Frankenstein '80 (1972) Poster

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4/10
A trashy, sleazy, but ultimately dull schlock horror.
BA_Harrison7 October 2015
I can only wonder what Mary Shelley would have made of Frankenstein '80, one of the trashier movies to appropriate her classic literary creation for its own ends. Directed by Mario Mancini, this cheesy, sleazy piece of Italian schlock sees Dr. Otto Frankenstein (Gordon Mitchell) stealing a special serum that prevents organ transplant rejection, using it in the creation of a patchwork monster called Mosaic (Xiro Papas), who proceeds to not just kill beautiful women, but rape them too (in an early scene, we see Frankenstein preparing a nice set of gonads for his creature—how thoughtful of him).

With a rampant and very randy monster, there's certainly no shortage of sex and violence in this tasteless and often rather camp horror, but as delightfully deviant as it all sounds, Frankenstein '80 actually manages to be a rather dreary affair for much of the time, thanks to uneven pacing, lifeless performances, a weak script that dwells far too much on the investigative activities of a reporter called Karl (John Richardson), and a lack of decent gore: a lot of the killings are frustratingly bloodless, the surgical scenes are shot from a low angle so as to conceal the fact that Mitchell is pulling the organs from a tray hidden behind the body, and in one particularly inept scene, in which a victim has his head bashed against a wall, the ruptured bag' that provides the squirt of blood can clearly be seen attached to the actor's forehead. Only a brief shot of a severed head in a fridge genuinely delivers the grisly goods.

Thankfully, there is quite a bit of welcome nudity from a bevy of busty women to help alleviate some of the tedium, including a lengthy strip-tease routine that does nothing to advance the plot; but even with all of the bare female flesh on display, Frankenstein '80 is a tough watch, the last half an hour of obvious padding leading up to the monster's inevitable demise being particularly dull.
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4/10
Totally inept, but cheesy good fun
Coventry22 December 2008
Trashy, sleazy, campy, exploitative and – of course – extremely pointless Italian version of the classic Frankenstein story. It's a variation on the traditional Mary Shelley tale, with some deranged additional ideas and awkward erotic undertones. The Italians tried to achieve this sort of concept before already with "Lady Frankenstein" and admittedly that was a much better and more memorable film than this cheap and amateurish attempt at making a motion picture. But still, that doesn't mean this piece of junk isn't good entertainment. The plot actually isn't too bad. Dr. Schwarz (which, I'm sure, is German slang for Dr. Penis) just invented a breakthrough serum that prevents donor organs from getting rejected by the patient's body after a transplant. This happens to be exactly what his vicious colleague Dr. Frankenstein needs in order to fix up his pet monster Mosaic. The serum disappears from Dr. Schwarz' laboratory and corpses start to pile up as Mosaic goes out on nightly strolls. The local police commissioner forbids his men to smoke until the case is solved (!) and another guy – a reporter who assigns himself private investigator – search for the serum to save his dying sister. "Frankenstein 80" is a hilariously amusing film, but probably not like its creators intended it. Ferdinando De Leone (although I suspect it was actually Fernando Di Leo; a prominent name in the Italian horror industry) and director Mario Mancini penned down a truly ludicrous script with the most one-dimensional character imaginable, absurd plot twists and the utmost imbecilic dialogs ever. Technically speaking, this is a laughably inept production as well. More than three quarters of the film is poorly lit, the make-up effects clearly cost less than a dollar and the editing appeared to have been done with a blending machine. The pacing is unspeakably uneven! The entire story is pretty much told after an hour already, but then still comes a lot of tedious filler-footage, like an overlong and dull striptease act, a full formula one race and even the complete development of a romance. The monster stumbles around until he literally passes his due date, which is interesting but not very thrilling.
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3/10
Much Better Than Frankenstein '79!
Hitchcoc12 November 2009
What a bunch of hooey! There are so many plot holes that one could write a book. I loved that there was big bottle in the refrigerator with the secret serum used to help in transplant surgeries. Then there is some of the worst acting that can be imagined. The characters deliver their lines and wait a half second for the next person to respond. Did anyone notice that the doctor's name was Frankenstein? There is lots of gratuitous sex and violence. It gets pretty bad. I guess old Dr. F. should have left one part out of the mix. The monster is quite formidable, I can give you that.

