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Late to the Party: The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

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Is Christopher Lee the definitive Frankenstein?

No. After watching Hammer’s The Curse of Frankenstein, I can confidently say that he is not. He makes a great one, but he is not the ultimate monster. Oh, and by the way, the monster can appropriately be called Frankenstein. It’s technically Victor Frankenstein’s son, so his last name would be Frankenstein. Just sayin’. Moving on!

“DID YOU EAT MY LAST TWINKIE!? WHAT DID I TELL YOU!?”

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) does a lot of things right. For one thing, the monster here is downright terrifying. Christopher Lee plays the creation here, and although his iconic voice is missed, his stature, paired with the wonderfully terrifying makeup, makes for a very effective creature. In 1957, the monster (in full color, no less) would have horrified audiences through and through. The first Hammer Horror film would feature more blood, more color, and more terror than the Universal Studios version from 1931.

The frights are here indeed, but they are few and far between. The film underutilizes Christopher Lee in an almost criminal way; the focus is more on the relationship dynamics between Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing), his tutor-turned-assistant Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart), and Frankenstein’s arranged fiancee, Elizabeth (Hazel Court). Straying from both the Universal film and the original novel, Victor Frankenstein is an absolute madman here. An evil genius; strong emphasis on evil. He will go on to kill people for his creation. He will treat people like dirt, only to come to them for help when he needs them. He will have no regard for anyone besides himself and completing his project – which, as you can guess, is animating a body pieced together from separate parts.

The cinematography in this film is one of the best parts about it. The Curse of Frankenstein makes clever use of zooming and also framing; not something you’d expect from a monster flick from the late 1950’s. Set design and coloration are both given much detail. The film is expertly made and is a joy to watch. It’s always refreshing to watch a monster film and have everything given proper attention, as opposed to only t
he main attraction.

So, maybe in that regard, I’m wrong about my assessment of Christopher Lee being underutilized. Maybe that’s exactly the point. The scenes in which he is shown on film are highly effective, and not only because he looks scary. There are scenes which exemplify extreme pity; the monster is eventually shot and the brain is damaged. Once revived, it is like a pathetic dog, chained up and forced to behave like a puppet. My heart sank at the sight of this, making me feel angry towards the mad doctor and his selfishness and the embarrassment that this creature who never asked to be created is forced to feel. While it lacks the playfulness that Universal’s picture had, it makes up for it in stern emotion and psychological themes.

Peter Cushing steals the show in the film.

I have nothing but praise for Cushing; while he is best known in recent years for being Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars, he may be the best Victor Frankenstein that I’ve ever seen. Though I still believe the great Boris Karloff is the perfect monster, there has not been an actor yet who is capable of topping Cushing’s performance as the mad doctor. It’s so heavy that I can almost describe the film as a dramatic play featuring a grotesque beast to amplify the emotional aspect of it. It’s a monster movie, and there’s no way around that, but it’s just as much a display of a cruel lack of morality.

If you go into this film expecting a corny monster movie, you are going to be disappointed. It’s not. It’s a deep film, though it may not seem that way at the surface; it’s what Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein from 1994 should have bee. This film was around 40 years earlier and contains a much bigger impact. The Curse of Frankenstein is a film that should be watched with your full attention, not just thrown on the television in the background of a Halloween party.

But most importantly is what this movie did for Hammer. Christopher Lee would return as Count Dracula in 1958 with The Horror of Dracula, which will go onto being one of the best Dracula films ever made. The world of Hammer Horror is expansive and scary; had there been no Curse of Frankenstein, we may have never been able to say that.

Read the rest of the articles in Late to the Party by clicking here!

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Editorial

7 Great ‘Scream’ Fan Films & Shorts Worth a Watch

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The Scream franchise is such an iconic series, that many budding filmmakers take inspiration from it and make their own sequels or, at least, build upon the original universe created by screenwriter Kevin Williamson. YouTube is the perfect medium to showcase these talents (and budgets) with fan-made homages with their own personal twists.

