Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell

 

(1974) Directed by Terence Fisher; Written by John Elder (aka: Anthony Hinds); Starring: Peter Cushing, Shane Briant, Madeline Smith, David Prowse and John Stratton Available on Blu-Ray and DVD 

Rating: ****

“You’ve had so many monsters by then that at last you say where this monster has come from. He comes from Hell, from Evil, from Frankenstein’s mistaken belief that he is the creator of man, which of course he isn’t, and will never succeed in being.” – Terence Fisher (excerpted from 1975 interview)

“This was a film that didn’t show my body at all. It was entirely about my face. This was the direction I would have liked to continue in, but I wasn’t given the opportunity to do that. The Frankenstein film was a fluke, in that respect.” – Madeline Smith (from Hammer Glamour, by Marcus Hearn)

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) was a landmark film for Hammer Films, representing a new era for the production company, as well as surprising audiences (and displeasing critics) with a more graphic interpretation of the classic Mary Shelley tale. The series of sequels that followed continued to add new facets to the Frankenstein mythos, culminating in the final installment, Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. Budgeted for a paltry £160,000 (but completed for only £137,000 under producer Roy Skeggs’ frugal supervision), the film marked Peter Cushing’s return as the infamous Baron Frankenstein, as well as director Terence Fisher (who was in poor health at the time),** who helmed most of the films in the series. Monster from Hell was mostly shot at Elstree Studios, except for a cemetery scene, which was filmed on location at Highgate Cemetery. Although shooting took place in 1972, the film didn’t see its U.S. premier until 1974.* 

* Fun Fact #1: When the movie was finally released in the United States, it appeared on a double bill with the similarly overlooked Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974). 

** Fun Fact #2: Sadly, this proved to be Fisher’s last feature film. According to Roy Skeggs, “He’d lost a lot of confidence after his two road accidents, but I eventually persuaded him to come back. I’m very glad I did.”

Peter Cushing stars, once again, as the irredeemable Baron Victor Frankenstein, now working under the assumed name Dr. Victor. Despite sporting a snazzy new hairdo,* Cushing appeared otherwise worse for wear, with a pallid complexion and gaunt, cadaverous face. This chapter in the Hammer Frankenstein saga finds him running a sanitarium for the criminally insane (after wresting control from the unscrupulous asylum director, played by John Stratton). He’s accompanied by mute assistant Sarah (Madeline Smith), who cares for a select few patients under his direct supervision (It’s not difficult to guess that they will provide the raw materials necessary for Frankenstein’s next creation). Unwittingly joining them is Simon Helder (Shane Briant), a gifted young surgeon, who’s sentenced to five years at the asylum for sorcery (after following in the footsteps of Frankenstein’s experiments). With his own hands damaged beyond repair, Frankenstein sees the perfect opportunity in Helder, who can perform the delicate surgery he can no longer accomplish. It doesn’t take long for the Baron’s true intentions to surface, when Helder discovers the hulking, reanimated body of a killer in the doctor’s secret laboratory. Before you can say, “tampering with the laws of nature,” Frankenstein is back in business, transplanting the brain of a mathematical and musical genius, Professor Durendel (Charles Lloyd Pack), into the killer’s skull, and grafting the hands of a sculptor (played by Bernard Lee, in a wordless role) onto the body. But this is only a precursor to Frankenstein’s ultimate goal, mating the monster with Sarah.  

* Fun Fact #3: Cushing insisted on wearing the wavy wig, first used in the Amicus film, And Now the Screaming Starts! (1973).

For his final performance as the eponymous doctor, Peter Cushing could have phoned it in, but being the consummate professional he was, manages to bring new facets to the character. Ever the sociopath, Frankenstein refuses to take any responsibility for his own actions, even when he goads a patient to suicide. Still chasing his elusive quest to create a perfect being, he will stop at nothing to reach that end. Filmed only a year after his wife Helen’s death, it’s a testament to Cushing’s professionalism that he settled back into the role so effortlessly. As in the past, he wrote meticulous notes, and even performed a risky stunt, jumping on the back of fellow performer David Prowse.