Two of the strangest parts are the police and the the hero. The police are a bunch of idiots who are more concerned that they can't smoke until the case is closed. The guy who plays the lead is spookier than the monster. He has that real 80's look and wears a funny little hat when he is out and about. This has a few moments of violence that keep one interested, but beyond that, it's just not very good.
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The horniest Frankestein monster ever!
lazarillo2 January 2008
This is yet another of a strange series of films that attempted to combine Frankenstein's monster and eroticism (because, of course, nothing is more sexy than a monstrous amalgamation of reanimated dead tissue). Naturally, this cycle of films was mostly Italian with some German and American co-productions here and there (and Spaniard Jess Franco making his typically insane contribution with "The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein"). The best of these films was probably "Flesh for Frankenstein" with honorable mention going to "Lady Frankenstein". This is probably the worst--or at least the most offensive--film of the cycle.

Dr. Frankenstein has stolen a formula from another doctor that prevents the rejection of transplanted organs. For reasons that eluded me in the English language soundtrack, he uses it to create a reanimated monster he calls "Mosaic". "Mosaic" is the horniest Frankenstein monster ever. All he does is bone women--sometimes literally: he brains his first victim, a female butcher, with a giant bone then has his way with her lifeless body. This movie is more ridiculous than offensive though. Like when the monster steals money from the doctor to buy a prostitute, who he ends up raping and strangling anyway.

The movie has a couple washed up American and English actors (Jon Richardson and Gordon Mitchell). The monster is a played by a Greek wrestler with scarry goop plastered on his face (which strangely doesn't seem to alarm any of the women he encounters). The women all have nice bodies, but are otherwise bordering on unattractive. The only recognizable face is Dalila DiLazzaro, an Italian beauty who actually got to play the bride of Frankenstein the very next year in "Flesh for Frankenstein", and went on to appear in "Night Train Murders", "The Pyjama Girl Case", and Dario Argento's "Phenomenon", all of which are infinitely better movies than this one. This is only for die-hard Frankenstein sex fans I'm afraid.
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2/10
Very Funny Movie
DrSatan5 April 2000
Warning: Spoilers
WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS I saw this film a little under a year ago. It's a preposterous retelling of the Frankenstein story. In this film a Dr. Shwartz produces his "Shwartz Serum", a drug which helps patients bodies accept organ transplants. Enter our hero, Karl Schein (whose name apparently means "handsome" or "pretty" in german, or so my girlfriend tells me). Schein's sister was in a car wreck and needs an organ transplant. Without a suitable donor, Schein turns to Dr. Shwartz. Unfortunately, the evil Dr. Frankenstein steals the serum through a secret door, and Shwartz cannot produce more! Yes, incredibly, Shwartz has no way of reproducing his bottle of serum...apparently he didn't take notes. Anyways, Shcein, a reporter, begins to investigate this and a series of deaths that involve organ stealing. Frankenstein has created a monster, named "Mosaic" after his being made of many different body parts. Frankenstein uses this serum to keep the organs in Mosaic from "exploding"! Basically, what follows is a series of sadistic rape/murders committed by Mosaic...apparently he has a random appetite for this sort of thing. Anyways, eventually the whole "Shwartz Serum/Dr. Frankenstein" connection is figured out and good ole' Mosaic is a hunted man. The police's answer for dealing with Mosaic: wait for his organs to be rejected by his body when the serum's effect wears off. Our hero, Karl, uses the effective strategy of pushing Mosaic and running away; eventually the monster justs blows up when his organs reject! I don't know which is sadder: a monster who can't kill the wimpy Karl, or the fact that the hero and the police's solution is to wait the monster out!. Highlights of this film include a random, stock footage race track sequence; the heroine's incessant "Karl! Karl!"; Dr. Frankenstein's 1890's look in a movie set in 1972; and a ridculous "Mosaic goes to a prostitute" sequence in which the heavily stitched up Mosaic hires a prostitute, who demands extra due to his appearance, seems willing to ignore it. Mosaic is instructed to leave the room to get undressed, at which point he returns. The prostitute *still* doesn't mind his appearance until he approaches the bed; then she suddenly decides to resist. Mosaic then promptly kills her. This film is ridiculous, and the murders are pretty mysoginistic; if you can get past that, the plot, dialogue, production values and FX are incredibly funny.
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2/10
Frankenstein's Monster as a Rapist
wes-connors7 July 2009
"A scientist is successful in creating a serum that allows bodies to accept transplanted organs without the threat of rejection. Unfortunately, the scientist's discovery is stolen and used by a mad doctor creating a patch-work man from various body parts. This bizarre creature escapes from the lab and sets out on a rampage of death and destruction with the police desperate to stop the crazed monster," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.

