Rainey Dawn
Deeply Gothic atmosphere, well casted (acted out) and a rather interesting story. I wish this one was picked up by any studio and made into a series - even if it was a short lived.Don Megowan is The Monster. I really enjoyed watching his portrayal - very much like Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr, Glenn Strange and yes even Bela Lugosi. The classic Universal Monster is back in action in this pilot.If you loved the the older Universal Frankenstein films then this pilot you should enjoy. It's like watching a short 30 minute Universal Monster movie.Hammer-Universal did it again!! But sadly the TV series was never made.8/10
Michael_Elliott
Tales of Frankenstein (1958) *** (out of 4) Hammer originally produced this as a TV pilot but when it didn't sell they just threw it into theaters as a short and it turned out to be a pretty good one. Dr. Frankenstein creates a monster but accidentally uses a criminal's brain. He gets a chance to correct the mistake when a man dies after his wife begged the doctor to keep him alive. The doctor decides to put the dead man's brain into the body of the monster. I can understand this thing not selling as a TV pilot because there's really no place to go but as a short the thing is quite the success and in the end turns out to be a rather effective version of the classic tale. What I enjoyed most was the actual monster who had a pretty good look and he's given quite a bit to do. I really enjoyed the first creation scene when the monster attacks Frankenstein only to have some electrical equipment to go crazy and give him a real shock. The stuff at the end, when the dead man remembers who he is, was also very effective. The make up was clearly trying to look like the Karloff version but the large actor and the puffy cheeks makes him look more like Chaney from THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. The performances were good as is the direction so fans of the monster will certainly want to check this out.
rcslone5
This is the pilot for a TV series that didn't get picked up. It features a different telling of the familiar story of Baron Frankenstein and his monster. Well acted with good sets and fine production values, I'm surprised this didn't get a shot as a regular series. Features some stock footage from old Universal horror films, but if your going to use stock footage, that is perfect for this type of show. Was produced by Hammer Studios, who were famous for their own horror movies. Richard Bull, who was Mr. Olsen on Little House on the Praire, has a significant role in this show.Well worth picking up, as this is part of many different public domain horror collections. I picked this up in Mill Creek's 250 movie Horror Collection, and this has been one of the big highlights. The quality of this print was very good, with clear audio and a nice picture.I gave this 7 out of 10.
Hitchcoc
A very ill man and his wife approach Baron Frankenstein to help keep the man alive through whatever means. He refuses, fearing that this may be a lot of trouble. It works for him because the man dies in the village and, through a bribe, Frankenstein uses this man's brain and modifies a failed experiment. As is always the case, things don't go so well. The village is always cognizant of what goes on in that house, and this is no exception. What I am most interested in is what the next episode would have produced. What has happened to the "monster," who is now an intellectual, and what will the Baron do for an encore. At one point I noticed for a brief moment, the brides from the Lugosi "Dracula" movie. The laboratory was also, apparently, at least in part a reconstruction of the Karloff films. The print I have is very bold. This must have been a bold venture for the makers of this pilot. I suppose the powers that be just didn't see any heroes in this venue. Most of the fifties was dominated by gunslingers. Maybe James Arness could have reprised his carrot man from the thing and played one of the monsters that Frankenstein produced.
AD
