Ernest Jay
Director: Terence Fisher
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Britain's Hammer Studios had been making films for decades before they suddenly redefined themselves with this lurid remake of the Universal Studios horror classic. Prohibited by Universal from copying their blocky makeup (and their script, for that matter), Hammer returned to Mary Shelley's novel for inspiration, and then went in its own direction. Peter Cushing plays Dr. Frankenstein as the rational scientist turned cold-blooded criminal in his campaign to discover the secret of life, committing murder to further his ends, or to remove an inconvenient mistress. Christopher Lee is the pitiable creature, a terrified behemoth more innocent newborn than malevolent monster. His pale, pallid, grotesquely scarred face was so thickly applied that he emotes almost exclusively with his eyes and his awkward, stumbling gestures. The not-so-good Dr. Frankenstein is the true monster, a ruthless scientist whose rejection of superstition extends to all moral considerations. Shot in blood-red color by Hammer stalwart Terence Fisher, the stylish, often salacious film became Hammer's biggest success to date, made horror stars out of the classically trained Cushing and Lee, and transformed the B studio into the Hammer we know and love today: the house that dripped blood. The Horror of Dracula immediately followed, reuniting the winning team of Cushing and Lee, and Cushing returned in four of six Frankenstein sequels. --Sean Axmaker
Description
In this re-telling of the classic horror tale, Baron Victor Frankenstein becomes friends with one of his teachers, Paul Krempe. At first, both men are fascinated by the potential of their re-animating experiments. Eventually, though, Krempe refuses to help with Frankenstien's human experiments. However, he is drawn back into the plot when Frankenstein's creature kills a member of the house staff.

DVD Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Theatrical Trailer

Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)

Average customer rating:

Very Interesting
Should have read the other reviews before purchasing.....
Night Creatures
hammerseries
Defective Discs

Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)
Starring: Hammer Horror Series
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Bela Lugosi Collection (Murders in the Rue Morgue / The Black Cat / The Raven / The Invisible Ray / Black Friday)
The Val Lewton Horror Collection (Cat People / The Curse of the Cat People / I Walked with a Zombie / The Body Snatcher / Isle of the Dead / Bedlam / The Leopard Man / The Ghost Ship / The Seventh Victim / Shadows in the Dark)
Hammer Horror Collection (The Curse of Frankenstein / Dracula Has Risen from the Grave / Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed / Horror of Dracula / The Mummy / Taste the Blood of Dracula)
Dracula A.D. 1972
The Innocents

ASIN: B0009X770O
Release Date: 2005-09-06

Description

Hammer Films, one of the most celebrated horror studios in the history of cinema, presents 8 classic horror films in one collection. From Dracula to Frankenstein, werewolves to phantoms, the Hammer Horror Series showcases some of the most terrifying monsters in the history of cinema and features legendary performances by Peter Cushing, Oliver Reed and Janette Scott.

Customer Reviews:

Very Interesting.......2007-07-03

This collection contains eight movies that propose a different kind of suspense and horror. The most of them are filmed in color, but there are two (Paranoia and Nightmare) that were done in black and white. Although the temes are classic of the horror movies( vampires, werewolfs, etc), the style of the cinematography is different.

If you like the good horror films, this is an excellent choice.

Should have read the other reviews before purchasing............2007-06-06

I was so excited when my Hammer Horror Series DVDs came in the mail yesterday. But when I started watching it last night, during Curse of the Werewolf, it completely froze up. I should have read the other reviews of this before purchasing. I didn't even bother to watch any of the other films because I finally read all the negative reviews and am just going to send it back. I truly hope Universal has changed from DVD-18 to DVD-9, because I was really anticipating watching these!

I hope the problem has been fixed by this time.

Night Creatures.......2007-05-13

Remembered from my youth, really enjoyed catching up with it again. I could not get my player to play without the subtitles but it didn't spoil it.

hammerseries.......2007-04-11

save your cash.this is a letdown collection.don't misunderstand:that's not to say that hammer studios failed to live up to their usual great standards concerning the horror movie genre;it's the powers-that- be that determine which movies go into a particular collection.no studio makes great movies with every attempt;hammer's no exception to this rule.there's really only one good movie in this collection(evil of frankenstein):brides of dracula is also passable.everything else...junk.

Defective Discs.......2007-03-25

While I enjoyed the movies in this set that I was able to access, I had to return it because neither Evil of Frankenstein nor Curse of the Werewolf would play properly. I should have been advised by the warnings of other customers who had similar problems. Live and learn.