Since this monster turns out to be a serial rapist, you have to wonder why Dr. Frankenstein didn't try to reverse the testicle implant he performs. Of course, that'd be killing off this film's baser appeal. Although incompletely made, "Frankenstein '80" has a storyline. You can see what bad direction, editing, and dubbing can do to an actor. And, the most gratuitous rape scene starts with a great line; the prostitute tells the monster, "You may have a limp when you walk, but I bet you don't have one in bed."

** Frankenstein '80 (12/12/72) Mario Mancini ~ John Richardson, Gordon Mitchell, Dalila Di Lazzaro
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3/10
Nothing To Brag About
Rainey-Dawn16 January 2016
Although the film has a Dr. Frankenstein and a Monster it's nothing like Universal or Hammer horror Frankenstein films (and I didn't expect it to be). It's watchable trash. Not a good film at all - horrible really.

This version of "The Monster" is really more of a zombie than Frankenstein's Monster. He's a horny killer - a rapist and murderer. It's really a tacky "Monster" film and it's crappy they used the name Frankenstein in association with this film... they could have easily named Dr. Frankenstein something else and the movie would have been the exact same. They used the name Frankenstein to get viewers I'm afraid.

The beginning of the film was the best part I think and it went downhill from there. It's watchable in it's way but nothing to brag about.

3/10
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3/10
FRANKENSTEIN '80 (Mario Mancini, 1972) *1/2
Bunuel19764 April 2011
I was only vaguely familiar with this title starring "Euro-Cult" stalwart (and former muscle-man) Gordon Mitchell – especially since I had already watched him dealing with this popular horror figure (albeit in a supporting part and with its original Gothic setting intact) in the notoriously bad FRANKENSTEIN'S CASTLE OF FREAKS (1974)! Anyway, I actually found this – at the proverbial eleventh hour – on "You Tube" in time for a mini-Frankenstein marathon which I have just concluded. Interestingly, this forms the middle part of an unrelated trilogy (also because they emanated from different countries!) involving the Mary Shelley creation – all of which tried to bring the monster into our modern age (with varying degrees of success) by appending a future decade to the name: hence the American FRANKENSTEIN – 1970 was made in 1958(!), the Italian film under review precedes the inferred date by 8 years, while that for the 1990s (whose viewing came hard on the heels of this one) emerged from France in 1984!

Truth be told, the lowly rating for this one is not indicative of the lack of ideas put on the table along the way but rather the extremely dull handling (the dreary cheapo look does not help), indifferent performances (the other familiar face here was that of hero John Richardson) and a thoroughly listless pace (the reasons for which are given later on)! In fact, this is the first rendition of the much-filmed tale where the monster's grafts are rejected and are, therefore, in constant need of replenishment (a' la EYES WITHOUT A FACE [1960]), as well as one of only a few that address his libido (making him something of a Jack The Ripper-like serial killer!)…though, in all probability, this was done in order to up the sex'n'gore ante (cue an awful lot of padding throughout)!