An apt subtitle for Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell could have been “Never Meet Your Heroes,” as our young protagonist Simon Helder (Shane Briant) soon learns. At the beginning, Helder is portrayed as a cocksure junior doctor delving into the mysteries of life, ethics be damned. During his court hearing for sorcery, he brashly proclaims that he’s read all of Baron Frankenstein’s writings (hardly the sort of repentant tone that the judge would have expected). As the film progresses, however, his confidence in the elder doctor is compromised beyond any hope of being salvaged.

Madeline Smith shines as Frankenstein’s mute assistant Sarah (also referred to as “the Angel”).* Smith does more acting with her eyes than most actors manage with their entire bodies. A far cry from the shrinking violet of other Hammer heroines, her innocent demeanor belies the horrors she’s experienced within the asylum. In spite of what she’s witnessed and been an accomplice to, she puts on a brave, even cheerful face. In her DVD commentary, Smith downplayed her character as lacking intellect, but Sarah is the movie’s heart and soul, providing enough emotional intelligence for everyone else. Only she can see the humanity in the creature, creating a Beauty and the Beast dynamic. 

* Fun Fact #4: Surprisingly, Smith wasn’t Hammer’s original choice for the role, but Caroline Munro, who had recently completed Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter.

Buried underneath a pile of makeup, former body builder David Prowse* still manages to make the creature sympathetic. The mostly immobile mask doesn’t convey much expression, so his eyes and body language must do the heavy lifting (Pun unintended…or is it?). He walks hunched over, concealing his six-foot-six-inch frame. The monster’s anguish and frustration is palpable when he picks up his beloved violin, only to smash it to splinters when he lacks the dexterity to play it. In a poignant later scene, he digs up Professor Durendel’s grave, finding himself staring face to face with his own corpse. 

* Fun Fact #5: Prowse, who was the only actor to perform the monster in two Hammer movies, preferred his creature makeup from the latter film. According to Prowse, it took two-and-a-half hours per day to transform into the monster in Horror of Frankenstein (1970), versus only about 20 minutes to don the mask and body suit for Monster from Hell.

While Hammer’s Dracula series arguably ran out of gas long before its final bow, the Frankenstein series finished on a high note with Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell.  Criticized for being a throwback to a more old-fashioned mode of filmmaking, this end to Hammer’s gothic horror era seems fresh today. Comparing favorably to the best entries in the Frankenstein series, Monster from Hell makes up for any budget deficits with atmospheric (if somewhat constrictive) sets, excellent performances all around, and enough blood and guts to satisfy the most jaded horror fan. Thematically, it ties up Baron Frankenstein’s misguided quest to one-up the forces of nature, leaving him as he began, unrepentant and none-the-wiser for his ordeals. 

 

Sources for this article: Shout Factory Blu-ray commentary by Madeline Smith, David Prowse and Jonathan Sothcott; Blu-ray commentary by Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr; The Hammer Story, by Marcus Hearn and Alan Barnes; Hammer Glamour, by Marcus Hearn; Hammer Films: The Unsung Heroes, by Wayne Kinsey

 

 

The Leopard Man

 

(1943) Directed by Jacques Tourneur; Written by Ardel Wray and Edward Dein; Based on the novel, Black Alibi, by Cornell Woolrich; Starring: Dennis O’Keefe, Margo, Jean Brooks, Isabell Jewell, James Bell, Margaret Landry, Abner Biberman, Tuulikki Paananen, and Ben Bard; Available on Blu-ray and DVD 

Rating: ****

"Time is strange. A moment can be as short as a breath or as long as eternity. Don’t linger. The gates are locked at six.” – Cemetery Gatekeeper (Brandon Hurst) 

Horror manifests itself in many forms. Is it the act itself, or the suggestion of the act that is the most horrific? As Alfred Hitchcock once observed, it’s not the gunshot but the anticipation of the gunshot that’s the most blood chilling. Jacques Tourneur understood this all too well, preferring suspense, shadows, and suggestions over explicit depictions of violence. The Leopard Man (based on the Cornell Woolrich novel Black Alibi),* his final collaboration with producer Val Lewton, was no exception. Like their previous films, Tourneur made up for any budget deficiencies with oodles of atmosphere and palpable psychological terror. 

