Frankenstein 1970

MORD39 RATING: **1/2 (of ****)

As a kid I recall being disappointed when catching FRANKENSTEIN 1970 on TV. I was expecting the 1931 original, and at the age of 8 or 9 I was understandably disappointed. But now as an adult I can appreciate this 1950's monster flick for what it is.

Most fans dismiss this film, but I believe it has much going for it. For one thing, we get Boris Karloff as the Baron. Too many folks have panned his hammy performance, but I think he is deliciously sinister and over-ripe. His character reminds me of the Boris puppet from the MAD MONSTER PARTY film, and I'm surprised that more viewers don't find his performance endearing.

The film boasts a surprise opening and a surprise ending (I won't give them away), and in between that we get to see a gloomy castle filled with an underground secret laboratory and hidden passageways. Boris plays eerie music on his organ, and he's creating a monster that runs around killing people. Is this not what makes a fun horror pic?

True, the monster isn't very convincing...but neither are most fifties creatures, so why all the fuss? Besides, the monster only looks as he does due to the fact that the bandages and head cast have not yet been removed.

With foggy swamps, unexplored corridors, and a mad Karloff, fans could do far worse than FRANKENSTEIN 1970.

Lesser Boris Karloff horror picture, notable for being the first time he played an actual member of the Frankenstein family. In his earlier (better) Frankenstein movies, he played either the monster or a non-Frankenstein scientist. This movie and the later Mad Monster Party are, I believe, the only times he played an actual Frankenstein. The story has Karloff playing Baron Victor von Frankenstein, descendant of the Frankenstein that caused all that trouble way back when. The good Baron, disfigured by Nazis during WWII, is in dire financial straits and needs money to continue his own experiments. Ask what kind of experiments and I'll look at you funny. To make some money the Baron allows a horror movie to be shot at Castle Frankenstein. Soon things are getting a little crazy and members of the film crew are being killed off by the Baron for reasons that should be pretty to predict.

Karloff always stood out in his horror films but here he plays to the rafters, no doubt overcompensating for the talky and dull script. Rudolph Anders is good as his friend and Don "Red" Barry does a decent job as the Carl Denham-esque movie director. There are a couple of pretty ladies around as well. Two of the better scenes are fake-outs that turn out to be scenes for the movie-within-a-movie. Perhaps if this movie had been more like that one it would have been more fun. As it is, it's a pretty dreary affair that drags on and on. The effects are poor and the monster, when it actually does something, is laughable. Basically this movie is a slow death by words. Only recommendable to Karloff completists.

Atmosphere is important in any horror film and this movie has it in spades. Unfortunately, that's all it has. Really very little to recommend here. Karloff is good in this movie but completely wasted in this effort and far too campy and hammy to really chill the audience. The monster itself is also a huge problem. Not so much when we first see the monster but as it progresses in its various stages of creation, it just gets sillier and sillier. The music tries to scare up a few chills whenever the monster appears but it is all really wasted. The best thing about the movie as I previously stated is the atmosphere. I especially like movies that have isolated creepy castles in them that are filled with secret passageways and hidden laboratories from which all those mad scientists conduct their business. The opening sequence of the film is by far the best part of the movie but the surprise ending tries to come close only that it is really telegraphed all throughout the movie and really isn't much of a surprise when you think about it. Although this is by far not the worst Karloff film it is not the best either. It's really too bad that Karloff, if he wanted to spoof the Frankenstein character he played, that he should have offered to play the part in ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN.

Baron Victor von Frankenstein(Boris Karloff) was scarred by his Nazi captors during World War II, he plans to recreate the legendary Monster originally conceived by his ancestor. In order to raise money to purchase an atomic reactor to complete his experiments, he permits an American TV unit to film a show at his castle. During the late fifties, television exposure of Karloff's old Frankenstein films sparked a new horror cycle in Hollywood. Karloff was made up to look rather like a disfigured German Count and does a careful, convincing job with his role, which is competently written. The supporting cast of Tom Duggan , Irwin Berke, local TV personalities and Jana Lund(one time sweetheart of Elvis Presley) do well enough but cannot be in class with Karloff. No matter what you think of the film, it is still another Boris Karloff classic and should be viewed by all Karloff fans.

I have a little fondness for this movie. It was on TV quite often when I was a little skippy. It was always on The Ghoul who was a horror host in the Detroit area. Most of the time we were watching to see him but the movies weren't always bad. This one was a little above the rest.

To finance his experiments the last of the Frankensteins (Karloff) allows a film crew to shoot a movie/TV show on the grounds of his estate. Of course the Doc is building a creature down in his secret laboratory. Not only does Frankenstein need cash, he needs a few spare parts for his project as well. The film crew and servants provide him with these - unwillingly of course.

The film crew is really annoying. Seeing them getting bumped off by the bandage-swathed monster is quite fun. Many have complained that Karloff was hamming it up. I disagree as he was dealing with a one-dimensional character.

The ending is kind of predictable. But there are worse ways to spend your time than watching this.