OurStory

Two recent viewings of old horror movies, Hammers The Evil of Frankenstein was the third film in Hammers Frankenstein cycle. Once again the hostility of the locals to his experiments has forced Baron Frankenstein to flee. He decides to return to Karlstadt. Although he was banished from the town a decade earlier, he still has substantial sets there, which he needs to convert into cash to fund his scientific work. By a strange stroke of fate he discovers the frozen body of the creature he had created there ten years earlier, and this inspires him to attempt to revive the monster.Unfortunately it proves difficult to restore the creature to consciousness, until Frankenstein hits on the idea of using a travelling hypnotist (by chance it happens to be carnival time in Karlstadt) to re-awaken the creatures brain. The hypnotist turns out to be an evil hypnotist who plan to use his hold over Frankensteins creation in order to gain wealth, an exact revenge on his enemies.The greatest strength of Hammers Frankenstein films is the character of Baron Frankenstein himself, an uneasy mix of idealism and arrogance, genius and insanity. Peter Cushing (giving some of his best ever performances in this role) was able to tease out the various strands in the barons make-up with considerable subtlety and sensitivity. While The Evil of Frankenstein hints at the obsessed scientists character flaws and complexities, it fails to develop these elements. Cushing does his best, but the script gives him little assistance.While the script is weak and the plot is basic to ay the least, the movie does have other strengths. Director Freddie Francis (who won two Academy Awards as a cinematographer) had a particular flair for visuals, and The Evil of Frankenstein looks quite wonderful. The barons laboratory is magnificent. The visual strengths are sufficient to maintain interest even when the plot falters.Given that its the look of this movie that is its strong suit its fortunate that the DVD included in Universals superb eight-movie Hammer boxed set is absolutely stunning. The picture is crystal clear, the colours are rich and vibrant. Its a feast for the eyes. Its not one of Hammers better efforts, but its still worth seeing.Vault of Horror was not exactly a sequel to Amicuss successful Tales from the Crypt, more of a follow-up employing the same formula. Five brief tales of horror inspired by the 1950s Tales from the Crypt comics, linked by a framing story.The problem I have with this one is the same as I had with Tales from the Crypt - the stories are just too compressed to allow for much in the way of plot twists, and what plot twists the stories do contain are a little too obvious.The first story is particularly weak. The second, involving a new brides attempts to deal with her husbands organising and neatness fetish, is better. The third is better still - a magician travelling in India ruins an Indians magician act by revealing the workings of the trick to the crowd. Later he becomes obsessed by another trick he sees performed, an illusion so realistic he is unable to even guess as to how its on. He is determined to get posession of the secret of the trick.The fourth story about a man who fakes his own death is fairly predictable but executed with enough style to be highly entertaining. And the final story is a revenge story, as a painter who has been cheated by a cabal of art dealers and critics gains his vengeance in an unusual way. Maybe it just that Im a sucker for stories involving voodoo, but I liked this one the most.Tom Baker is delightful as the vengeful artist, and Curd Jrgens is wonderful as always as the unscrupulous illusionist. Terry-Thomas has great fun as the obsessively organised husband in the second tale.Roy Ward Baker directs with his usual flair, and the end result is entertaining and amusing if not especially inspired or terrifying.x-posted to cult_movie