Incidentally, I suspect that the makers of this film were inspired by the recently-watched FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER (1958) – since Mitchell here is the assistant of a clinic director, whose precious fluid he steals for his own ends via the experiments he conducts inside a secret lab (that connects to both his office and his home)! By the way, it felt not a little awkward to have no one bat an eyelid at the mention of his name (which he did not even bother to hide as in that earlier picture)! In the end, creature turns on creator, hero saves (and hitches up with) Frankenstein's niece, the monster then expires bloodily from a fried brain…and, for no very good reason, we close on a shot of the Police Chief finally getting his self-negated nicotine fix at long last!
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1/10
Good old-fashioned nightmare fuel.
soulexpress29 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
When Mary Shelley wrote "Frankenstein" in 1818, she could never have imagined that it would inspire this Italian-made cinematic sleazefest. If gratuitous gore and smarmy sex are your forte, this film has plenty of both (often at the same time).

Despite the title, there is nothing futuristic about "Frankenstein '80." Rather, it is the story of Dr. Otto Frankenstein (Gordon Mitchell), a hospital lab tech. He innocuously does his job during the day, but at night he works to perfect Mosaico (Greek wrestler Xiro Papas), a lumbering monstrosity that he made out of discarded body parts. The film offers no explanation as to Otto's motives. I guess we're supposed to think, "Hey, his name is Frankenstein. What else would he do in his off-hours?"

Alas for Otto, he has created the horniest Frankenstein monster of all time. On more than one occasion, Mosaico brutally murders a young lady and then has his way with her battered, bloodied corpse. This arouses (pardon the expression) the attention of the local police, led by one Inspector Schneider (Renato Romano). Long story short, Mosaico chokes Otto to death and goes on a killing spree until his brain does or something or other that destroys him after 48 hours. Frankly, I was more interested in checking Facebook than in watching this dogsh*t movie.

Mosaico looks just like what he is: a Greek wrestler with flesh- colored clay and fake stitches all over his face and body. In a scene where he beats a homeless man to death in an automobile graveyard (with what looks like a transmission), I said out loud, "Please don't let him hump the dead guy!" Mercifully, he didn't.

Also worth noting is the laughable dubbing job, especially of Otto and Schneider. Otto sounds like he's doing a bad impersonation of Inspector Clouseau, while Schneider's voice suggests a grown-up Eric Catman. All that's missing is the "goddammit."

In the '70s, Europe (and Italy in particular) produced a number of films that eroticized the Frankenstein legend. As this is the only one I've seen, I can't say where it falls on the spectrum. I can, however, state that "Frankenstein '80" will *not* motivate me to seek out any more of these movies. Yecch!
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7/10
Where has this one been hiding?
Bezenby11 June 2013
Sometimes you need a film like this: plenty of gore, some boobs, no pretensions whatsoever, stupid ending. Frankenstien '80 (why the '80?) sets out to entertain your brain stem and nothing else, and succeeds admirably. Those seeking a more cerebral film or even a film with any redeeming qualities whatsoever should probably avoid this one.

It's amazing how much time you save in your Frankenstien movie if the monster in question is already up and rampaging when the film starts. There's no scrambling about for body parts here. When the film starts, the monster's out getting his own body parts! That's a nice pro-active approach, you've got to admit, but his creator, Gordon 'Frankenstien' Mitchell, doesn't really agree with this activity. His method is much better – he steals body parts from corpses in his morgue at the hospital, and takes them to his secret laboratory, hidden behind a book shelf in the morgue. Also, he's just stolen a serum from a surgeon that might stop his monster rejecting all those body parts.

Gordon's in a bit of trouble, mind. That serum was intended for the sister of a nosey reporter who was lined up for a heart transplant, and now she's dead, the cops are all over the place, and the reporter is on his trail! Add to that the unintended results of a knacker transplant on the monster (a knacker transplant! Brilliant!) and you've got a good set up for a horny guy who looks like a zombified Mussolini to go on a guts and boobs fest. You've got the monster trying it on with some hookers, the monster trying it on with a stripper, and the monster trying it on with his creator's daughter. Stupid? Awww yeah. Great? You bet!

