This is an odd one. I love Hammer horror, yet somehow this is both good and bad at the same time.
To begin, this plays more like a sci-fi movie, rather than horror. It's not until late in the second act that there is an actual moment of horror.
What The Revenge of Frankenstein has going for it is how well it is made: the acting, the sets, the dialog. It's just the story itself... it's damn boring.
Totally worth a watch if you are a Hammer fan or just like classic horror in general. Outside of that, you're not missing anything - very forgettable.
Review by whitsbrainVIP 5BlockedParent2022-01-15T16:51:36Z
"The Revenge of Frankenstein" is a classy Horror movie from Hammer Films. I think it is the second title in their Frankenstein series. The always cool Peter Cushing is on top of his game yet again. He plays "Dr. Stein" a popular new doctor who's shaking up the healthcare industry in Carlsbad. Dr. Stein is not only winning over cash-paying patients from other doctors he's also got a clinic that's providing help to the town's poorer clientele...but for a price. The medical board of Carlsbad isn't happy with Dr. Stein and starts to wonder if he might actually be the notorious Dr. Frankenstein. Stein looks like Frankenstein and darned if his last name isn't kind of similar too.
Cushing's character isn't outwardly evil or bad he's just driven to create the living from the dead. Unfortunately he's swapped a brain from a sickly body to a healthy one which works out well at first but quickly the healthy man turns to grumpy monster. The monster itself is sympathetic though and is hardly a monster at all. However Cushing's performance as Dr. Stein is so good that you don't really miss not having a gnarly beast around.
Some of the effects are pretty graphic for the late fifties. There's a few dismembered limbs a couple of goopy brains and assorted scars and bloody sheets. The sets were convincingly gloomy and dusty with lots of cobwebs and candles. In fact seeing how dreary and antique everything was had me thinking about how grateful I am to live in the 21st century. Overall I really found "The Revenge of Frankenstein" to be another Hammer hit.
SPOILER I did get a good laugh near the end of the film when Dr.Frankenstein is forced to relocate his "practice" to London. After being unsucessful earlier as Dr. Stein he chooses this time to change his name to "Dr. Franck". I wonder if he toyed with the idea of going with "Dr Smith" or "Dr Jones" or something.