The Evil of Frankenstein

Released May 8, 1964

1h 37m

Horror

List

57%

7 Reviews

Tomatometer

36%

1,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Dr. Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) returns destitute to his home village to recommence his experimental research into the reanimation of dead tissue, and stumbles upon his old monster suspended in ice. Though he revives the creature, Frankenstein must seek the help of hypnotist Zoltan (Peter Woodthorpe) to repair its mind. Zoltan then assumes control of the monster, using him to wreak havoc. But when Frankenstein tries to regain power over his creation, he becomes Zoltan's next target.

Read More

Read Less

Watch on Fandango at Home

Premiered Apr 18

Buy Now

Fandango at Home

Prime Video

Rent The Evil of Frankenstein on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video.

Alberto Abuín

Espinof

Despite its irregular rhythm - fortunately the film improves as it progresses - interesting and provocative elements are added. [Full Review in Spanish]

Aug 27, 2019

Full Review

Tim Brayton

Antagony & Ecstasy

It's pretty wan and spotty, in fact, though probably not as bad as the most rabid Hammer fanatics would have you believe. Certainly, it is a stunningly terrible sequel.

Rated: 5/10

Oct 27, 2010

Full Review

Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

Rated: 3/5

Sep 24, 2005

Full Review

Christopher Null

Filmcritic.com

Rated: 2.5/5

Sep 22, 2005

Full Review

Ken Hanke

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

Livelier than t he usual Hammer flick.

Rated: 3/5

Nov 12, 2002

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

It's only the solid professional acting ability of Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein that gives this pic any credibility.

Rated: C

Oct 28, 2002

Full Review

Read all reviews

Michael C

You can't totally dislike a Hammer Horror film. The late Peter Cushing was always terrific in whatever role he played in such films. "The Evil of Frankenstein" is no exception, but overall I felt this particular movie was rather dull and too drawn out. The performances in the movie are fine (Though I did not care that much for the late Peter Woodthorpe as the nefarious hypnotist Zoltan. He hammed it up a little too much for me.). The late Ernest "Kiwi" Kingston does a decent job as Baron Victor Frankenstein's monster (The first of only two film roles for the former professional wrestler.). For me the best supporting role was the late Sandor Eles as Frankenstein's assistant Hans. He ranks second only to Cushing in terms of performance quality on this movie. Even with a running time of just one hour and twenty-four minutes, "The Evil of Frankenstein" felt too long. It is not a terrible movie by any means, but Hammer has produced far better films.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/20/24

Full Review

CodyZamboni

Tolerable Hammer flick with another solid Peter Cushing performance. There are no scares , some exciting electrical creation scenes, lots of annoying characters, and really lame, amateurish monster makeup fx,

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

01/22/24

Full Review

Dallas H

Hammer Films rule, even if they feel like the British riffs of the American adaptations of classic horror literature. Peter Cushing is always fun to watch!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/21/24

Full Review

DanTheMan 2

Swapping out many of Hammer's regular crew for a fresh set of talent, The Evil of Frankenstein feels like a step back for the studio. Any pretext of a connection to The Revenge of Frankenstein is dispensed with in a brazen display of contempt for continuity as The Evil of Frankenstein acts more like a standalone sequel to Curse which even then feels shaky at best. A flashback attempts to create a prior history that is wholly unrelated to the last Sangster-penned script, instead, it feels as if Hammer plundered from Universal's previous library of Frankenstein movies, with many scenes lifted verbatim, to craft this sequel. Hammer puts their co-financing deal with Universal to good use, bringing back the familiar elements of that series only this time in glorious colour. There's a close approximation of Boris Karloff's celebrated make-up design for their monster and familiar set elements from the Universal movies. I can at least give credit to the filmmaking style of director Freddie Francis and cinematographer John Wilcox who give the film a much warmer look than previously, but the film ditches the superstition and hypocrisy angle too quickly to indulge rather mundane trappings. There's always something going on in The Evil of Frankenstein, but being saddled with an uninspiring, often delirious cast and dialogue that sometimes provokes unintended laughter does the always-reliable Peter Cushing no favours who is the sole cast member that commands credibility.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Peter Cushing returns as the good doctor in Hammer's third Frankenstein film. In this one, Frankenstein and his assistant return to his home town and find the monster he originally created. He revives him, but becomes involved with an evil hypnotist who uses the monster to his own ends. This one is an oddity in the series since it's not really in continuity with the other films. Hammer had a new distribution deal with Universal which allowed them to use aspects of the Universal Frankenstein films here. As a result, the monster here looks more like Karloff's monster and the circumstances of his creation look more like the Universal film. I'm not a fan of this version of the monster ... in fact, the make up is just awful. Generally, this is a more restrained and by-the-numbers outing, and the least successful in the series for me.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

andy f

Another rubbish Hammer film. Only Cushing and the sets make this just about watchable. A terrible monster, lame characters and pretty awful script!

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Post a rating

Fred Francis

Director

Peter Cushing

Baron Frankenstein

Peter Woodthorpe

Prof. Zoltán the Hypnotist

Duncan Lamont

Karlstaad Chief of Police

Sandor Eles

Hans

David Hutcheson

Burgomaster of Karlstaad

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

82%

77%

The Curse of Frankenstein

78%

61%

The Brides of Dracula

91%

81%

Horror of Dracula

27%

40%

Dracula A.D. 1972

70%

67%

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Dr. Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) returns destitute to his home village to recommence his experimental research into the reanimation of dead tissue, and stumbles upon his old monster suspended in ice. Though he revives the creature, Frankenstein must seek the help of hypnotist Zoltan (Peter Woodthorpe) to repair its mind. Zoltan then assumes control of the monster, using him to wreak havoc. But when Frankenstein tries to regain power over his creation, he becomes Zoltan's next target.

Director: Fred Francis
Screenwriter: Anthony Hinds
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Production Co: Hammer Films
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 8, 1964, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 13, 2016
Runtime: 1h 37m

Most Popular at Home Now