Featuring gut fondling, heads in fridges, a strip tease act, Gordon Mitchell's face and a rather unwholesome tone about the film that you only find in Italian cinema. Love that abrupt ending too!
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1/10
Horrible Horror
gal318 November 2002
Warning: Spoilers
Warning: This contains a SPOILER. I had the serious misfortune to see this movie as an unsuspecting movie goer way back in the 70's. I can't believe I actually spent money to see this film. The title including the name Frankenstein is very misleading. The real monster is whoever envisioned and made this film. If necrophilia is your thing then this movie will be right up your alley to the morgue. Disgusting, perverted, with bad acting thrown in for fun. This movie (I use this term lightly) is definitely a DO NOT SEE.
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10/10
One of the best remakes ever
jacobjohntaylor17 July 2015
This is a very scary movie. Doctor Frankenstein creates a monster out dead body parts. He do not care that it comes a killer. He only care that he has the power to bring life to the dead. This is a very scary movie. Based on the novel by Marry Shelly. This is one of the scariest movie ever made. It has great acting. It also has a great story line. It also has great special effects. This movie very intense. Like most Frankenstein movie it is great. One of the best horror movies ever. If you like scary movie then you need to see this movie. This is the one of the best movies I have ever seen. I need more line and I am running out of things to say.
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7/10
Gobs and Gobs of...
michaeldukey20009 November 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Stop me if you've heard this one but a butt ugly giant walks into a German Butcher Shop,grunts and randomly points around. The buxom proprietress immediately figures out he needs a nice piece of liver and waltzes off to the meat locker to cut him off a generous slice. Quicker than you can say "Forgive me,Boris Karloff" the hulking brute picks up a large soup bone and bludgeons her to death. A euphemism for sex shamelessly comes to mind. Did I mention he uses a "Bone"? Later on I suppose the creature feels less vigorous because simply steals money from Doctor Frankenstein's lab coat and hires him self a prostitute! This time he has sex with her before he does her in.

If any of this appeals to you than you deserve everything you get in Frankenstein 80 and you'll probably enjoy it though it won't make you a better person.

Lensed in 1972 during the peak of the Euro-Trash craze and not futuristic at all, this is a ridiculously nonsensical exercise in Exploitation and on that level it succeeds in every way possible.

It moves rather fast and serves up gobs of gore and female nudity within a plot that will have you rolling with laughter or slack jawed in disbelief.

Former muscle Beach resident Gordon Mitchell stars as the bewildered Dr. who isn't so much evil as he is a bumbler who gets so over his head that he has to kill to cover up his critters mistakes. Mitchell made a fortune relocating to Italy in the 60's starring in dozens of Sword and Sandal pics and later Spaghetti Westerns. Here he remains clothed and doesn't act a lot but he does have a wonderful steely gaze.

If you've ever sat through gems like Bloody Pit Of Horror,Scream Of The Demon Lover or Asylum Erotica you know what to expect.

It ain't good but as far as sleaze goes it's fairly enjoyable
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5/10
Insanity!
BandSAboutMovies23 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Dr. Otto Frankenstein works in his lab all day and to the normal daytime world, he seems like an ordinary doctor. But at night, he works on perfecting his own form of life, Mosiac, putting together this inhuman human from several dead bodies. Then, once completed, Mosiac repays him by killing him and we still have an hour left.

Directed by Mario Mancini (who was the cinematographer for Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks and The Girl in Room 2A), this is a film featuring real surgical footage, nonsensical dialogue and a total lack of plot. Suffice to say I loved it.

Mosiac spends the rest of the movie replacing his constantly failing organs, which means that he must murder and murder and murder some more. Have you ever wondered, "What if someone used a giant leg bone to kill someone?" this would be the movie that answers your inquest.

Also, in whatever nameless city in some unknown country that this is supposed to be set in, possibly Germany, the women in the night have no issues with a gigantic monster in a leather outfit picking them up with merely a few grunts. No money discussion - he kills them way before they tell him how much a half and half costs.

This movie was inspired by Italian horror, sex and gore comics, like Oltretomba. If you're offended by the blood and guts and books of this film, consider this a stern warning: avoid these comics at all costs. They take it even further. And then further. And then some.

