Ranking The Hammer Frankenstein Films Starring Peter Cushing

 

On this day in 1913, Peter Cushing was born. I usually write a Cushing-themed post on this day, and for this year I decided to rank the six Hammer films in which the actor portrayed Baron Frankenstein. 

Playing Victor Frankenstein in Hammer's first color Gothic film, THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, changed Cushing's life--you could also say it sealed his fate. The thing about the Hammer Frankenstein series of films is that other than the first two entries, there is no story continuity. Most of the series appears to take place in the 1850s-1870s, but the last film, FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL, seems to be set in the 1830s-40s. The Baron himself also acts somewhat differently in each film. I've often wondered how such a fastidious actor as Cushing reconciled himself to all the various inconsistencies in the series. 

This ranking does not take into account Hammer's HORROR OF FRANKENSTEIN, which starred Ralph Bates as the Baron. If it did, that film would come in last. 

The movies are ranked in order of preference. I must point out that this isn't meant to be a serious critical observation--my thoughts on this list might change a couple weeks from now. The movies at the top and the bottom of the list were easy to pick, but the other films on this list could change positions quite easily, depending on how I feel at the moment. 

1. FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED (1969)

This truly is a horror film, with Cushing at his most chilling and cunning as the Baron. It's as if all his other experimental failures have driven Frankenstein to the brink--he's now willing to kill or ruin any one or any thing in order to perfect his attempts to "serve" humanity. This is one of Terence Fisher's best directorial efforts, with a number of standout sequences. I'm totally biased when it comes to the subject of Veronica Carlson, but she gives one of the best performances of any leading lady in any Hammer film. Freddie Jones, as the Baron's pathetic "patient", as a standout as well. Bert Batt and Anthony Nelson Keys deserve mention for their work on screenplay (with contributions from Fisher). 

2. THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1958)

A direct sequel to THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN, and, in my opinion, a better film. Jimmy Sangster's screenplay is much tighter this time around, and he also sets up what would be the main theme of the Hammer Frankenstein series: what is the true identity of a person who is the subject of a brain transplant? Francis Matthews is the best of the Baron's assistants, and he's also the only one in the entire series that succeeds in a major experiment. Michael Gwynn does a fine job as Cushing's creation. 

3. THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)

The film that started it all. It's not as refined as the other Hammer Gothics, but it's an impressive first attempt at this genre, with the gathering of what would be known as the Hammer Gothic team (director Terence Fisher, writer Jimmy Sangster, producer Anthony Hinds, cinematographer Jack Asher, composer James Bernard). For Cushing's part, you feel when watching him here that he had already been making horror films for years. Christopher Lee still doesn't get enough credit for his version of the monster, and Hazel Court and Valerie Gaunt provide some glamour to the proceedings. Robert Urquhart is saddled with one of the worst parts an actor can play with the role of the annoying Paul Krempe. 

4. FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN (1967) 

This is one of Anthony Hinds' (billed as John Elder) better scripts for Hammer, as he attempts to explore the definition of a soul. The Baron transfers the essence of a wrongly executed young man into his girlfriend (Susan Denberg), while at the same time using surgery to change the girl into a voluptuous beauty. Director Terence Fisher makes it work by presenting it as a tragic romance. Cushing's Baron and Thorley Walters' befuddled Dr. Hertz make a wonderful team. 

5. FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL (1973)

A elegiac air hangs over this last entry in the Hammer Frankenstein series, as the company itself was nearing its end of making decent product. The Baron is hiding out in an insane asylum, which is appropriate considering that by now all his experiments seem pointless. Cushing is still as precise and charismatic as ever, while Terence Fisher gets as much out of Anthony Hinds' script as he can. David Prowse is buried under the most outlandish makeup in the entire series, but he is still able to inject some pathos in the role of this entry's monster. 

6. THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN (1963)

This entry is the outlier. It was directed by Freddie Francis instead of Terence Fisher, and it reboots the Baron's adventures, giving him a different backstory than that detailed by THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN. It also feels more like a black & white Universal monster rally instead of a color Hammer Gothic. Kiwi Kingston's monster is the most generic of Cushing's creations. It must be pointed out that Francis does try to give some visual energy to the production, with an impressive laboratory sequence. If you want an old fashioned monster flick, this is the Hammer Frankenstein movie you want to watch.