I’ve been enjoying the heck out of an old Hammer Studios film titled THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN.
Campy horror with a quintessentially English flavor set in the Victorian era makes for one gi-normous crackup in my book. It’s not out and out silliness like the Carry-On movies but more subtle, gothic-spiced weirdness and absurdity that’s on show.
The acting is deliciously theatrical, while the sets are lavish – comedically so. A vibe of horny decadence (took me a few attempts to nail down that description) pervades many scenes.
Heavily made-up starlets with over-sized ‘heaving bosoms’ and coiffed hair do their best to spill forth from restrictive corsets and brassieres.
Amid the cobwebs, decorative candelabras and brightly lit fog pouring into every frame, THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN (1970) is a retro feast for the eyes that makes for one helluva funny, dramatic and unhinged watch. I loved it!
In the clip below, look out at the two-minute mark for the rib-tickling dig at English manners when Victor Frankenstein (played by actor Ralph Bates) introduces himself to the marauding monster with a welcoming extended hand and a cheerful “How do you do?” What a riot!
The scene below shows how THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN so perfectly blends the macabre with an air of upper-class refinement and privilege, resulting in a strange alchemy that keeps you entranced. Well, it did me.
Two proper English gentlemen – circa 19th century – resplendent in poet shirts with flared bishop sleeves and silk caveats draped around their necks – discuss the spoils of pilfering body parts from an anatomy class.
And then there’s the monster himself. You couldn’t really call him it scary. Goofy and odd-looking would be way more on-the-money. Played by 6’7″ (200cm) tall bodybuilder David Pearse wearing a giggle-worthy prosthetic skull-cap, it would be another 7 years before the same ‘actor’ would don the Darth Vader suit for the first STAR WARS film.
The British movie production studio known as HAMMER FILMS ended up making a total of seven FRANKENSTEIN movies. By all accounts, THE HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN was the campiest and most satirical of them all.
To be frank (do you like that?) this post is close to three weeks late. August 30th, believe it or not, is the official day for NATIONAL FRANKENSTEIN DAY. Oh well, next year…
The day after this delightfully decadent gothic retro-watch, I stumbled upon this mini writing contest online –
With all things Frankenstein still fresh in my mind, naturally I came up with…
If you’re keen to give this comp – which offers cash prizes – a go, all the details can be found HERE