There's a new blu ray of this that's been released - the film is in public domain - that finally fixes the rough prints that are out there right now. It's nearly impossible to find, but that doesn't mean I'm going to stop looking. For all the foibles of this film, it has a certain something.
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Wild Trash
Michael_Elliott27 February 2008
Frankenstein '80 (1972)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Italian horror film has a nice scientist creating a formula that will allow organs to have a better rate at living in a new body but the evil Dr. Frankenstein steals it so that he can create a human who turns out to be a sexual predator who goes on a killing rampage. If you like goofy, gory and sex filled Italian horror films then you'll probably enjoy this one for some mindless entertainment. The story is pretty stupid and familiar but I liked the added touches of gore and sex. The monster has a thing for beautiful women so this leads to several nudity filled scenes with the monster attacking women both sexually and physically. The film drags in certain areas and goes on a bit too long but overall exploitation freaks should enjoy it.
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1/10
"It may be a little too late for the liver."
classicsoncall25 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I don't know what I'm more appalled by - this nitwit concoction of horror porn or the idea that there are more than a dozen reviews of it already here by the time I write this. Actually, that might be a blessing in disguise for me, because now I won't have to get into what this monstrosity of a trash flick was all about. Except to add that the Frankenstein in question at one point received a testicle transplant to round out his assortment of body parts. Oh yeah, you didn't think I missed that one, did you? Nor did I miss the part about Dr. Schwartz's inability to reproduce the magical blue serum he invented that would prevent organ rejection following his transplant procedures. No Nobel Prize for this genius, he forgot to keep notes.

This one's part of a twelve disc, fifty movie set of 'Pure Terror' films just put out by Mill Creek Entertainment that you can probably pick up at your local Wal-Mart or Sam's Club if you hurry. "Frankenstein 80" sounded like a pretty good choice to be my first pick but I know better now. Actually, this one tries to be so gruesome it's just laughably bad, and I did bust up more than once. A lot of it is subliminal, like when the monster attacks the butcher shop lady in the meat locker, and somehow she's suddenly down to her underwear as the freak clubs her with a giant soup bone. One's supposed to deduce I guess, that he just boned her before he gets around to doing the real thing. Boy, I can't believe writing these reviews has come to this.
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1/10
Dumb Frankenslime.
mark.waltz17 October 2016
Warning: Spoilers
If you are in the mood for gore, guts and gloom, then this badly dubbed Italian horror film will be your cup of blood. But for those looking for anything remotely intelligent and even moderately comparable to the Mary Shelley classic will find this absurd. You can throw in any type of medical jargon you want in a script like this to come off with the facade of sounding intelligent. It's predictable from the start with a man-made creature going after women and brutally going after their insides like a kid would grab at a slab of cake. Not just morbid, but also disgusting and thoughtless, this represents the major reason why the films like this end up on cheapo labels and end up in DVD bargain bins. I'll take Karloff, Chaney or even Lugosi any day over this rubbish.
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7/10
Frankenstein's monster as a sex-crazed serial killer
Red-Barracuda27 August 2011
In 1818 when Mary Shelley wrote the supernatural tale that would go on to make her famous forever, it's difficult to imagine that she could ever have conceived that over 150 years later, her novel Frankenstein would be reinterpreted as a detective story about a sex-crazed rapist monster. Well, seeing as this version of the tale was made in Italy in the early 70's that's exactly what happened. Frankenstein '80 is one of the cycle of erotic Frankenstein movies made in Europe at the time. But this one also adds in a serial killer detective element which sort of ties it in with the giallo and poliziotteschi films that were very popular in Italy at the time. So it's a strange hybrid of specific sub-genres.

It's certainly a very trashy film. The dubbing is particularly deranged, while the film overall has a pretty cheap aesthetic. However, it's a gore and sleaze horror film at the end of the day and really has to be judged on these merits. And to be fair, Frankenstein '80 has plenty of both of those criteria; usually at the same time. The story is ludicrous of course. But I suspect very few of you will be watching this for its complexity or depth. It's more or less a slasher movie with Frankenstein's monster as the killer.

