Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)

Directed by Terence Fisher. Starring Peter Cushing, Simon Ward, Freddie Jones, Veronica Carlson, George Pravda, Maxine Audley, Thorley Walters. [PG-13]

Cushing returns to the titular role of the mad scientist in this fifth entry in Hammer Films’ Frankenstein series. Here, Frankenstein blackmails a young doctor (Ward) into helping him with his brain transplant experiments, the recently deceased Professor Richter (Jones) being the subject. Pretty good of its kind; though there’s less of the blood-curdling atmosphere, the blood-and-guts stuff is on the uptick, and there’s a real sense of evil festering under the skin. Cushing’s portrayal represents one of the harshest Dr. Frankenstein’s on record—if his cold demeanor doesn’t seal the deal, gratuitously raping the leading lady (Carlson) certainly does. Walters’ police inspector character wasn’t in the original script, which explains why his appearances so often feel incongruous and shoehorned.

69/100