Hammer Horror Collection (The Curse of Frankenstein / Dracula Has Risen from the Grave / Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed / Horror of Dracula / The Mummy / Taste the Blood of Dracula)

Average customer rating:

Hammer Productions- 6 Legendary Classics of Gothic Horror!
oldie but goodie
Killer Hammer Collection
When horror films had stories.
the rebirth of gothic horror at the movies

Hammer Horror Collection (The Curse of Frankenstein / Dracula Has Risen from the Grave / Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed / Horror of Dracula / The Mummy / Taste the Blood of Dracula)
Starring: Peter Cushing , Hazel Court , Robert Urquhart , Christopher Lee , and Melvyn Hayes
Director: Terence Fisher , and Freddie Francis
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)
Dracula A.D. 1972
Hammer House of Horror - Complete Set
The Revenge of Frankenstein
The Bela Lugosi Collection (Murders in the Rue Morgue / The Black Cat / The Raven / The Invisible Ray / Black Friday)

ASIN: B0001FVEAY
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Description

A collection of horror classics from Hammer Studios. Six films that feature horror stars Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing-- Curse of Frankenstein, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, Frankenstein Must be Destroyed, Horror of Dracula, The Mummy, Taste the Blood of Dracula.

Customer Reviews:

Hammer Productions- 6 Legendary Classics of Gothic Horror!.......2007-04-26

The legendary British film studio, Hammer Productions began its climb to the top of the horror film genre with its Technicolor release of "The Curse of Frankenstein." Teaming Peter Cushing with Christopher Lee for the first time- the result is pure movie magic and the beginning of what was to become a beautiful friendship. As well as a great time for movie going gothic horror fans as Hammer began churning out one classic after another. This set of Hammer horror includes:

"The Curse of Frankenstein" (1957)
Baron Victor Von Frankenstein, (Peter Cushing) is in prison for murder and trying to evade the guillotine. While there he tells a priest how he and his mentor, Paul Krempe, (Robert Urquhart) had performed many scientific experiments, eventually leading to the resurrection of a dead body. Due to an accident, that damages the brain intended for Frankenstein's creation, the experiment goes horribly wrong. Instead of the intelligent being Frankenstein set out to create- a hideous monster (Christopher Lee) rises from the laboratory table! The baron's obsession and the monster's homicidal nature cause the deaths of several of those around them. Finally the Baron is confronted by an enraged monster about to throw Victor's fiancée Elizabeth, (Hazel Court) from the castle parapet. The DVD release has a clean transfer and the audio is vibrant. Great use of color and the studio sets and costuming are used to full advantage to set the gothic atmosphere to perfection. The beginning of Hammer's rise to the top of the Horror genre and the first of many classics to come!

"Dracula Has Risen From The Grave" (1968)
When his castle is exorcised, Dracula (Christopher Lee) plots his revenge against the Monsignor (Rupert Davies) who performed the rites by attempting to make the Holy man's young niece, Maria (Veronica Carlson) his bride. Great story and very enjoyable performances by the entire cast make this entry in Hammer's `Dracula" series a real treat!

"Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed!" (1969)
Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) is once again working with illegal medical experiments. Together with a young doctor, Karl Holst (Simon Ward) and his fiancée Anna Spengler (Veronica Carlson) they kidnap the mentally sick Dr. Brandt, (George Pravda) to perform the first brain transplant ever!

"Horror of Dracula" (1958)
After Jonathan Harker (John Van Eussen) attacks Dracula (Christopher Lee) at his castle, the vampire travels to a nearby city, where he preys on the family of Harker's fiancée. The only one who may be able to protect them is Dr. Van Helsing, (Peter Cushing) Harker's friend and fellow-student of vampires, who is determined to destroy Dracula, whatever the cost! The first in Hammer's "Dracula" series and possibly "the best" gothic vampire movie ever made! Lush visuals, great atmospheric music and studio sets, along with outstanding cast performances make this Hammer's crowning jewel of gothic horror!

"The Mummy" (1959)
Three British archeologists (including Peter Cushing) discover the grave of an important Egyptian female priestess (Yvonne Furneaux) who has died about four millennia ago. But when they open it a bad curse falls on them for having woken up the mighty "Guard of the Grave" (Christopher Lee) who was buried with the priestess. Hammer once again proved its ability to bring a classic horror story to vibrant life! "The Mummy" is perfectly wonderful in it's story telling, costuming, studio sets, and the cast performances are superb!

"Taste the Blood of Dracula" (1970)
Three elderly distinguished gentlemen are searching for some excitement in their boring lives and get in contact with one of count Dracula's servants (Ralph Bates). During a nightly ceremony they restore The Count (Christopher Lee) back to life. The three men kill Dracula's servant, and for revenge the Count makes sure that the gentlemen are killed one by one by their own sons. An original ideal for Hammer's `Dracula" series makes this one quite enjoyable. Ralph Bates really puts in a fine performance as Dracula's devoted servant- he's so believable!

