The Horror Of Frankenstein (1970)

Frankenstein for a new generation. This movie doesn't have any of the elderly Hammer stalwarts (and they're sorely missed) but it does have an energy to it and a lot of positives thanks to a witty script and a great central performance from Ralph Bates. He may be no Cushing but he gives an enjoyable, youthful take on Victor Frankenstein and carries the film through some of its lean patches.

Directed by Jimmy Sangster (who also co-wrote the film with Jeremy Burnham), this movie may upset the purists but it's hard to see how anyone can come to hate it. Yes, it's essentially a rehash of The Curse Of Frankenstein but that's not the worst cinematic crime in the world. Young Victor upsets a number of people, from his father to his lecturers, as he grows from a boy into a man obsessed with the idea of bringing the dead back to life.

The pacing is brisk, the acting is all enjoyable (highlights = Kate O'Mara playing a great, lusty housekeeper, Dennis Price as a professional graverobber and Veronica Carlson as the fragile beauty this time around) and everything still feels lovingly crafted and unrushed, even if it is aiming for a younger audience.

I felt, as many others surely did, that I would miss many of the more seasoned Hammer stars this time but I actually managed to put them aside and enjoy almost every moment of the movie, a testament to just how many things the movie gets right. The one, big, negative point is the monster itself when it finally appears. Dave Prowse just doesn't cut it as the creature and it's in the moments featuring his lacklustre performance that the movie falters.

I'm sure that I'm not going to change the minds of any die-hard fans here but I liked this film a fair bit and think it deserves a bit more praise than it gets. It maintains a balance between nastiness and dark comedy from the first scene right up to the wonderful punchline just before the end credits roll and, personally, I think it's a much better way to push the character to modern audiences than the approach that was attempted with Dracula A.D. 1972.

Of course, I may be completely wrong (it wouldn't be the first time). Give it a look and see what you think. If you enjoy it then I can put on my smug face for a day, if you hate it then I can go back to hiding behind the false beard and dark glasses.

7/10

Yet another movie available in this bargain boxset - http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Ultimate-Hammer-Collection-Disc/dp/B000HN31KQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1354487105&sr=8-1

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)

Terence Fisher is once again at the helm of a Hammer horror, directing this entry in the Frankenstein series, but he's hampered by the script (written by Bert Batts) that mixes too much of the familiar with too much of the mildly despicable.

Peter Cushing plays the Baron and still mesmerises me every moment he's on screen but this time around the character has been warped and changed beyond recognition. What I always liked about Baron Frankenstein, in the Hammer incarnations anyway, was the fact that he was ever so slightly justified in his actions and conviction but when things started to slip out of his control he would easily go too far. THAT made him an interesting "bad guy" you could still root for and this was always made easier to accept when he was played by the constant gentleman, Mr. Cushing. In this movie he is a murdering, blackmailing rapist with no redeeming qualities whatsoever and that has always been offputting for me.

Simon Ward and the beautiful Veronica Carlson play the young couple caught up in his nefarious scheme, which this time involves a brain transplant procedure to help one of the Baron's ex-colleagues, and Freddie Jones is the possible brain recipient.

There are some nice moments throughout this film, with an unexpected flood that may reveal the location of a corpse being one of them, but everything is too downbeat and unlikeable to simply sit back and enjoy. Cushing is as great as he always is and the supporting cast ably assist him (Thorley Walters is wonderful as Inspector Frisch) but it's just not enough to keep this film alongside the other, better outings featuring the progressive scientist that we just love to see fail. The plot has a very interesting idea at its core but it's all undone by that extreme nastiness.

To be fair, it's more of an over the top, practically operatic, tragedy than a blood-soaked horror and the movie builds towards a suitable climax in that regard. It's never easy to say what other Hammer fans will like or dislike but this is an occasion when I seem to be very much in the minority. Most of the other reviews I have seen for this movie put it at or near the very top of the Hammer Frankenstein pile. I put it in the lower half.

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Frankenstein-Must-Be-Destroyed-DVD/dp/B0001XLY56/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1353886637&sr=8-1

Dracula Has Risen From The Grave (1968)

Dracula (played again by Christopher Lee) returns and this time he's mad at a monsignor (Rupert Davies) who has exorcised his castle and left a ruddy big crucifix on the front door. To get his revenge he plans to take the monsignor's niece (Maria, played by the lovely Veronica Carlson) away and keep her with him. This displeases both the monsignor and the young man (Paul, played by Barry Andrews) who would rather keep the monsignor's niece for himself.

Written by Anthony Hinds and directed by Freddie Francis, the majority opinion seems to be that this is one of Hammer's weaker Dracula outings (though there would be much worse to come) and I have to agree. That's mainly due to a few of the lead characters being pretty dull or even, as is the case with the monsignor, not that likeable.

The actors all do okay, and there's a decent role here for fan favourite Michael Ripper, but there's just an overall feeling of disinterest as one scene plods along into another. Barbara Ewing's character has some good moments, and makes quite an impression in her first scene, but the rest of the supporting cast don't really make much of an impression (except the aforementioned Ripper and Carlson). Ewan Hooper, playing a priest who ends up doing Dracula's bidding, is especially weak.

It's a good job we have Christopher Lee back in the cape because his presence compensates for a lot of the other shortcomings. His portrayal of the fanged fury is always watchable, at the very least, and this is what stops Dracula Has Risen From The Grave from being something you should avoid like a plague rat. There are also a few individual moments, particularly at the start of the movie, that tick the boxes for standard Hammer horror goodness.

I recommend this one to the Hammer completist as being something far from the worst that the studio would make but also way down the list when compared to the other films in the Dracula series.

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dracula-Has-Risen-Grave-DVD/dp/B0001XLY4W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352234761&sr=8-1