DVD Corner

The Curse Of Frankenstein 4K UHD Review

“The Curse Of Frankenstein” is easily one of the best Frankenstein films. 

With Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” and the forthcoming “The Bride,” Frankenstein fever is back again. Warner Archive is getting in on the action with this 3-disc 4K release of the Hammer Horror of 1957’s “The Curse Of Frankenstein.”

Based on Mary Shelley’s classic novel, the horror/sci-fi film “The Curse Of Frankenstein” begins with an imprisoned Victor Frankenstein awaiting execution. He decides to tell his story to a Priest and the film flashes back to his life from his teenage years as a boy genius working with tutor/scientist Paul to his adulthood where he becomes hell bent on reanimating the dead. As time goes on, Paul is put off by his increasingly unsettling experiments. While all of this is going on, Victor’s cousin Elizabeth comes to stay with him with the two set to marry eventually (despite the fact that Victor is having a fling with his maid Justine). Paul sticks around to protect Elizabeth from Victor and for good reason as the deranged Victor is taking his work a step further by building an alleged perfect man from various body parts. He even goes as far as to murder people for this project.

Directed by Hammer Horror regular Terence Fisher, “The Curse Of Frankenstein” certainly deviates from its source material, but it makes the material its own rather than merely copying the 1931 Universal classic. In this version, Victor is a much more sinister man. He’s playing God, his obsession overtakes him, he loses his humanity, and he pays the price for his mistakes. ‘Curse’ is almost a character study of Victor. The Creature is also much freakier as ‘Curse’ really leans into the monster aspect of the character. It would have been nice to see him on screen a tad bit more, but Fisher and writer Jimmy Sangster go with a “less is more” approach to this darker, moodier, and more violent adaptation.

On the subject of The Creature, Christopher Lee does a bang up job in the role. You would never know this was the same actor who played Dracula and countless other roles. Peter Cushing is at his best as Victor Frankenstein. Anytime these two British genre legends are in a movie together good things happen. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.66:1, 1.37:1, and 1.85:1 2160p. How does the film look? There are 3 different versions here with the UK theatrical cut (in 1.66:1), the 1.37:1 Open Matte aspect ratio version and the U.S. theatrical cut in 1.85:1. The restoration is largely divine with richer colors and improved image quality. 

Audio Track: 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD MA. How do the tracks sound? The Mono is a bit flat, but the 5.1 track offers up more depth.

Extras:
* Original UK trailer and UK Censor Card
* Image gallery
* New 2025 commentary on the UK version by Kim Newman, Barry Forshaw and Stephen Jones, 2025 commentary on the U.S. version by Heidi Honeycutt and Toby Roan, 2012 commentary on the Open Matte version by Marcus Hearn and Jonathan Rigby and a 2020 commentary on the US theatrical cut by Dr. Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr.
* Alternative eyeball scene
* “Beside The Seaside”- Author Wayne Kinsey and actress Madeline Smith chat about Peter Cushing at the Whitstable Museum (which has a Cushing exhibit) in this 50 minute extra.
* “Reviving The Curse Of Frankenstein”- A featurette that revolves around the restoration.
* “Recreating The Creature”- A make-up recreation featuring Lou and Dave Elsey and James Swanton.
* “A Fitting Vocation”- A tribute to Hammer costume designer Molly Arbuthnot.
* “Topped And Tailed”- A trio of interviews about Molly Arbuthnot’s work.
* “Good Or Tuesday?”- A documentary on screenwriter Jimmy Sangster.
* “Painting With Fine Brushes”- A tribute to DP Jack Asher.
* “A Gothic History Of Frankenstein” focuses on the original novel and the various adaptations.
* “Frankenstein Reborn”- A making of featurette.
* “Life With Sir”- A tribute to Peter Cushing.
* “The Resurrection Men”- An appreciation of ‘Curse’ by publisher Richard Klemensen.
* “Hideous Progeny”- Author Sir Christopher Frayling talks about gothic literature and ‘Curse.’
* “Torrents of Light”- Another tribute to Jack Asher.
* “Diabolus In Musica”- A tribute to composer James Bernard.
* “8mm Cutdown”- 10 minutes of 8mm footage

October 30, 2025 - Posted by nicklyons1 | 4K UHD Review | Christopher Lee, Frankenstein, Hammer Horror, horror, Peter Cushing, The Curse Of Frankenstein 4K UHD Review, Victor Frankenstein, Warner Archive