Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974)

One last go-around for Peter Cushing as the Baron, one last intriguing monster, and kind of like "Revenge of Frankenstein" and "Frankenstein Created Woman," he doesn't die in the closing reels--so there is room to speculate that maybe Hammer thought they could wring out a few more sequels. In any event, maybe it's good the series ended with this--better to go out on a high note than fizzle out. This time--like many times before-- the Baron is presumed dead and living under an alias; running a mental institution. Another assistant, another pretty starlet, and another monster make for a pretty good end to maybe Hammer's best monster series.Maybe the DVD release of this could have had some more special features- -but aside from that--I can't complain...

The last of Hammer's Frankenstein series, "…and the Monster From Hell" once again stars Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein, who, having faked his own death in an asylum, now works there as the resident doctor, continuing his experiments on the side. When young surgeon Dr. Simon Helder (Shane Briant) is sentenced to five years in the asylum for following Frankenstein's ghoulish work, he recognises Victor and confronts him; before long, Simon is assisting the Baron in building another monster (played by Dave 'Darth Vader' Prowse) using spare parts from inmates who have conveniently passed away. For once, Victor succeeds in creating a cognisant creature, one that can think, talk and do advanced mathematics, but eventually the body begins to take over the brain—not good news since it originally belonged to a violent ape-like man with a fondness for stabbing people with broken glass.This set up allows director Terence Fisher to explore some interesting themes, not least the emotional trauma of waking up with a face like a baboon's backside and more body hair than Tom Selleck: as Baron Frankenstein's creations go, this is one of the most pitiful, and is rightfully miffed at his predicament. Fisher also makes great use of the film's harsh asylum setting, delivering plenty of atmosphere, with the gibbering inmates adding to the overall sense of madness and the sleazy director of the institution proving to be as much of a monster as Frankenstein and his creature. Fans of Hammer glamour might feel a little cheated—Madeline Smith, as beautiful mute Sarah, remains frustratingly fully clothed throughout (what a waste of a great cleavage!)—but gore-hounds will be more than happy, Monster From Hell offering up such delightfully bloody sights as jars full of eyeballs, a man hanging from his neck by violin strings, a juicy brain transplant operation, a savage throat slashing, and the monster eventually being reduced to a bloody mess by the lunatics.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

Hammer Studios did 7 Frankenstein films from the late 50s to early 70s:1. The Curse of Frankenstein (1957); 2. The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958); 3. The Evil of Frankenstein (1964); 4. Frankenstein Created Woman (1967); 5. Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969); 6. The Horror of Frankenstein (1970); and 7. Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973). Peter Cushing played Baron Frankenstein in every one of these except "The Horror of Frankenstein." The reason being "Horror" was a remake of the original story and they needed a much younger actor to play the role; they chose Ralph Bates (who superbly played the love-to-hate OTT satanist in "Taste the Blood of Dracula," released the same year).Anyway, "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell" was the last hurrah for the series. THE PLOT: A young doctor, Simon Helder (Shane Briant), is fascinated by Frankenstein's works and gets sentenced to an asylum for practicing sorcery. There he meets the thought-to-be-dead Baron Frankenstein, now going by the name Dr. Victor (Cushing), and they team-up to carry on his gruesome work, creating -- you guessed it -- a monster from hell! This is an unmistakable Hammer film and solid Gothic chiller, but it's held back by a simplistic plot and dreary ambiance. The story lacks the fascinating and innovative approach of the two previous films, "Frankenstein Created Woman" and "Frankenstein Must be Destroyed," which represent the best of the series. Furthermore, the setting of the story is too one-dimensional, basically being limited to the asylum, which adds to the dreariness. Speaking of which, the film lacks the bright colors usually associated with Hammer horror. The drab palate of the cinematography does up the ante of the Gothic atmosphere, but it'll likely disappoint those expecting the lushness of typical Hammer horror.On the plus side, the creature looks seriously bestial and is formidable, played by David Prowse, aka Darth Vader of the first three Star Wars flicks. The monster also evokes a good amount of pathos. Another plus is the beautiful Madeline Smith of "Live and Let Die" fame, who plays the Baron's mute assistant, Sarah.The story is basically a drama with horror trappings so those expecting the overt horror antics of most slasher films will be let down.BOTTOM LINE: "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell" is a solid Hammer horror film and a fine way to end their Frankenstein series, but it lacks the color and pizazz of the previous two installments. As such, it's overall mediocre.The film runs 99 minutes and was shot at EMI Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England.GRADE: C+

Terence Fisher directs(for the last time) this sixth and last entry in the Hammer studios Frankenstein series starring Peter Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein, now hiding out in an insane asylum conducting more experiments in life and death. He is now helped by fellow inmate Dr. Helder(played by Shane Briant) and a mute girl(played by Madeline Smith) The Baron is building a new monster from the bodies of dead inmates, but of course it will all end tragically as it always does... Peter Cushing is fine, despite his frail health, but film is awfully tired and overly lurid. Still, the ending is quite fitting when you think about it...