Price: $12.95
Starring BORIS KARLOFF – JANA LUND – DON BARRY – CHARLOTTE AUSTIN This movie propels the Frankenstein mythos into the Atomic Age. BORIS KARLOFF is best known for playing the “monster”
created by Baron Frankenstein. However, in this tale, he plays
the scientist himself and is the grandson of the man who first
brought life to a cadaver created of sewn-together body parts.
Frankenstein believes he can be successful if he employs
atomic energy in his unlawful experiment. However, such methods
are very expensive and the current Baron, cash-strapped and
living in his ancestral castle, must seek outside funding, no matter
how distasteful the source may be. So it comes to be that Castle Frankenstein becomes the authentic location for a head strong television producer/director, Douglas Row (DON BARRY) who is filming a program about the Frankenstein legend. And what could be better than to have Baron Victor Frankenstein himself in the film to recount the story of his infamous ancestor? How about the fact that Victor was disfigured by Nazi torture during the war and that he himself
is a frightening figure. Each night after the production shuts down for the day, the Baron labors in his laboratory equipped with an atomic reactor and secreted in a hidden vault in the castle’s sub basement. Here a new monster has been created and it lumbers forth in the dark-
ness to seek new victims to obtain necessary body parts.
Pretty actress Carolyn Hayes (JANA LUND) becomes increas-
ingly nervous as each night castle staff and production crew
disappear without a trace. The history of the horror of Franken-
stein repeats itself! Produced by Aubrey Schenck and directed by Howard W. Koch in 1958 (released in 1959). B&W Approximate running time is 83 minutes. An all-ages, regions-free production in widescreen, presented in NTSC format with interactive nenu chapter selections, on a single DVD-R that should play in any standard DVD player. Released by CultRetro in 2011.
My copy arrived today I will watch it tomorrow after work.
Quite an entertaining and interesting film.
To my eyes a big part of it’s success comes from the performances of-Don Barry who plays Douglas Row the brassy hard charging producer/director Initially he comes off as being insensitive and dis likable, but it is that same” All-American” full speed ahead can-do attitude that makes him into the hero.
-But mostly it is Boris Karloff as “The Baron”who makes the picture work ,with his excellent performance. Always “playing to the gallery”with the grand gestures and the “over the top” speeches,but also doing very well with the more personal “close up “scenes, in which he is putting the moves on the pretty starlet .
The unsuccessful attempts at romance by the two leading American characters add a nicely humanistic touch to the film.
I thought the surprise opening scene was great.