"THE HAMMER HORROR COLLECTION" is a great box containing some of the Production Studios finest. If only a volume 2 or even a volume 3 would have followed! Hammer Studios truly set the bench mark for the gothic horror genre, and as of yet, no other studio has come close to meeting Hammer's success!

oldie but goodie.......2007-01-10

I have wished for this series for a long time. I got it at a reasonable price in a very short time.

Killer Hammer Collection.......2006-12-13

You cannot go wrong with Hammer Horror of any type, however, this collection beats all the other Hammer collection thats out there today. If you want great horror, then this collection is the best to start off with any true Hammer fan. Cushing and Lees best work to date. Highly Recommended!!

When horror films had stories........2006-05-14

In the last 25 years, we've been bombarded with horror films designed to shock rather than scare. We have Jason, a mindless murderer back from the grave, Freddie, a murderer who haunts our dreams, and Chucky, a little doll who likes to kill people. I'm not saying these newer films are bad. They're just not as good as the older ones.

Case in point, the horror films released by England's Hammer studios from the late 50s into the 70s. All of these films have villains, murderers and shock. But they also have interesting stories. They're not mindless.

This gem of a collection is a great starting point for somebody interested in owning Hammer horror films. There are other Hammer films out there besides these, but these are some of the best.

The Curse of Frankenstein. This is where it all started. Peter Cushing is excellent in his sinister portrayal as Victor Frankenstein, and Christopher Lee is an admirable monster.

The Horror of Dracula. Peter Cushing is back, and is great this time around as Van Helsing. Christopher Lee plays the infamous count for the first time.

The Mummy. This is the best remake of the Boris Karloff original. Lee stars again, this time as Kharis, a resurrected mummy out for revenge against those who desecrated his beloved Ananka's ancient tomb. Peter Cushing is one of the people he wants to get even with.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed. Perhaps Cushing's most sinister stint as Dr. Frankenstein, this time stopping at nothing to make history in the science of brain transplants.

Dracula Has Risen From the Grave. Lee's third stint as the evil count, this time using a priest to exercise his agenda of death and destruction.

Taste the Blood of Dracula. Lee's fourth go-around as the blood-sucking monster, this time seeking revenge against the three men who murdered his disciple.

All of these films are beautifully presented in anamorphic widescreen. The colors, particularly the red, stand out.

the rebirth of gothic horror at the movies.......2006-04-22

this fantastic collection of the best hammer horror movies is just what the true horror movie fan has been waiting for. from frankenstein,dracula,and the mummy you get them all. while the hammer frankenstein movies are fun and i love them,i think the dracula films are the best the studio ever did. the dracula's always had the greatest deaths for the count and the one's in this set are the best. the one shot cushing&lee mummy is also one of the best mummy movies ever(right behind karloff's mummy)and a true treat. the transfers are great and the colors,so important to the hammer movies are like new. set back and let some of the masters of horror show you how it should be done.

Average customer rating:

Pretty dull stuff.
Ground Breaking Horror Effort That Helped Put Hammer Studios On The Map
The one that started it all.
Stop! Hammer Time!
Frankenstein in glorious technicolour for the first time!

Curse of Frankenstein
Starring: Peter Cushing , Hazel Court , Robert Urquhart , Christopher Lee , and Melvyn Hayes
Director: Terence Fisher
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Horror of Dracula
The Mummy
The Revenge of Frankenstein
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed
Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)

ASIN: B00006G8JZ
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Amazon.com

Britain's Hammer Studios had been making films for decades before they suddenly redefined themselves with this lurid remake of the Universal Studios horror classic. Prohibited by Universal from copying their blocky makeup (and their script, for that matter), Hammer returned to Mary Shelley's novel for inspiration, and then went in its own direction. Peter Cushing plays Dr. Frankenstein as the rational scientist turned cold-blooded criminal in his campaign to discover the secret of life, committing murder to further his ends, or to remove an inconvenient mistress. Christopher Lee is the pitiable creature, a terrified behemoth more innocent newborn than malevolent monster. His pale, pallid, grotesquely scarred face was so thickly applied that he emotes almost exclusively with his eyes and his awkward, stumbling gestures. The not-so-good Dr. Frankenstein is the true monster, a ruthless scientist whose rejection of superstition extends to all moral considerations. Shot in blood-red color by Hammer stalwart Terence Fisher, the stylish, often salacious film became Hammer's biggest success to date, made horror stars out of the classically trained Cushing and Lee, and transformed the B studio into the Hammer we know and love today: the house that dripped blood. The Horror of Dracula immediately followed, reuniting the winning team of Cushing and Lee, and Cushing returned in four of six Frankenstein sequels. --Sean Axmaker

Description

In this re-telling of the classic horror tale, Baron Victor Frankenstein becomes friends with one of his teachers, Paul Krempe. At first, both men are fascinated by the potential of their re-animating experiments. Eventually, though, Krempe refuses to help with Frankenstien's human experiments. However, he is drawn back into the plot when Frankenstein's creature kills a member of the house staff.

