The Curse of Frankenstein



The Curse of Frankenstein is a British horror film from the year 1957. It stars Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as The Creature. It is Hammer's first Frankenstein film, their first colour film and it single-handedly established the Hammer Horror.

Owing more to the Universal films than the original novel, this film once again tells a story of a scientist who creates life with terrible consequences.

Fascinated with Creating Life, Baron Victor von Frankenstein starts conducting experiments of such with the help of his tutor Dr. Paul Krempe. Unlike the well-meaning scientist from the Universal films, Frankenstein is depicted as an unfaithful womanizer and a Complete Monster, who has no qualms against killing people for body-parts and having those who obstruct his work murdered.

It was during this film when Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee met in person and struck a lifelong friendship.

The Curse was followed by The Revenge of Frankenstein in 1959 and Hammer remade it as The Horror of Frankenstein in 1970.


 * Adaptational Villainy: Victor is much less sympathetic and well-meaning than he is in the original book and the earlier movies.
 * Arranged Marriage: Victor is arranged to marry his cousin Elizabeth, though they never reach the Kissing Cousins stage.
 * Bertha in The Attic: Victor keeps the Creature chained to a wall after its second revival.
 * Cassandra Truth
 * Chairman of the Brawl: Creature is subdued after its initial revival when Paul hits it with a chair.
 * Chekhov's Gun: The acid pool.
 * Creating Life
 * For Doom the Bell Tolls
 * For Science!
 * Frankenstein's Monster
 * Grave Robbing
 * Hollywood Acid: The acid pool, which can disintegrate bodies easily.
 * How We Got Here: The film is told by Victor who is in jail waiting for his execution.
 * Lightning Can Do Anything
 * Love Triangle: Victor is having an affair with Justine who wants to marry him but he is arranged to marry Elizabeth.
 * Man On Fire
 * Mismatched Eyes: Creature's eyes.
 * Mix-and-Match Man
 * Moe Greene Special: Paul shoots the Creature's right eye out during its first escape.
 * Neck Lift
 * Nice Hat: Paul's tophat.
 * Off with His Head: Victor is charged to face the guillotine in the end.
 * People Jars
 * Pet the Dog: Victor gets one in the end when he saves Elizabeth from the Creature.
 * Pimped-Out Dress: Elizabeth's outfits.
 * Pretty in Mink: Some of Elizabeth's outfits. Two have ermine muffs, and one is a blue dress lined with brown fur.
 * Screaming Woman
 * Überwald
 * The Von Trope Family
 * Window Pain
 * The X of Y
 * Your Cheating Heart