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The Horror of Frankenstein
The Horror of Frankenstein is a 1970 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions that is both a semi-parody and semi-remake of the 1957 film The Curse of Frankenstein, of Hammer's Frankenstein series. It was produced and directed by Jimmy Sangster, starring Ralph Bates, Kate O'Mara, Veronica Carlson, and David Prowse as the monster. It was the only film in the Frankenstein series which did not star Peter Cushing. The original music score was composed by Malcolm Williamson.
Victor Frankenstein, a cold, arrogant and womanizing genius, is angry when his father Alphonse forbids him to continue his anatomy experiments. He ruthlessly murders Alphonse by sabotaging his shotgun, consequently inheriting the title of Baron von Frankenstein and the family fortune. He uses the money to enter medical school in Vienna, but is forced to return home when he impregnates Elizabeth Heiss, the daughter of the Dean.
Returning to his own castle, Victor sets up a laboratory and starts a series of experiments involving the revival of the dead. He eventually builds a composite body from human parts, which he then brings to life. The creature goes on a homicidal rampage until it is accidentally destroyed when a little girl accidentally causes the vat in which it has been hidden to be flooded with acid, leaving behind only the creature's shoes floating on the surface.
The Horror of Frankenstein was entirely financed by EMI under a new deal between EMI and Hammer. The film was originally going to be called Frankenstein then, when Jimmy Sangster re-wrote the script, it was retitled Horrors of Frankenstein before its final title.
Jimmy Sangster was initially asked to rewrite the script (which was originally brought to Hammer by actor/writer Jeremy Burnham). The project began as a straight remake of The Curse of Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley's original Frankenstein novel. Sangster declined until Hammer sweetened the deal by allowing him to re-write the script, produce and direct the project. Sangster rewrote the script as a black comedy. As Jonathan Rigby points out in the documentary Gallows Humor included with the Blu-ray, the film opened with a credit sequence that made clear what Sangster's intentions were; using what appears to be a felt tip pen (an anachronism) to mark off the body parts in a picture of a woman that would be needed for one of Frankenstein's creations.
Budgeted at £200,000, Hammer sought independent financing and only had domestic distribution arranged at the time of production. This film along with Scars of Dracula (the other film that EMI financed also at £200,000) were the first pair of films where Hammer had ever sought independent U.K. financing. The films played as a double bill. This was a very different approach whereas before Hammer had secured U.S. financing as well to insure that Hammer was not at risk for the production costs. Shot over six weeks, the film used recycled sets from Taste the Blood of Dracula and The Vampire Lovers.
Ralph Bates was cast as Baron Victor Frankenstein. The role was never offered to Peter Cushing, who had played the role five times previously for Hammer. This was part of an attempt to build Bates into a new star for Hammer. As Jonathan Rigby points out, Sangster wrote the role of Frankenstein as more of a psychopath rather than a sociopath as he had been previously portrayed by Sangster and other Hammer writers. Soon afterwards, he appeared as Dr. Henry Jekyll in the Hammer film Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), which co-starred Martine Beswick.
In the mid-1960s, David Prowse, later famous for his portrayal of Darth Vader in the first Star Wars trilogy, had actually gone into the Hammer offices to express his desire to portray one of their movie monsters, but was rather abruptly dismissed.[citation needed] As several years passed by and he went about building a larger body of work through various film roles, he was eventually approached by Jimmy Sangster about being cast as this revisionist Baron Frankenstein's laboratory creation. Prowse has the distinction of being the only actor to have portrayed Frankenstein's monster in more than one Hammer film: this production marked his first such appearance; the second occasion was Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974), where his overall appearance was much more horrifically elaborate. He also appeared briefly in the traditional Frankenstein's monster make-up and costume in a gag appearance in Casino Royale (1967).[citation needed] Other crew members hired by Sangster included composer Malcolm Williamson, production manager Tom Sachs, cinematographer Moray Grant, art director Scott MacGregor, editor Chris Barnes and make-up artist Tom Smith.
