#6 Frankenstein and The Monster From Hell

One of the strangest Hammer Frankenfilms - and one that is often snubbed by critics is Peter Cushing's last turn as the finest Dr. Frankenstein in classic horror. This one also happens to be the final Terrance Fisher film for Hammer.
The old Doc has been locked away in a crumbly ole prison - but he is assessing then assembling his fellow inmates into a quite grizzly Super-Frank..

This freak show features possibly the craziest looking "Monster" outside of Toho-Frank. David "Darth Vader" Prowse is encased in a jiggly mass of hair, blood and drippy meat.

I'll be perfectly honest - when I was a kid looking at pics of this monster in Famous Monsters of Filmland I mistook the title meaning "Frankenstein" the monster - was going to do battle with this hairy behemoth. I hadn't figured out yet that Hammer never did Monster Mashes and that the big oaf was the Frankenstein's Monster - albeit this doctor's umpteenth creature. Hammer never brought Frankie back the way Universal did. That privilege was apparently saved for Count Dracula.

This film mostly takes part in the claustrophobic confines of the dank old prison and there are some interesting twists ala a mute female assistant that is Dr. Frankenstein's "hands" - as his are damaged from fire (that Hammer continuity).

It doesn't necessarily stand higher than a few of the other Hammer Frankie films but for sheer shock impact regarding that wild monster and loads of quite gruesome sequences it is one I have fond nostalgic regard for this Franken-freakout of a film..

With 5 spots left this is probably my last 'flex' entry. Some seriously serious Frankenstein coming your way next!