DVD Features:
Interactive Menus
Scene Access
Theatrical Trailer

Customer Reviews:

Pretty dull stuff........2006-08-26

Makes you really appreciate the Universal horror films from the 1930s; their expressionistic style, cavernous sets, and fabulous acting. Cushing is a bore to watch as Frankenstein, and the entire thing is mired in talky exposition and unidimensional characters. Christopher Lee gets nary little to do as the monster. Perhaps the best aspect of this film is the gory makeup which must have seemed quite revolting in '57. Not recommended.

Ground Breaking Horror Effort That Helped Put Hammer Studios On The Map.......2006-03-23

Despite having been a small production company turning out a number of excellent low budget horror efforts the famed Hammer Studios only really began to earn their title of "The Studio that Dripped Blood", when they changed direction in production and began remaking many of the old Universal Studio's gothic horror efforts from the 1930's. Their first effort in this new genre was 1957's "The Curse of Frankenstein", which became such a huge success that it opened the flood gates for the revival of numerous horror characters such as Dracula, the Mummy, the Wolfman etc. While not their best effort in this new field the Hammer trademarks that were to become so well known to horror lovers in later years were already evident in this first effort with beautiful technicolour photogrpahy, lavish looking period sets (amazingly built on shoe string budgets), and featuring highly capable performers such as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in the leads. While both men had appeared together in the earlier film version of "Hamlet", this film marks the real start of their legendary screen partnership in horror films and here these two horror icons don't disappoint with Peter Cushing beginning his long run as the wily Baron Frankenstein, and Christopher Lee making a great impression as the creature in the role immortalised by Boris Karloff in the classic 1931 Universal Studios version of the story. He may be a different looking monster to Karloff's earlier creation however Christopher Lee sealed his stardom here with his own unique interpretation of the unfortunate creature who in "The Curse of Frankenstein", takes on its own distinctly horrific look that became one of Hammer Studios most memorable monster creations.

The one that started it all........2005-10-24

If you don't like it, then you just don't get what Hammer is all about.

Stop! Hammer Time!.......2005-09-12

Curse Of Frankenstein came out at the perfect time. Throughout the 50s, "horror" films consisted of science gone awry type themes-movies like Them("shoot the antennae!") and The Deadly Mantis were all over the place. Basically horrors from beneath the earth/sea and from beyond the stars. There's nothing wrong with that, I love those films. Alot of those were pretty bad B pictures, but loads of fun to watch. When Hammer released Curse Of Frankenstein, it brought us back to gothic horrors. No one in their right mind could even call Curse a "bad B horror film". It had way too much class, good acting, directing, sets. Like Horror Of Dracula and The Mummy, Curse takes the bare bones of the source novel and does it's own thing with it. This may put off some purists of the novel, but I guess you can't please everyone. The film stars Peter Cushing who was born to play Frankenstein and VanHelsing. His soft spoken, English charm is perfect for both parts. Branagh, Shmanagh, I say. Cushing's Frankenstein is a little less manic than Colin Clive's(though he was excellent too). Even Clive snapped back into reality and realized that what he was doing was wrong. Not Cushing. Cushing becomes more evil and obsessed with each passing minute, never once admitting that he has done anything wrong. It's all in the name of science, remember? The monster is of course, Christopher Lee. His full acting potential wouldn't be realized until he played Dracula and a few other roles down the road(if you ask me, he was definately the coolest villian James Bond ever went up against). Here he isn't given much to do outside the usual Karloff-like mannerisms, but he does it well, and the makeup looks rather gruesome for the time. Plus, Lee's monster isn't as sympathetic as Karloff's, he's just an evil badazz through and through. If you're big into the horror genre, this film is a must as well as the two films after it-Horror Of Dracula and The Mummy. Curse isn't what you'd call a scary film, but then again, what is anymore? Universal's Frankenstein isn't what you call scary, but it's a beautiful film that you can't help watching more than once. I'd say the same for Curse Of Frankenstein. The bloodshed in the film wouldn't get you more than a PG rating, but I'm sure this film was considered a gorefest in the 50s. You must see it....and soon.

