I have covered this one a couple of times but it’s easily the best of the Hammer Frankenstein movies.
It’s fifth of Hammer’s Frankenstein movies where they followed Peter Cushing’s awesome Dr. Frankenstein instead of the monster like Universal’s Frankenstein horror movies did. All of ones with Peter Cushing are fantastic – heck Revenge of Frankenstein might be better but it’s a close draw.
Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) has been continuing his work. A thief breaks into his current lab and Frankenstein destroys his current work and moves on. The good doctor finds himself staying at a boarding hosue run by Anna (Veronica Carlson) whose boyfriend Dr. Karl Holst (Simon Ward) works at the local insane asylum. The asylum also houses a colleague of Frankenstein’s Dr. Frederick Brandt (George Pravda) who has gone insane and Frankenstein decides he needs his friend’s help.
To do this Frankenstein blackmails Karl into help smuggle Dr. Brandt out the asylum. Brandt has a heart attack so Frankenstein just simple transfers Brandt’s brain into a new body. Brant isn’t exactly thrilled to find himself in someone else’s body.
Peter Cushing’s performance as Dr. Frankenstein is brilliant. He’s arrogant, self righteous and despite his best intentions always making things worse for everyone. Cushing made seven Frankenstein movies and with exception of the third film all of them are fantastic. Here’s my previous posts of Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed. And here’s Revenge of Frankenstein.