Not great but good mindless fun.
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8/10
Enjoyably mindless low-grade junk
Woodyanders29 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Scientist Professor Schwarz (decently played by Robert Fizz) creates a serum that allows bodies to accept transplanted organs without the threat of rejection. However, said serum gets stolen by the nefarious Dr. Otto Frankenstein (a perfectly deranged Gordon Mitchell), who uses it for a patchwork man (hulking Xiro Papas in grotesque make-up) he's made out of assorted body parts. Naturally, the ugly creature escapes from the lab and embarks on a murderous spree. Director Mario Manchini, who also co-wrote the crassly pandering script with Ferdinando De Leone, goes whole hog on the disgusting graphic gore and leering distaff nudity. John Richardson makes for a likable hero as dogged reporter Karl Schem, the lovely Dalila Di Lazzaro provides some charm as the fetching Sonia, and Renato Romano is an absolute hammy hoot as the cranky no-nonsense Inspector Schneider. Sure, this flick is unmitigated sleazoid crud, but it's impossible to dislike a movie that not only features a fetching female butcher being beaten to death with a large bone and the monster doing just what you think with a hooker prior to killing her, but also tosses in a stripper performing a sexy routine on stage for trashy good measure. A satisfying sliver of blithely sordid schlock.
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7/10
Fresh from the Butcher Shop
rcoates-661-2224924 February 2010
Fans of eurotrash horror have seen movies like this: with wooden dubbing, daydream pacing, a monster that murders a woman and then rips off her clothes to have a feel. There's nothing special, really, about Frankenstein '80, but that's just part of its charm for devotees of Italian schlock; it feels familiar and comfortable, gives us a few murders and chuckles along the way, and doesn't require much of the viewer.

Handsome John Richardson, star of Eyeball, is investigating the circumstances of his sister's death when he stumbles upon the possible involvement of somebody named Frankenstein. Meanwhile, grumbling eurocops are doing their utmost to solve a string of ghastly slayings. You know the deal. Generic as it is, though, Frankenstein '80 also has a few virtues to its credit. You get a decent monster, quality nudity, and greasy gore of the they-went-to-a-butcher-shop-to-get-actual-animal-organs school.

The DVD from Cheezy Flicks is something of an abomination, unfortunately, with bad VHS-level definition and "Cheezy Flicks Presents" tastelessly inserted into the opening credits. Still, if you find it cheaply priced, Frankenstein '80 is worth a look. Watch it on a double bill along with Blackenstein or the similarly sleazy Ritos de Frankenstein.
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6/10
A smell of formaldehyde
Cristi_Ciopron25 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I would say Mario Mancini does a good job.

A _giallo, Italian specialty, is a mysterious murders thriller, it needs a mysterious cereal killer, and also nice girls (sexy broads in danger, who are undressed only to be slashed) and some nudity, extreme violence, slashing, plus that unmistakable score to induce fright; in Mario Mancini's movie, the hideous creature indulges in a bit of gentle necrophilia (see the beautiful butcher lady, played by Mme Gallotti, whose tits the monster fondles; the prostitute, played by Mme Traversi, who approaches the monster; the stripped girl). Unlike in the _giallos, the identity of the murderer is found out by the viewer rather early in FRANKENSTEIN '80.

The _giallos are usually topographic and labyrinthine; the plot follows a police (--or a private--) investigation. A special anti—lymphocytes serum has been stolen, a woman was strangled, another one—beaten to death, undressed and caressed, a whore raped and strangled, a stripper is murdered. The characters have German names, one reads a German paper.

Doctor Frankenstein is a former surgeon, now working as a pathologist. He 'uses his knowledge in medicine to create a monster'. Sonia, his niece, sleeps naked under a very vaporous nightdress. Hers is one of the five _nudities to be seen in FRANKESNTEIN '80 (Mss Gallotti and Traversi, 'Sonia', the stripper, the lady in the car).

Mario Mancini focuses on the sexual urges of the monster. He also increases the nudity as the movie goes on.

