Frankenstein's hell monster
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Frankenstein's hell monster |
| Original title | Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell |
| Country of production | Great Britain |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1974 |
| length | 99 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Terence Fisher |
| script | Anthony Hinds |
| production | Roy Skeggs |
| music | James Bernard |
| camera | Brian Probyn |
| cut | James Needs |
| occupation | |
| |
Frankenstein's Höllenmonster (original title: Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell ) is a horror and splatter film by the British film production company Hammer from 1974. The title role of Baron Frankenstein is played by Peter Cushing , directed by Terence Fisher . The film is the final sequel to Hammers Frankenstein series. Frankenstein's Hell Monster is characterized by the explicit depiction of brute force and is considered the most brutal film in the entire series.
action
According to the publications of the late Baron Frankenstein, the young physician Doctor Helder is caught experimenting on corpses. The court sentenced him to five years imprisonment in an institution for mentally deranged criminals.
Immediately after his arrival, he is mistreated by the sadistic guards. Suddenly the institution's doctor appears, a certain Doctor Carl Victor, and puts an end to the hustle and bustle. While Sarah, the doctor's mute assistant, takes care of Helder, the doctors talk to each other in which Dr. Victor admits to be the presumed dead Baron Frankenstein. He was sentenced to life imprisonment for his experiments, but was able to get the director in hand to pronounce him dead. Since then he has been working as a doctor in the institution and is still secretly working on his experiment to create the perfect person. Helder is supposed to assist him with his official duties, but during research he finds out that a Mr. Schneider, a physically horribly degenerated inmate, recently died in an attempted escape. A few days later another patient dies who always carved wonderfully finely crafted wooden figurines. On the way to the prison cemetery, one of the pallbearers stumbles, the coffin breaks open and reveals the body. His hands were amputated. Frankenstein procures “material” to develop the degenerate man who survived his accident into his perfect person. Helder now demands to be involved in the experiment himself. The baron agrees because his hands are terribly burned by a fire (see: Frankenstein must die!, 1969) and he is no longer able to carry out the complicated surgical interventions necessary for the experiment himself.
Under Frankenstein's guidance, Helder transplanted the deceased carver's hands and a pair of eyes to the monster. When Schneider later wakes up from his anesthesia, he first attacks the two medics, but can be anesthetized again. The baron now wants to use a new brain, that of a genius. Conveniently, Professor Durendel, another inmate and brilliant mathematician, hanged himself that same night.
Together they transplant Durendel's brain into Schneider's body, and at first it seems as if the experiment was a success. The professor recognizes Dr. Victor and Dr. Helder and can remember his name. But after a short time the body begins to dominate the employed brain, with the result that the professor becomes the primitive monster that Schneider originally was. He breaks out of the laboratory and murders the director of the institution. Finally he is torn to pieces by the frenzied inmates of the institution.
Frankenstein, who was also injured by the monster, doesn't care about any of this. He's ecstatic with euphoria because he's certain that he found out what went wrong and that everything will work out better next time. Helder is stunned and realizes that Baron Frankenstein is not only a visionary who is chasing after a hopeless cause, but is also completely insane.
criticism
Vincent Canby wrote in the New York Times that despite the monster's novel cannibalistic tendencies, the film is a kind of horror film that is cherished but rarely made.
Others
- Frankenstein's Hell Monster was the last Frankenstein film from Hammer.
- The film was finished in 1972 at Elstree Studios , but only released two years later.
- David Prowse , known as Darth Vader from the Star Wars films, plays the Frankenstein monster in a hammer film for the second time after Frankenstein's horror (1970).
- There was a much smaller budget available for Frankenstein's Hell Monster than for earlier Frankenstein films. This is particularly characterized by the claustrophobically tight sets. There was no make-up for the creature either. The make-up artist Eddie Knight made a rigid full face mask as a cheaper alternative.
- Leading actor Peter Cushing had to wear a curly wig in this film, which he said would have made him look like Helen Hayes .
- The film has so far not been shown in cinemas or on television in Germany. The German dubbed version was created in 2004 on the occasion of the German DVD release.
Web links
- Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell in the Internet Movie Database (English)