* Fun Fact #1: When Lewton originally purchased the rights to the novel, the working title was Cat People, which he ended up using for his most famous film in 1942.

The story begins in a nightclub, where Kiki (Jean Brooks) tries to upstage fellow performer Clo-Clo (Margo) with a black leopard.* The leopard is spooked by the clicking of Clo-Clo’s castanets, fleeing the club, and into a sleepy New Mexican town. When a young girl is savagely mutilated, the leopard is believed to be the killer, despite its owner’s assertion that the wild cat wouldn’t likely attack people. Another brutal death occurs, with everyone but Kiki’s manager, Jerry Manning (Dennis O’Keefe), convinced that the leopard is the culprit. But with no concrete evidence to support his suspicions, he’s on his own to ascertain who or what the murderer is. He consults Dr. Galbraith (James Bell),** a former zoology professor who runs a museum of indigenous art, who only casts doubt on the nature of the murders. 

* Fun Fact #2: According to a 1943 Hollywood Reporter article, several extras refused to work with the leopard, named “Dynamite.” Of the 100+ extras who were called, only half accepted the job. 

** Fun Fact #3: According to film historian Constantine Nasr, RKO reportedly wanted Lon Chaney, Jr. to be cast as the enigmatic professor, but Lewton couldn’t negotiate a deal.

In a film with many tense, unsettling scenes, one of the most chilling sequences involves Teresa (Margaret Landry), a teenage girl, who’s sent out in the night to purchase corn masa for tortillas. Despite her protests over an escaped leopard stalking the streets, her mother sternly admonishes her not to return without the masa. Fearing she’s being stalked, Teresa hurries home, only to discover the front door of her house locked. We hear her desperately clawing at the door, while her mother and brother try in vain to unlock it, followed by a pool of blood collecting under the door. Tourneur reminds us it’s not what we see, but what we don’t see that’s terrifying (our mind fills in the blanks). The next victim is Consuelo (Tuulikki Paananen), a young woman visiting her father’s grave, who becomes accidentally locked inside the walls of the graveyard, inadvertently trapping her with the unseen killer. The sound of Clo-Clo’s castanets permeate the soundtrack, ratcheting up the tension. When she becomes the third victim, her castanets become the equivalent to Poe’s “Tell Tale Heart” for the murderer, a constant, nagging reminder of his warped conscience. 

* Fun Fact #4: According to another Hollywood Reporter blurb, RKO and producer Lewton utilized a “fright-detector” during a sneak preview, to measure “both the quantity and intensity of audience screams, gasps and emotional reactions.”

Manning is reluctant to get involved, but his conscience gets the better of him. After he initially declines to join the sheriff’s posse searching for the leopard, he has an abrupt change of heart, deciding to start his own investigation. Despite his unshakeable exterior, he’s compelled by an overwhelming sense of guilt to discover who the real murderer is. Besides Manning, guilt plays a major hand in the lives of several characters: Teresa’s mother for sending her daughter out on the fateful night, Consuelo’s boyfriend, who failed to meet her on time, and the leopard’s owner, Charlie How-Come (Abner Biberman), who becomes convinced that he might be directly responsible for the murders.

 

The Leopard Man defies easy categorization. Is it horror? I think so. Is it noir? Absolutely. Or perhaps it belongs in the catch-all category, suspense? Of course. The film ticks many boxes, proving low budget doesn’t necessarily corollate with low thrills. Tourneur and crew employ a masterful play of light, shadow and sound to create a pervasive atmosphere of dread throughout. The poetic dialogue sets the film a notch above many of its contemporaries, transforming what could have been a simple potboiler into a thoughtful study of the darker side of human nature. Despite its solid reputation with film fans and scholars alike, The Leopard Man somehow managed to get overlooked and overshadowed by Tourneur’s other collaborations with Val Lewton (Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie, The 7^th Victim) at the time, with tepid critical reception (even Lewton and Tourneur had a low opinion of the film). As with many classics reviewed on this blog, however, time proved the film’s worth, ranking favorably among Tourneur and Lewton’s other (deservedly) vaunted works. 