Frankenstein in glorious technicolour for the first time!.......2004-07-06

The Curse of Frankenstein was the first of the many gothic horrors for which the Hammer Studios became renowned, and it remains one of the best.

Amazon.com

Death has never stopped anyone from crafting a sequel to a successful film, but Terence Fisher and screenwriter Jimmy Sangster rather ingeniously twist the climactic execution of The Curse of Frankenstein into the opening of The Revenge of Frankenstein. With a cold-blooded flourish that would become his trademark, Frankenstein plots his escape and sends an innocent (a priest, no less) to take his place on the guillotine, leaving himself free to continue his experiments. As the new head of a hospital for the poor, he builds a body for his crippled assistant from parts amputated from his patients, but body battles mind for supremacy and turns the newly ambulatory man into a bloodthirsty cannibal. Once again Fisher makes the most of a constricted budget, turning his poorhouse hospital into a cramped, dank hole and splurging on another colorful laboratory of buzzing devices and a centerpiece tank for his suspended creature. There are few innocents in the Frankenstein films and this is no different: high-society dandies are hypocrites, poorhouse patients thieves and opportunists, and of course the driven doctor is willing to sacrifice anything and anyone to achieve his goal. The clever conclusion, which lays the groundwork for the next sequel, was curiously ignored when the third installment finally arrived six years later in The Evil of Frankenstein. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Cannibalism! Apes! Cushing! Brain Transplants! Hammer! Fun!!!.......2006-07-08

That's right, Frankenstein is alive and well, and he's got a new practice. Escaping execution apparently didn't inspire him to change his ways. Relocated under a false name in a new city as a successful physician, Frankenstein decides to take another whack at it. This time he decides to put a living brain into his new creation's body rather than a nappy old dead one. His half paralyzed assistant volunteers for the body switch. Frank also acquires a young assistant(something he always seems to have on hand in the rest of the films). Well, even with rival doctors , a hot chick and a nosey janitor crawling around his hospital, Frankenstein carries out the operation in his secret lab(is there any other kind?). Is the operation a success? This is a horror films, folks, of course not! Apparently, brain transplants cause cannibalism, at least in apes and paralyzed assistants it does. Will the new body turn into a raging cannibal and run amuck? Will Frankenstein's cover be blown? Will the hospital janitor ever take a bath? Watch and see. Excellent Hammer Frankenstein flick with Cushing giving another excellent performance.

Revenge of Frankenstein.......2006-05-08

As someone who grew up with, and is overly fond of, the classic Universal Frankenstein movies starring Boris Karloff (usually) and directed by James Whale (the best ones) I've avoided the Hammer Studio's monster movies like the plague. I didn't want to soil my pleasant memories of the noble Creature with what, if the trailers were true to the films, looked like cheap, tawdry and exploitative rip-offs of the real thing. Well, THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN is obviously built on a budget, but it's a smart and entertaining little movie, bolstered considerably by the presence of Peter Cushing as the good - er, bad - Baron von Frankenstein.

I've apparently stumbled upon part two, because the first scene in the film show the Baron being led up the scaffolds before spending the better chunk of act one showing us how he wasn't really knocked off in the first movie (the internet, by the way, confirms this suspicion.) Capped out like Count Dracula and relocated to a different small Bavarian burg, Frankenstein has changed his name to Dr. Stein and splits his time between a profitable private practice, consisting mainly of silly wealthy women and their marriage-age nieces and daughters, and his work at the charitable hospital. Fortunately for all concerned, Dr Stein has a lame and crippled assistant, and the wards are filled with all these juicy body parts....

I wasn't sure I'd like THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN - it was recommended to me - but I found it solidly entertaining. Cushing's Doctor F is more sinister than Colin Clive's, or even Basil Rathbone's. Like Rathbone Cushing played Sherlock Holmes, and there's a lot of Holmes' condescension and overbearing arrogance displayed here - a good thing. REVENGE isn't nearly as richly textured as the Whale/Karloff movies, but it's good enough. Solid entertainment.

Hammer's Stylish Sequel To Their Original Frankenstein Horror Classic.......2006-03-27

1958's "The Revenge of Frankenstein", really achieves that rare feat of being a movie sequel every bit as good, if not better than the original movie which in this case was Hammer's groundbreaking "The Curse of Frankenstein", from 1957. That film not only changed forever the fortunes of Britian's small Hammer Studios but also made full fledged stars of both Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Obviously produced to build on the huge success of the first film "The Revenge of frankenstein", is a stylish, thoughtful and well conceived horror story in it's own right with Peter Cushing really making the character of Baron Frankenstein, which he was destined to play six times, his own. With an obviously bigger budget than the first film this effort has the trademark Hammer look, (with some of the sets admittedly recycled from "Horror of Dracula"), and atmosphere including rich technicolour, great period flavour and a sympathetic "creature", in actor Michael Gwynne who fulfills much the same role here as Christopher Lee did so wonderfully in the original film.

