Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

Locked in a cell, an hour away from the guillotine, Baron Frankenstein recounts to a priest how he built a creature from human body parts and successfully brought it to life.The Curse of Frankenstein might not be one of my favourite of Hammer's Frankenstein films—I prefer the studio's later entries in the series with their lurid gore and overt sexuality—but I still hold it in extremely high regard for helping to revive the flagging horror genre (sci-fi having dominated much of the fifties) and for being the first film to team British horror icons Peter Cushing (as Baron Victor Frankenstein) and Christopher Lee (who plays his creation).Working with a limited budget, director Terence Fisher stages much the action within Victor's home and laboratory, his film very much a character driven piece, with Cushing's obsessed scientist to the fore and Lee's monster taking a back seat. Thankfully, Cushing is such an accomplished performer that he is able to carry the film virtually by himself, delivering a truly chilling turn as a genius driven to unspeakable acts by his obsession. Lee, on the other hand, simply gets to stumble around a bit (he would get his chance to really shine the following year in Hammer's Dracula).6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for Hazel Court as the Baron's cousin Elizabeth, who adds some welcome glamour to proceedings.

The Curse of Frankenstein was a monster smash at the UK box office. A low budget, colourful and Gothic re-telling of the Frankenstein story. Less baroque that the later Kenneth Branagh version of the 1990s this was the film that began the reputation of Hammer horror films.Christopher Lee plays the revived monster a world away from the flat headed and flat footed Boris Karloff whose makeup was trademarked to Universal Pictures.The real monster is Peter Cushing's Baron Frankenstein, an obsessive scientist, unethical and a cold blooded murderer. He performs medical experiments with his friend Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart) to reanimate tissue. Whereas Krempe has doubts, Frankenstein has none.In fact the viewer has little sympathy for any of the main characters. Krempe damages the brain that Frankenstein has procured, the result is a homicidal monster. Krempe can never get away from his former pupil and you know he is attracted to his fiancée.The film is more melodramatic than horror but its very flawed. Their are good production values, it is colourful. The scene where the old professor takes a plunge is well photographed but the constant argument between Krempe and Frankenstein gets irritating.

Movies starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee are a subgenre of horror films, one that I have never cared for. Actually, this is one of those Hammer productions, which I do not care for either, even when they do not star these two actors. Such movies are typically ponderous and dull. In the original story, Dr. Frankenstein is dedicated to science, which he believes will benefit mankind, but ends up creating a monster instead. Though we feel sorry for the monster, he is dangerous and has to be destroyed. In this movie, Dr. Frankenstein is more evil than the monster, committing murder to get the brain he needs, which then makes the monster seem superfluous. Furthermore, whereas the original story was a cautionary tale about the unintended consequences of science, the only moral to this story is that if you commit murder, you will probably be punished.

I wanted to watch the TCM Christopher Lee Hammer horror marathon they were having in honor of Christopher Lee recently passing away. I've always been curious about these films, and figured it would be the best time to watch them. I was very surprised at how much I really liked this adaptation of the Frankenstein story. I've only seen the films with Boris Karloff as the monster, but Christopher Lee was just as good and his makeup was amazing for its time. I really enjoyed the story of how Victor Frankenstein went from smart scientist to crazy madman. In his childhood, his parents passed away and sent for a tutor named Dr. Paul Krempe to teach him everything he knows about science. Years later as an adult, he learns how to bring a dog back to life, so he wants to take it to the next level and create a perfect human being from body parts. At first, Paul is intrigued and onboard, but as the experiment gets deadlier, Paul wants out. Victor keeps grave-robbing and stealing eyes, hands and a brain to create his creature. Once the monster comes alive, Victor realizes he can't control it. If you love classic old school horror, you'll love THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN!!!