Edgar Soberon Torchia Hammer Film definitely made better films about Baron Frankenstein (as played by Peter Cushing) than those dealing with the Count Dracula (with Christopher Lee). "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" is a superb entry, with a script written by the man Orson Welles once called one of the two best A.D. in the film business. The scientist is again ruthless and cruel, stopping at nothing to keep experimenting with life and human organ transplants. He blackmails a young couple that is planning to wed: the girl administers the guest-house Frankenstein takes hold of, while her groom is a surgeon. As the story unfolds, Frankenstein turns into a real wicked old man (excellent "el Cushing")… As in "The Revenge of Frankenstein" there is no monster in the plot and the surgeries are successful, so the writers had to create potent dramas dealing with medicine, "progress", death, the infinite possibilities of scientific experimentation, the negative effect of the ignorant's slander, the selling of drugs as modus vivendi, and of course with erotic elements. Although the Baron is trapped in a fire before the closing credits, he surely found a way to reappear in the next entry of the series, the also good "Frankenstein Created Woman", in which he would transform a crippled girl into (Playmate of the Year) Susan Denberg.

Leofwine_draca FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED is one of the later entries in the long running Hammer Horror Series, which sees Peter Cushing reprising his famous role of the ruthless mad doctor. This is undoubtedly one of the highlights in what remains a very strong series, because the emphasis isn't on scientific apparatus or Universal stylings (as in the slightly disappointing previous two entries, THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN and FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN). Here, the villain of the piece is Frankenstein himself, and he's never been so ruthless.The gory, blood-drenched murder scene which opens the film reveals just what a monster the doctor has become, but somehow Cushing still holds it all together and makes his Frankenstein a fresh and spellbinding creation. Watching him upset the local gentry is just as enjoyable as watching him performance his brain experiments. Director Terence Fisher is at his best here, creating a lush and colourful masterpiece loaded with ghoulish delights - the set-piece involving the burst water main is straight out of a Hitchcock film.The supporting cast are strong indeed, with Simon Ward taking on the apprentice role, and Veronica Carlson a fitting damsel in distress. Freddie Jones gives the best performance as the Creature in any of Hammer's Frankenstein movies, a truly sympathetic portrayal of a man who has quite literally lost his mind. There are a couple of minor problems with this film, namely the tacked-on rape scene (unnecessary) and the sub-plot involving detective Thorley Walters and his sidekick Geoffrey Bayldon, which goes nowhere and seems to have been added in to pad out the running time. Nevertheless this remains a Hammer Horror highlight and a delightfully dark slice of English Gothic.

classicsoncall There was a pretty good description of Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) early in the picture when someone called him a 'highly dangerous medical adventurer'. The Baron proceeds to live up to that reputation as a murderer, blackmailer, hostage taker and did I actually witness this - a rapist? Hammer Films really took the Frankenstein character here and made him even more monstrous than a creature one could patch together from spare body parts.You know, for a horror film, you'd have to agree that the locations used for filming were really quite elegant and ornate. The Spengler boarding house and Brandt's home were exquisitely appointed and furnished, and all the while I kept thinking that they would have been a pretty nice place to live. Which made it all the more tragic that Dr. Brandt (George Pravda) in Professor Richter's (Freddie Jones) body acted just a bit too harshly when he torched it at the finale. Gee, you would think he'd have a little more compassion for his wife after what she went through, and now she wouldn't even have a place to live.As far as the creepy brain transplant business goes, the story and Baron Frankenstein's patient persistence in getting the job done almost made it seem believable. Except of course for that nasty sawing of the forehead; man that could really give you a headache. Seems like Brandt/Richter should have complained about that, but I guess he had a bigger concern.Probably the scariest thing here had to do with the Richter body being planted in the backyard garden and then having a water main break directly underneath. I couldn't decide whether that flapping arm coming out of the makeshift grave was more comical or horrifying. But then, with all that mud and water flying around, one would have to agree that Anna (Veronica Carlson) was probably the most ingenious character in the story - she didn't get a speck of dirt on her!

AaronCapenBanner Terence Fisher directed this fifth Hammer studios "Frankenstein" film that again stars Peter Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein, who is no longer the benevolent searcher of the soul from the previous film, but now(inexplicably) a cold, ruthless murderer who kills a Professor Richter(played by Freddie Jones) in order to place the mind of colleague Dr. Brandt(played by George Pravda) in that body, since Brandt's is failing him, and the Baron wants some valuable medical knowledge only he knows. To accomplish this, he callously blackmails a young couple(played by Simon Ward and Veronica Carlson) into helping him, which will lead to tragedy for all...despite good direction and performances, this is a most unpleasant entry, with gruesome violence and a near rape(!) by Frankenstein. That the film is even semi-watchable is a testament to the talent involved, who just went slumming here...