One of Hammer's often overlooked classics.......2006-03-06

When thinking about Hammer Films' cheap gore & nudity films of the 1970's, it is often difficult to remember the day when they could produce something as perfect as this! The original sequel to "Curse of Frankenstein" is a beautifully mounted, directed and acted minor masterpiece of the horror film. Jimmy Sangster's thoughtful and restrained screenplay illustrates the reason why he was Hammer's best screenwriter, rivalled only by Terence Fisher's masterful direction. Good old Peter Cushing is back, as a slightly more mellow, humane Baron Frankenstein. Cushing is a joy to watch and listen to as he smoothly maneuvers his way through and insinuates himself into the politics and society of an elegant Swiss burg in the 1860's. The only thing missing is a James Bernard score! If you like your horror films with a dose of 'realism' and good old fashioned drama over just plain screams and action, then this is for you!

Decent entry in the Frankenstein series.......2006-01-21

There is a school of thought that the best form of revenge is success. In this case, the Revenge of Frankenstein is accurately titled, as the character is not interested in any of the more standard forms of vengeance. Instead, Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) has moved on from his life of murder and monster-creating to a gentler life of tending to the ill under the name Stein.

Even though Frankenstein is far more benevolent (and outside of a murder at the beginning of the story, he commits less real evils), he is still Frankenstein, and that means he has to tamper with life and death. Once again, he intends to create a man from the parts of others. This creature is more well-put together than the Christopher Lee creature in the first movie in the series (Curse of Frankenstein) and a willing candidate for the brain: Frankenstein's loyal but disfigured servant, Karl.

And since this is a Frankenstein movie, things will go wrong, although this time a lot of it is not Frankenstein's fault. The man becomes a monster with the usual amount of murderous havoc. This, in turn, threatens Frankenstein's hidden identity.

This is decent, standard Hammer Films fare: there are nice sets, limited special effects, okay writing and competent (but stiff) acting. Tame by today's standards, this film does still have its moments and will please many fans of more "classic" horror. It rates a high three stars; it is not the best introduction to Hammer horror, but it is a slightly above average effort.

The Curse of Frankenstein / Taste the Blood of Dracula

Average customer rating:

What Was the Point
HAMMER HEADS
a good hammer house double feature
Great Bargin But Why ?

The Curse of Frankenstein / Taste the Blood of Dracula
Starring: Christopher Lee , Geoffrey Keen , Gwen Watford , Linda Hayden , and Peter Sallis
Director: Peter Sasdy , and Terence Fisher
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Horror of Dracula
The Mummy
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed
Hammer Horror Series (Brides of Dracula / Curse of the Werewolf / Phantom of the Opera (1962) / Paranoiac / Kiss of the Vampire / Nightmare / Night Creatures / Evil of Frankenstein)
Scars of Dracula

ASIN: B0009UZG5A
Release Date: 2005-08-30

Description

You can't keep a good monster down - a point proven in The Curse of Frankenstein, the film via which Hammer Studios revived Gothic horror in an era dominated by sci-fi scarefests. In the first of many fright-film collaborations, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing star in a tale about the family whose grasp of life's secret has monstrous consequences. Next, Lee dons the cape of the notorious evil one in Taste the Blood of Dracula. Society bigwigs cheat on their wives during a night out, but there's no cheating death when they try too late to back out of ceremony that revives the Count. Sink your teeth into this one, horror fans!

Customer Reviews:

What Was the Point .......2006-01-08

"The Curse of Frankenstein" is The Best of Hammer's Frankenstein Series But Why Pair this with "Taste the Blood of Dracula" one of the worst in Hammer's Dracula Series now I would Have Got This If instead of "Taste" maybe "Horror of Dracula" Where's The fun in this

