The Curse of Frankenstein

For the new film generation, some minor chills are offered in this well-done production.

In its best scenes, it adds dynamism and British grit to a genre that had previously tried to get by on atmospherics and mood alone. It manages to be shocking without being especially frightening, and its virtues of performance and style remain striking.

Peter Cushing gets every inch of drama from the leading role, making almost believable the ambitious urge and diabolical accomplishment.

The whole thing in fact looks surprisingly tacky for a film which sparked a box-office bonanza.

[A] routine horror picture, which makes no particular attempt to do anything more important than scare you with corpses and blood ...

More explicit in its bloodletting than past horror yarns, with the use of color paving the way for a fresh new look to the established creature features.

Director Terence Fisher creates an indelible gothic atmosphere, lighting the film for black and white but shooting in color, creating haunting elongated shadows that contrast beautifully with the vibrant Eastmancolour cinematography.

Unaccountably a box-office sensation, this plodding and distasteful horror melodrama from Britain has only a few really eerie moments.

An excellent photography of Jack Asher, and also a concise montage of James Needs, which exemplifies Fisher's synthetic character, creating a kind of tension and surprising visual emotion. [Full Review in Spanish]

A movie with a distinctive mood and style that finds its own niche.