The Evil of Frankenstein. 1964. Great Britain. Directed by Freddie Francis. Screenplay by John Elder. With Peter Cushing, Peter Woodthorpe, Kiwi Kingston. 16mm. 84 min.
Baron Frankenstein finds his creature frozen in a block of ice and is intent on bringing him back to life. Seems as if the creature’s body is okay, but his brain is dead (again), so the Baron sets out to find a suitable new one. Much like a father caring for a sick child, there is a nurturing aspect to the Baron’s desire to help the creature. If this Frankenstein creation looks more like Boris Karloff’s creature in Universal’s 1931 Frankenstein, it’s because Hammer and Universal Pictures came to an agreement on the use of the monster’s visage. (Prior to this pact, the Hammer monster was more human and less mechanical looking). This is the first film in the Frankenstein franchise directed by the renowned Academy Award–winning cinematographer Freddie Francis.