HAMMER HEADS.......2005-09-07

CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN has the distinction of being the first Hammer production to achieve notoriety and popularity. The initial entry in the several sumptiously produced, overly melodramatic entries, this horror flick finds Peter Cushing as the dedicated if somewhat demented scientist who wants to create his own being. The luscious Hazel Court (Masque of the Red Death) plays Elizabeth, Frankenstein's naive fiancee and veteran character actor Robert Urquhart is the stalwart friend Paul. Future Dracula himself Christopher Lee steps in as the monster, but he's vastly underused and not all that frightening. We've become so immune to true horror during the last fifty years that a film like CURSE OF FRANKESTEIN seems hopelessly dull. But it's the production values and the sincerity of the actors that have made these Hammer movies such classics.
The second film, TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA, made in 1970 is reputedly one of Lee's least favorite Dracula films. Playing out like a kind of drawing room mystery, it's tale of revenge overshadows the terror of its vampire roots and leaves Lee with little to do but appear menacing from time to time. Still, with its vibrant colors and sincere cast, TASTE is far better than many of the 2000 vampire sagas. Overall, if you are a fan of those unique Hammer films of the 50s through the 70s, you'll want this in your collection. The transfer is quite good.

a good hammer house double feature.......2005-09-01

This is a good package of the curse of frankenstein and taste the blood of dracula they are both widescreen the way i like them too bad it didn't include extras the one i got is a 2 sided disc wish they would just make them like all the dracula's in order on double discs and all the frankensteins in order and all widescreen with extras would be nice if they remixed them with dolby surround good movies for haloween or a hammer collector.price was reasonable too.

Great Bargin But Why ?.......2005-06-30

This will be a strange deal I mean "Curse of Frankenstein" was Good But why "Taste the Blood of Dracula" this would have been Great If they had put instead of "taste" maybe "Horror of Dracula" or "The Mummy" I am going to get this only because the case which Holds my Copy of "Curse of Frankenstein" is banged up on the inside,the holder for the disk was broken when I first Got it Back in 2003 Great Deal but Could have Been Better

Hammer Horror Collection (Curse of Frankenstein / Horror of Dracula / The Mummy [1959])

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Masterful Gothic Trilogy From Hammer
Classic Hammer Horror with Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy
Essential introduction to Hammer horror
Hammer Horror Classics
Three of the Best

Hammer Horror Collection (Curse of Frankenstein / Horror of Dracula / The Mummy [1959])
Starring: Peter Cushing , Christopher Lee , Michael Gough , Melissa Stribling , and Carol Marsh
Director: Terence Fisher
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Horror | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( H ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B00006JMSN
Release Date: 2002-10-01

Customer Reviews:

Masterful Gothic Trilogy From Hammer.......2007-05-07

This collection released by Warner Brothers brings together the three films that established Hammer as the leading purveyors of gothic horror. It is perhaps difficult to appreciate now, but the major innovation that Hammer brought to these tired gothic tales was filming them in colour. In just the same way that Universal used the innovative German expressionist techniques of lighting and set design, Hammer chose the opposite route and celebrated the excesses and transgressions of the gothic strain. They brought to the horror genre a physical and sensual style of filmmaking which covered up the very regressive attitudes to gender and class that bubbled beneath the surface.

This collection works very well because of the continuity of personnel that became a trademark of Hammer. These three films are connected by cast, director, art designer, composer, producer and cinematographer - which gives these three films the feel of a trilogy. Of the three films "Dracula" stands up to modern scrutiny the best, its energy and dynamism remain undiminished. But to fully appreciate the aesthetic merits of "Dracula" one must acknowledge "Curse of Frankenstein" which preceded it. This was Hammer's most daring production up to that point, and much of Hammer's conventions of style and theme were established here. However to modern audiences the film does seem somewhat overly talky, and the makeup for the creature, whilst impressive, lacks the impact of Universals. "The Mummy" falls in the middle ground between the two, but possesses an epic rich grandeur of sets the other two lack, "The Mummy" is a gorgeous looking film. But like "Curse of Frankenstein" suffers from some pacing problems.

Warner's have chosen well here and must be commended for their selection, other Hammer box sets have a disappointing randomness. But little seems to have been done in terms of picture and sound restoration, and aside from trailers for all films, there are no further special features. All in all quite disappointing treatment for such important horror films. But the box itself is well designed, and the price (at least when it was first released) represented good value for money.

Classic Hammer Horror with Frankenstein, Dracula and The Mummy.......2005-08-10

These three classic Hammer horror movies are essential additions to horror buff DVD collections. Released in the same year as classics Touch of Evil and Vertigo, Dracula (1958) managed to not only stand out as a fantastic piece of artfully contrived entertainment but also saved the studio from some shaky antecedent years. Featuring a powerful performance from Peter Cushing as vampire hunter Van Helsing, Dracula offers plenty of nail-biting suspense and healthy amounts of gore (Surprising, considering the film's release date). And of course, there's the fantastic Christopher Lee in one of his first major movie roles, who turns in one of his best performances as the snarling, hissing count. Melissa Stribling and Michael Gough provide great support amidst the thrills. Under the steady hand of horror veteran Terence Fisher, Dracula is a fan favorite, and an indispensable chapter for the genre.

