The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Movie poster for The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

The Curse of Frankenstein was directed by Terrence Fisher and released on May 20, 1957, in the United Kingdom. This is Hammer Film Productions’ first movie in their horror series, which later included Dracula (1958) and the Mummy (1959). This was also one of the first colorized horror movies to show blood and gore, which was likely to add to the fear factor for the audience at the time. While the plot is inspired by the 1818 edition of Frankenstein, the plot deviates heavily from the original, while still using the same characters and staying in the same genre. In this adaptation, Victor Frankenstein is awaiting execution when he tells the story of his creation to a priest. Victor kills a professor so he can use the brain for the monster, but the brain is damaged in the process which leads to the monster being dangerous, unintelligent, and violent. This movie leans heavily into the idea that the monster is animalistic and violent and reinforces the association of Frankenstein’s monster with a zombie-like creature that the audience holds already due to previous adaptations.

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