31daysofhorror, day 27: The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

Paint by numbers retelling, Cushing & Lee dream team, classic

A return to Hammer Horror on the podcast with this 1957 classic starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. It twists the well worn formula of the 1818 novel only slightly but this was early days in horror cinema. Cushing’s Victor Frankenstein is meticulous, cunning and self-assertive with everyone around him. There’s the air of Grand Moff Tarkin about the performance with a bit more manic glee. Lee’s portrayal of the monster is reserved, wooden in motion but not in expression. They tried their own thing with the mythos and monster design. Is it Karloff? No, but it’s far from the worst iteration (looking at you Eckhart).

— Jay

Clip

Host ratings

Jay: 3 C.H.U.D.s
Molly: 4 C.H.U.D.s

Average: 3.5 C.H.U.D.s