Lee, Cushing and director Fisher also created the fantastic Curse of Frankenstein in the previous year. One of the best examples in its field, the action is great, James Bernard's chilling music sends a shiver down the spine, and Jack Asher's stunning cinematography is haunting. Like the Bela Lugosi Dracula, Christopher Lee was Hammer's answer to Boris Karloff, a trend he would continue in the 1959 film The Mummy. While perhaps not as resounding as the previous two movies, Lee and Cushing's added gravitas give so much to a fairly standard plot. The standout is Cushing, whose role as the nervous archeologist John Banning provides much of the film's emotion and exposition. Considering that the fully bandaged role for Lee basically means that all you see are his eyes (Except for an excellent flashback explaining how Kharis came to be mummified alive) yet he still manages to give more scares than a bucket load of CGI can muster. Yvonne Furneaux shines in dual roles as Kharis' love Princess Ananka and Banning's wife, Isobel. And that ending? Creepy to say the least. Lee's creature performances outshine Karloff (And that's not easy) and despite the notoriety of the earlier originals, these three classics have stood the test of time to become the cherished horror gems they are today.

Essential introduction to Hammer horror.......2004-07-06

From the mid-'50s until the mid-'70s, the British Hammer Studios specialized with great success in producing gothic horrors, with great success. Showcased here are three of their early productions, all directed by stalwart Terence Fisher.

The seminal Curse of Frankenstein contains all the sophistication, irony and terror that made the Hammer Frankenstein series so successful and memorable. Peter Cushing plays the villianous Baron magnificently, and Christopher Lee presents us with an original and sympathetic portrayal of the creature. Production design is stunning, especially some of the lush matte paintings, and veteran James Bernard supplies one of his best scores.

Horror of Dracula is generally regarded as Fisher's masterpiece. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are pitted against each other as vampire-hunter Van Helsing and the nefarious Transylvanian aristocrat respectively. Fisher brings style and depth to the Dracula myth, and is fortunate to have the brilliance of composer James Bernard and designer Bernard Robinson at hand. Here we are presented with some of the cinema's most memorable images of vampirism of all time.

The Mummy never quite reached the heights attained by Frankenstein and Dracula, but it remains an entertaining piece of vintage Hammer.

Hammer Horror Classics.......2003-07-04

I am a big fan of the Hammer horror films. While, the scripts were adequate, the actors were brilliant and top-rate, and managed to inject complete believability into what they had to work with. In my opinion, however, the primary genius behind these films was director, Terence Fisher, who managed to give these films a look and style quite apart from anything that had ever been done before, which very few people have managed to match in today's "quick cutting, camera-whipping to the point of nauseum, get-as-much-information-as-you-can-to-the-audience" filmmaking. Great horror is not about overt blood-letting, it's about classy style. Fisher, his crew and cast, had style.

Three of the Best.......2003-01-15

These are the films that took the three classic movie monsters brought them into the world of color. They each spawned several sequels of various quality ( the Hammer Mummy films coming off worst)but they all changed the way that we view horror today. Made on the high end of a low budget the films look great.The acting is wonderful, Cushing's Frankenstien is masterful portrait of evil and Christopher Lee's Dracula rightly made him famous the world over. It should also be remembered that as tame as they seem by todays standards there was a great out cries about the horror and shock content of the films upon their first release. The films while not nearly as terrifying as they once were are still really good thrillers. The discs themselves are quite good, although sorely lacking in extra material. Why no effort was made to put something together by Warner is beyond me, especially since Christopher Lee has been doing commentaries for the other Dracula films over at Anchor Bay.But that's a minor sticking point since the films themselves are what matter and in this case the transfers are wonderful.

[11 Monster Flicks] White Zombie, Killer Shrews, Monster Walks, Creature from the Haunted Sea, Wasp Woman, Werewolf in a Girl's Dormitory, Curse of the Swamp Creature, Lady Frankenstein, Nightmare Castle, Invasion of the Bee Girls, House of 1000 Corpses

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[11 Monster Flicks] White Zombie, Killer Shrews, Monster Walks, Creature from the Haunted Sea, Wasp Woman, Werewolf in a Girl's Dormitory, Curse of the Swamp Creature, Lady Frankenstein, Nightmare Castle, Invasion of the Bee Girls, House of 1000 Corpses

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

Digitally Remastered For Superior Picture Quality
Dolby Digital 5.1 Sound
INTERACTIVE MENUS
scene selections
director commentary, audition footage, rehearsal footage, interviews

ASIN: B000GDXCM4

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