The Evil of Frankenstein

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The Evil of Frankenstein Photos

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Movie Info

Hardly the best of Hammer Studios' Frankenstein epics, The Evil of Frankenstein is too much the mixture as before to be truly memorable. Back in business once more is Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing), who finds his fabled monster (Kiwi Kingston) frozen in a block of ice. Once the creature is thawed out, the Baron, worried that the big lug might develop a mind of his own, engages the services of a hypnotist (Peter Woodthorpe). Instead of keeping the monster docile, the hypnotist decides to use old "Frankie" for his own evil designs, and we're off and running again. At 84 minutes, Evil of Frankenstein was too short for a two-hour network TV slot, so Universal (the film's American distributor) tacked on 13 minutes of pointless additional footage, featuring timorous villagers Steven Geray, Maria Palmer and William Phipps. The film was followed by a vastly superior sequel, Frankenstein Created Woman.

Rating:

NR
Genre:

Classics, Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Directed By:

Freddie Francis
Written By:

Anthony Hinds, John Elder
In Theaters:

May 8, 1964 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Jul 25, 2000
Runtime:

84 minutes
Studio:

MCA Universal Home Video

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Cast

Peter Cushing
as Baron Frankenstein

Kiwi Kingston
as The Creature

Peter Woodthorpe
as Prof. Zoltán the Hypnotist

Sandor Elès
as Hans, Frankenstein's Assistant

Katy Wild
as Beggar Girl

David Hutcheson
as Burgomaster

Duncan Lamont
as Chief of Police

James Maxwell
as Priest

Caron Gardner
as Burgomaster's Wife

Howard Goorney
as Drunk

Timothy Bateson
as Hypnotized Man

Alister Williamson
as Landlord

Tony Arpino
as Bodysnatcher

Frank Forsyth
as Manservant

Kenneth Cove
as Cure

Michelle Scott
as Little Girl

Anthony Blackshaw
as Burly Constable

David Conville
as Young Constable

Steven Geray
as Dr. Sergado

William Phipps
as Rena's Father

Maria Palmer
as Rena's Mother

Tracy Stratford
as Rena as a Child

Patrick Horgan
as David Carrell

Derek Martin
as Roustabout

Robert Flynn
as Roustabout

Anthony Poole
as Roustabout

James Garfield
as Roustabout

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Critic Reviews for The Evil of Frankenstein

All Critics (6)

It's pretty wan and spotty, in fact, though probably not as bad as the most rabid Hammer fanatics would have you believe. Certainly, it is a stunningly terrible sequel.

Oct 27, 2010 | Rating: 5/10 | Full Review…

Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy
Livelier than t he usual Hammer flick.

Nov 12, 2002 | Rating: 3/5

Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
It's only the solid professional acting ability of Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein that gives this pic any credibility.

Oct 28, 2002 | Rating: C | Full Review…

Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

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Audience Reviews for The Evil of Frankenstein

Oct 24, 2015

I have not yet seen Hammer's The Revenge of Frankenstein, which was released between Curse and this one. I am confident that there is little continuity between the plots, so it doesn't matter. Director Freddie Francis was a cinematographer before he was a director. I think that is evident here. Hammer now had a deal with Universal for distribution in the US, so the makeup of the Creature attempts to recreate the Jack Pierce design, but it is BADLY done. This movie makes more references to Universal horror pictures than other Hammer horror films do. I suspect that Francis with his camera background requested/demanded (?) extra time or money for the Art Director and his team because the film looks good as the camera moves around the village festival and the lab equipment in Frankenstein's run-down castle once it is restored. This is a top contender for favorite mad scientist's lab set. I could easily give this a higher rating if it wasn't for the ill-advised makeup work on the monster and the unoriginal performance by Kiwi Kingston. I enjoy the plot involving Zoltan the hypnotist (Peter Woodthorpe) planting criminal ideas of revenge in the innocent creature. Both Baron Frankenstein and his re-re-animated creature are simply misunderstood.

Byron B Super Reviewer
Sep 15, 2013

A poor addition to the Frankenstein legacy that Hammer enhanced. The film takes ages to get going and seems incredibly padded, even though it only runs at 1.5 hours. The make-up for the monster is terrible and the only redeeming thing about the film is Cushing's committed performance. The film still possesses the classic Hammer sheen that places it above most of their ouvre in the late 60's and 70's but those looking for a good Frankenstein film should check out Hammer's 'Curse of Frankenstein' or 'Frankenstein Created Woman' instead.

David S Super Reviewer
Sep 21, 2011

Just another Frankenstein movie, there's not anything new or different about this one either. It's actually pretty boring. It's not bad, it's just not good or interesting.

Aj V Super Reviewer
Jan 22, 2009

Might be the worst makeup job in the history of horror films.

Randy T Super Reviewer