 

Sources for this article: Shout Factory Blu-ray commentary by Constantine Nasr; “Extras Refuse to Work with Leopard,” The Hollywood Reporter (Tuesday, February 23, 1943); “Fright-Detector Used to Check Emotions,” The Hollywood Reporter (Friday, April 9, 1943)

Space Month III Quick Picks and Pans

 

The Terrornauts (1967) Scientists make contact with an alien outpost stationed on a nearby asteroid. Before you can say, “plot complication,” the scientists (along with a meek accountant and an outspoken lunch lady) are whisked away to the asteroid, where they’re confronted with portals to other worlds and hostile aliens. To make matters worse, they’re locked in a war between two extraterrestrial civilizations – and all this for a budget that would make Moon Zero Two look lavish by comparison. Predictably, the not-so-special effects aren’t quite up to the task. While the visuals leave something to be desired, it’s briskly paced and oddly whimsical. If you don’t think about it too much, you might just have a good time. 

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray and DVD (Out of print)

Vegas in Space (1991) If you crossed Flash Gordon with Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, for a budget of about $3.95, you might end up with something like this. Astronauts from Earth are sent to a faraway planet to investigate a theft. The only problem is that it’s a planet where men are forbidden, so “Presto, change-o,” the crew reverse their sex to blend in. What else are the gender bending astronauts to do but dance, dance, dance? A fever dream in taffeta and glitter, it’s without a doubt the cheapest movie on this list, but far from the worst (and certainly the most fashionable). 

Rating: ***. Available on DVD, Kanopy and Prime Video

Queen of Blood (1966) American International Pictures recruited writer/director Curtis Harrington to rework footage from the Russian sci-fi movie Battle Beyond the Sun (1959), creating an entirely new story. Unsurprisingly, the footage isn’t exactly seamless (note the prominent red star on a space rocket). John Saxon stars as astronaut Allan Brenner, who’s accompanied by fellow space traveler Paul Grant (Dennis Hopper). Brenner lands on Mars’ moon Phobos, where he finds the sole survivor from an alien spacecraft, a green-skinned woman (Florence Marly) with a taste for human blood. While far from perfect, it’s entertaining enough, despite a surprisingly pessimistic ending. 

Rating: ***. Available on Blu-ray, DVD and Prime Video

Wild, Wild Planet (1965) An international team investigating a series of disappearances leads to a series of clandestine experiments, funded by a giant, evil corporation (Is there any other kind?). The experiments are supervised by mad scientist Nurmi (Massimo Serato) who endeavors to create a perfect race of humans, cobbled together from body parts (if your idea of “perfection” involves bald, four-armed men in black trenchcoats and sunglasses). His actions are thwarted by a pesky space commander (Tony Russel). Filled with bad special effects, cheap-looking miniatures, and mediocre makeup, it’s more mild than wild, but it might be worth seeing for a laugh or two. 

Rating: **½. Available on DVD 

The Phantom Planet (1961) Featuring a premise that wouldn’t have been out of place in a 1930s serial, The Phantom Planet seems dated. A rescue mission is dispatched to determine the whereabouts of a previously launched rocket that suddenly vanished. Capt. Frank Chapman crash lands on an elusive asteroid, where he discovers a civilization of tiny people. He shrinks down to their size (because of the asteroid’s atmosphere – don’t ask), quickly becoming embroiled in the miniature society’s affairs (and a love triangle with two women). There isn’t much we haven’t seen before in dozens of other genre films, except for one of the goofiest looking humanoid extraterrestrials I’ve ever seen, so there’s that. 

Rating: **. Available on Blu-ray, DVD, Prime Video and Tubi 

Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962) An international team of astronauts comprised entirely of white middle-aged men travels to the planet Uranus (insert obligatory joke here), where they encounter a hostile alien presence. The alien creature clouds their minds with visions of women from their past, to manipulate their actions. The story plays like a second-rate Star Trek episode, as the crew members attempt to combat the hallucinations. Obviously done on the cheap, this Danish-American co-production features a script by director Sidney W. Pink (Reptilicus and Angry Red Planet) and Ib Melchior (The Angry Red Planet and Death Race 2000). Will the crew (including B-movie regular John Agar) find a way off the planet? Will you be able to stay awake long enough to find out? 

Rating: **. Available on DVD and Prime Video