Coming in at just under half an hour, this is the pilot for a '50s horror television series that was never picked up by a network. It's the result of a collaboration between two studios, Universal and Hammer, and it's worth a look for fans who were wondering what a cross between the two styles of films would look like. The director is Curt Siodmak, a chap who made a living writing and directing creature flicks, and he brings an enthusiasm to the project that enlivens it a whole lot.
Of course, as the running time is so short, things are incredibly fast paced. Within the first five minutes, Frankenstein has already brought his creation to life, as well as having a fight with it and electrocuting it! The story, which was written by famed sci-fi husband-and-wife writing team Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore, involves a dying man whose wife wishes Frankenstein to sustain him. The baron does, but not in the way they imagined; after some grave-robbing shenanigans later, the monster's back, although this time it inevitably goes after the woman. The climax is action-packed and involves a nice set-piece in a graveyard.
The short running time is also this film's curse. There just isn't enough time to flesh out any of the characters, so they're all as two-dimensional as the creature. I loved the look of the flick, with its spooky props and moonlit settings, but there's a conspicuous absence of gore or surgery – instead the focus is very much on Universal-style creature frolics, with a particular emphasis on the Baron grappling with his creation. As Frankenstein, Anton Diffring is an inspired choice; being German, he's probably the only actor in the role who actually SOUNDS authentic. Diffring had already had quite a career by the time he starred in this, and he makes a good fist of it. If the inspiration behind Diffring's character is clearly Peter Cushing – the two are made up to look the same – then the inspiration for the monster is definitely Boris Karloff. Sadly, the make-up job here is fairly rubbish, as bad as that in THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN, and Don Megowan is never more than a cheap imitator, worse than Glenn Strange! Still, Helen Westcott adds a pretty face and the atmospheric black-and-white cinematography outstrips its television origins, adding a layer of professionalism to the short. There's nothing to hate about TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN, and indeed I was left wanting more. As a one-off oddity, it's worth a look to see what happened when the Universal and Hammer styles collided.
Of course, as the running time is so short, things are incredibly fast paced. Within the first five minutes, Frankenstein has already brought his creation to life, as well as having a fight with it and electrocuting it! The story, which was written by famed sci-fi husband-and-wife writing team Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore, involves a dying man whose wife wishes Frankenstein to sustain him. The baron does, but not in the way they imagined; after some grave-robbing shenanigans later, the monster's back, although this time it inevitably goes after the woman. The climax is action-packed and involves a nice set-piece in a graveyard.
The short running time is also this film's curse. There just isn't enough time to flesh out any of the characters, so they're all as two-dimensional as the creature. I loved the look of the flick, with its spooky props and moonlit settings, but there's a conspicuous absence of gore or surgery – instead the focus is very much on Universal-style creature frolics, with a particular emphasis on the Baron grappling with his creation. As Frankenstein, Anton Diffring is an inspired choice; being German, he's probably the only actor in the role who actually SOUNDS authentic. Diffring had already had quite a career by the time he starred in this, and he makes a good fist of it. If the inspiration behind Diffring's character is clearly Peter Cushing – the two are made up to look the same – then the inspiration for the monster is definitely Boris Karloff. Sadly, the make-up job here is fairly rubbish, as bad as that in THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN, and Don Megowan is never more than a cheap imitator, worse than Glenn Strange! Still, Helen Westcott adds a pretty face and the atmospheric black-and-white cinematography outstrips its television origins, adding a layer of professionalism to the short. There's nothing to hate about TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN, and indeed I was left wanting more. As a one-off oddity, it's worth a look to see what happened when the Universal and Hammer styles collided.