In a Nutshell. Mini reviews of movies old and new. No fuss. No spoilers. And often no sleep.

Monday 28 September 2015

Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)

Hammer’s seventh and last Frankenstein feature was also director Terence Fisher’s last ever sitting in the big chair. His contribution to the franchise and to the studio's success is impossible to overstate.
What’s also to be applauded is the return of Cushing to the role of the Baron. The modest budget and awful creature effects made it even more important to have such a redoubtable character actor as a focal point. He delivers.
He’s hiding out in a hospital for the criminally insane. Well, he’s not exactly hiding, the building houses people that society at large ignores, which is the perfect environment for the Baron to continue his work uninterrupted. As such, the primary threat to his efforts are ones of his own making.
Despite a less gothic setting there’s a noticeable return to the glory days of Hammer, and a welcome reintroduction of a tragic aspect to the creature.

3½ private works out of 5

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