7. The Curse of Frankenstein: Two-Disc Special Edition

Hammer Horror raises the dead with their gothic-horror take on the original gothic-horror story, Frankenstein.

In Switzerland, Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) is imprisoned, awaiting execution for killing his maid Justine. Victor is visited by a priest who he tells his horrific tale.

After the death of his mother, Victor Frankenstein is left his families fortune, and he sets to hire a tutor named Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart) to teach him about science. After years of tutoring, Frankenstein and Krempe are able to bring a dead puppy back to life.

Victor decides that he is going to make the perfect person by harvesting body parts and murdering a respected professor.

Krempe can no longer stand by while Victor conducts his evil experiments and his horrified when “The Creature” (Christopher Lee) is brought to life!

Although it is based on Mary Shelley’s famous novel, and some of the elements of the film are familiar, Hammer delivers a great Frankenstein film. The strongest aspect of the film is the incredible cast that brings the film to life. Cushing is terrifying as the Baron. Urquhart is also outstanding as his sympathetic tutor Paul. Lee does much with the non-speaking role of the Creature. Terrence Fisher is at the helm and he delivers the goods yet again. The film looks stunning, and the violence is horrific. Condemned when it was released, The Curse of Frankenstein is now recognized as one of Hammer’s best films.

The Curse of Frankenstein unleashes its horror on a stunning new 4K transfer from The Warner Archive Collection. The blood, the makeup a are gruesome. The lighting, the detail are some of the best I’ve seen from Warner Archive and that is truly saying something. The Collector’s Edition of The Curse of Frankenstein has three separate versions of the film. The 1:85:1 and the 1:66:1 are located on disc one, and a really cool bonus feature on disc two is 1:37:1 version, which if you saw the film on TV is the version you might know the best, each have the same 4K scan so no matter which version you prefer you are seeing a great transfer of the film.

The Curse of Frankenstein lurches from the laboratory with a thundering DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio and it screams excellence. The dialogue and music sound fresh and clear. No scratches or other imperfections are found on the soundtrack.

The Curse of Frankenstein rises from the grave with some of the best extras to be found on a release in 2020.

Disc 1

Audio Commentary: The recurring team of Constantine Nasr and Steve Haberman deliver yet another great commentary.

Disc 2

Open Matte Version

The Resurrection Men: Hammer, Frankenstein and the Rebirth of the Horror Film: An outstanding documentary about the making of the film, how it saved Hammer Films and ushered in the modern horror film.

Hideous Progeny: The Curse of Frankenstein and the English Gothic Tradition: A sit down with Author and Cultural Historian Sir Christopher Frayling delves not only into the film but the book as well. This is a great piece.

Torrents of Light: The Art of Jack Asher: Cinematographer David J. Miller (Veep, The Good Place) talks the brilliance of fellow Cinematographer Jack Asher.

Diabolus in Musica: James Bernard and the Sound of Hammer Horror: Composer Christopher Drake (Injustice: Gods Among Us, Tusk) offers praise for Composer James Bernard.

Trailer

The Curse of Frankenstein is given the royal treatment by The Warner Archive Collection and the label delivers one of the best blu-rays of the year. From three different versions of the film to some of the most entertaining and informative bonus features make this a must-buy!

Film: A-

Video: A+

Audio: A

Extras: A+

Overall: A