The great thing about Ghostface is that he can appear anywhere, in any town, he just needs the signature mask, knife, and unhinged motive. Thanks to Fair Use laws it’s possible to expand upon Wes Craven’s creation by simply getting a group of young adults together and killing them off one by one. Oh, and don’t forget the twist. You’ll notice that Roger Jackson’s famous Ghostface voice is uncanny valley, but you get the gist.

We have gathered five fan films/shorts related to Scream that we thought were pretty good. Although they can’t possibly match the beats of a $33 million blockbuster, they get by on what they have. But who needs money? If you’re talented and motivated anything is possible as proven by these filmmakers who are well on their way to the big leagues.

Take a look at the below films and let us know what you think. And while you’re at it, leave these young filmmakers a thumbs up, or leave them a comment to encourage them to create more films. Besides, where else are you going to see Ghostface vs. a Katana all set to a hip-hop soundtrack?

Scream Live (2023)

Scream Live

Ghostface (2021)

Ghostface

Ghost Face (2023)

Ghost Face

Don’t Scream (2022)

Don’t Scream

Scream: A Fan Film (2023)

Scream: A Fan Film

The Scream (2023)

The Scream

A Scream Fan Film (2023)

A Scream Fan Film
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Another Creepy Spider Movie Hits Shudder This Month

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Good spider films are a theme this year. First, we had Sting and then there was Infested. The former is still in theaters and the latter is coming to Shudder starting April 26.

Infested has been getting some good reviews. People are saying that it’s not only a great creature feature but also a social commentary on racism in France.

According to IMDb: Writer/director Sébastien Vanicek was looking for ideas around the discrimination faced by black and Arab-looking people in France, and that led him to spiders, which are rarely welcome in homes; whenever they’re spotted, they’re swatted. As everyone in the story (people and spiders) is treated like vermin by society, the title came to him naturally.

Shudder has become the gold standard for streaming horror content. Since 2016, the service has been offering fans an expansive library of genre movies. in 2017, they began to stream exclusive content.

Since then Shudder has become a powerhouse in the film festival circuit, buying distribution rights to movies, or just producing some of their own. Just like Netflix, they give a film a short theatrical run before adding it to their library exclusively for subscribers.

Late Night With the Devil is a great example. It was released theatrically on March 22 and will begin streaming on the platform starting April 19.

While not getting the same buzz as Late Night, Infested is a festival favorite and many have said if you suffer from arachnophobia, you might want to take heed before watching it.

Infested

According to the synopsis, our main character, Kalib is turning 30 and dealing with some family issues. “He’s fighting with his sister over an inheritance and has cut ties with his best friend. Fascinated by exotic animals, he finds a venomous spider in a shop and brings it back to his apartment. It only takes a moment for the spider to escape and reproduce, turning the whole building into a dreadful web trap. The only option for Kaleb and his friends is to find a way out and survive.”

The film will be available to watch on Shudder starting April 26.

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Part Concert, Part Horror Movie M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Trap’ Trailer Released

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In true Shyamalan form, he sets his film Trap inside a social situation where we aren’t sure what is going on. Hopefully, there is a twist at the end. Furthermore, we hope it’s better than the one in his divisive 2021 movie Old.

The trailer seemingly gives away a lot, but, as in the past, you can’t rely on his trailers because they are often red herrings and you are being gaslit to think a certain way. For instance, his movie Knock at the Cabin was completely different than what the trailer implied and if you hadn’t read the book on which the film is based it was still like going in blind.

The plot for Trap is being dubbed an “experience” and we aren’t quite sure what that means. If we were to guess based on the trailer, it’s a concert movie wrapped around a horror mystery. There are original songs performed by Saleka, who plays Lady Raven, a kind of Taylor Swift/Lady Gaga hybrid. They have even set up a Lady Raven website to further the illusion.

Here is the fresh trailer:

According to the synopsis, a father takes his daughter to one of Lady Raven’s jam-packed concerts, “where they realize they’re at the center of a dark and sinister event.”

Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan, Trap stars Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Saleka Shyamalan, Hayley Mills and Allison Pill. The film is produced by Ashwin Rajan, Marc Bienstock and M. Night Shyamalan. The executive producer is Steven Schneider.

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