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The Horror of Frankenstein
The Horror of Frankenstein is a 1970 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions that is both a semi-parody and semi-remake of the 1957 film The Curse of Frankenstein, of Hammer's Frankenstein series. It was produced and directed by Jimmy Sangster, starring Ralph Bates, Kate O'Mara, Veronica Carlson, and David Prowse as the monster. It was the only film in the Frankenstein series which did not star Peter Cushing. The original music score was composed by Malcolm Williamson.
Victor Frankenstein, a cold, arrogant and womanizing genius, is angry when his father Alphonse forbids him to continue his anatomy experiments. He ruthlessly murders Alphonse by sabotaging his shotgun, consequently inheriting the title of Baron von Frankenstein and the family fortune. He uses the money to enter medical school in Vienna, but is forced to return home when he impregnates Elizabeth Heiss, the daughter of the Dean.
Returning to his own castle, Victor sets up a laboratory and starts a series of experiments involving the revival of the dead. He eventually builds a composite body from human parts, which he then brings to life. The creature goes on a homicidal rampage until it is accidentally destroyed when a little girl accidentally causes the vat in which it has been hidden to be flooded with acid, leaving behind only the creature's shoes floating on the surface.
The Horror of Frankenstein was entirely financed by EMI under a new deal between EMI and Hammer. The film was originally going to be called Frankenstein then, when Jimmy Sangster re-wrote the script, it was retitled Horrors of Frankenstein before its final title.
Jimmy Sangster was initially asked to rewrite the script (which was originally brought to Hammer by actor/writer Jeremy Burnham). The project began as a straight remake of The Curse of Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley's original Frankenstein novel. Sangster declined until Hammer sweetened the deal by allowing him to re-write the script, produce and direct the project. Sangster rewrote the script as a black comedy. As Jonathan Rigby points out in the documentary Gallows Humor included with the Blu-ray, the film opened with a credit sequence that made clear what Sangster's intentions were; using what appears to be a felt tip pen (an anachronism) to mark off the body parts in a picture of a woman that would be needed for one of Frankenstein's creations.
Budgeted at £200,000, Hammer sought independent financing and only had domestic distribution arranged at the time of production. This film along with Scars of Dracula (the other film that EMI financed also at £200,000) were the first pair of films where Hammer had ever sought independent U.K. financing. The films played as a double bill. This was a very different approach whereas before Hammer had secured U.S. financing as well to insure that Hammer was not at risk for the production costs. Shot over six weeks, the film used recycled sets from Taste the Blood of Dracula and The Vampire Lovers.
Ralph Bates was cast as Baron Victor Frankenstein. The role was never offered to Peter Cushing, who had played the role five times previously for Hammer. This was part of an attempt to build Bates into a new star for Hammer. As Jonathan Rigby points out, Sangster wrote the role of Frankenstein as more of a psychopath rather than a sociopath as he had been previously portrayed by Sangster and other Hammer writers. Soon afterwards, he appeared as Dr. Henry Jekyll in the Hammer film Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde (1971), which co-starred Martine Beswick.
In the mid-1960s, David Prowse, later famous for his portrayal of Darth Vader in the first Star Wars trilogy, had actually gone into the Hammer offices to express his desire to portray one of their movie monsters, but was rather abruptly dismissed.[citation needed] As several years passed by and he went about building a larger body of work through various film roles, he was eventually approached by Jimmy Sangster about being cast as this revisionist Baron Frankenstein's laboratory creation. Prowse has the distinction of being the only actor to have portrayed Frankenstein's monster in more than one Hammer film: this production marked his first such appearance; the second occasion was Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974), where his overall appearance was much more horrifically elaborate. He also appeared briefly in the traditional Frankenstein's monster make-up and costume in a gag appearance in Casino Royale (1967).[citation needed] Other crew members hired by Sangster included composer Malcolm Williamson, production manager Tom Sachs, cinematographer Moray Grant, art director Scott MacGregor, editor Chris Barnes and make-up artist Tom Smith.