On the site where it's available for free download, FRANKENSTEIN '80 has been deemed a horror/ Sci—Fi; in fact, it's straight _giallo.
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10/10
One of the best Frankenstein films in the entire series
Millers-Retro-Drive-in22 November 2021
This film is what Frankenstein should be, cult exploitation trash cinema. A slasher monster movie rolled into one. This film needs to be paired with the 1971 Lady Frankenstein, and the 1973 Flesh for Frankenstein. These three films, two of them Italian, made simultaneously, are hands down the best in the 100+ film series. If you like gore, nudity, Drive-in style fun, then this is it!!! Usually find all free on YouTube because they're public domain films....
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6/10
Frankenstein movies don't get any sleazier than this
Leofwine_draca19 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
A typically incomprehensible Italian sleaze epic, made on a shoestring budget and squarely aimed at the exploitation market with its offerings of graphic gore and copious female nudity. Although it's not consistently entertaining enough to be considered a so-bad-it's-good delight, FRANKENSTEIN '80 does contain its fair share of delirious delights which stop it from becoming totally unwatchable. These include a cheesy script full of overly serious dialogue; amusingly bad acting from Xiro Papas as the monster, Mosaic; overblown scenes of action; and some bad-taste moments in which the creature goes around raping prostitutes and innocent girls. The film's highlight has to be the moment in which Mosaic breaks into an abattoir and beats a girl to death with a bone (!) before stripping her corpse and having his wicked way with her - it's that kind of movie.

The strung-together plot sees the Frankenstein tale updated to the "then" slightly futuristic setting of 1980 where Dr. Otto Frankenstein continues his medical experiments. The first thing to notice is that the good doctor is played by peplum legend Gordon Mitchell, bizarrely decked out in Victorian attire whilst everyone else wears bad '70s gear! Mitchell can always be relied upon to deliver a solid performance and his appearance here is no exception, although sadly his character does get bumped off about halfway through the film, leaving the monster to go on a low-budget rampage of terror through the countryside with nobody to hold him back.

The story goes that bearded scientist Professor Schwarz has developed a serum which can help to bond organs into new bodies (an idea later used in the horror smash hit RE-ANIMATOR). Just as dashing hero Karl Schein is about to have the serum used on his sister, undergoing a heart transplant, Frankenstein steals it and his sister dies, leaving Schein understandably peeved and embarking on a personal investigation to find his sister's murderer.

The leading role of Schein is played by the omnipotent John Richardson, who gained fame with his appearance in ONE MILLION YEARS B.C. before appearing in all kinds of trashy Italian horror films (mainly gialli) in the '70s. Aside from his silly haircut, there's little memorable about his performance here and he doesn't actually achieve much despite his investigations. The film also includes a police investigation into the murders which is lethargic ever, but at least it is presided over by the short-tempered Inspector Schneider, who gets some great ranting when one of his officers spells his name wrong in his report!

Many scenes in the film involve Mosaic going around and offing a series of young, attractive women, with the rape angle added on to give the film an even sleazier atmosphere. There are also the standard "operating room" procedures in which the camera is held as close as possible to some sloppy organs and blood-covered hands. The string of murders that the monster commits are slapdash and brutal and almost always involve bright red blood being smeared over a clean white wall to emphasise the carnage. As for Mosaic, his physical inspiration seems to be the creature played by Freddie Jones in Hammer's FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED, and the actor playing him is the bushy-eyebrowed Xiro Papas, a specialist in such areas - he would later play another sexual sadist in THE BEAST IN HEAT.

Don't expect any characterisation of the monster; he's simply a rampaging brute, a creature of destruction with murder in mind. The over-the-top ending, in which Mosaic's organs fail in an unforgettable display of fake blood and bad acting, is the stuff B-movie fan's dreams are made of. In most respects this is a poorly-made movie but that just adds to the charm; FRANKENSTEIN movies don't get any cheaper, gorier or sleazier than this brain-addled Italo entry.
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"Your Brain Is Already Disintegrating!"...
azathothpwiggins28 August 2021
After years of work, Professor Schwarz (Roberto Fizz) has perfected his life-saving transplant serum. He keeps a bottle of the priceless serum, known cryptically as "The Schwarz Serum", in the staff fridge. Shockingly, the concoction is stolen within minutes!

Meanwhile, the world's ugliest man (Xiro Papas) is murdering women and removing their vital organs. The police are baffled.

FRANKENSTEIN '80 is a preposterous Italian horror film. Apparently made for no other reason than to show various bloody organ removals, the testicle transplant is a "highlight".

WARNING: Contains violent liver theft, nudity, garbled monster chatter, nudity, and icky monster love!

Highly recommended for those who seek to watch every movie ever made with the name Frankenstein in the title. All others may want to look elsewhere...
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