HorrorScience Fiction

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed

- The Most Frightening Frankenstein Movie Ever!

Blackmailing a young couple to assist with his horrific experiments the Baron, desperate for vital medical data, abducts a man from an insane asylum. On route the abductee dies and the Baron and his assistant transplant his brain into a corpse. The creature is tormented by a trapped soul in an alien shell and, after a visit to his wife who violently rejects his monstrous form, the creature wreaks his revenge on the perpetrator of his misery: Baron Frankenstein.

Release Date : 1969-05-22

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Hammer Film Productions

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Baron Victor Frankenstein

Original Name : Peter Cushing

Gender : Male

Character Name : Anna Spengler

Original Name : Veronica Carlson

Gender : Female

Character Name : Prof. Richter

Original Name : Freddie Jones

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Karl Holst

Original Name : Simon Ward

Gender : Male

Character Name : Insp. Fritsch

Original Name : Thorley Walters

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ella Brandt

Original Name : Maxine Audley

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dr. Frederick Brandt

Original Name : George Pravda

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Doctor

Original Name : Geoffrey Bayldon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mad Woman

Original Name : Colette O'Neil

Gender : Female

Character Name : Guest - Plumber

Original Name : Frank Middlemass

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guest - Playing chess

Original Name : George Belbin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guest - Smoking pipe

Original Name : Norman Shelley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Guest - Reading newspaper

Original Name : Michael Gover

Gender : Male

Character Name : Principal

Original Name : Peter Copley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Dr. Heidecke

Original Name : Jim Collier

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Sergeant

Original Name : Allan Surtees

Gender : Male

Character Name : Police Sergeant

Original Name : Windsor Davies

Gender : Male

Character Name : Villager (uncredited)

Original Name : Harry Fielder

Gender : Male

Character Name : Passer-by (uncredited)

Original Name : Caron Gardner

Gender : Female

Character Name : Journalist (uncredited)

Original Name : Victor Harrington

Gender : Male

Character Name : Burglar (uncredited)

Original Name : Harold Goodwin

Gender : Male

Character Name : Policeman (uncredited)

Original Name : Timothy Davies

Gender : Male

Character Name : Reporter (uncredited)

Original Name : Jack Armstrong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Christina (uncredited)

Original Name : Elizabeth Morgan

Gender : Female

Character Name : Anna's Neighbour (uncredited)

Original Name : Dorothy Smith

Gender : Male

Character Name : Woman in Street (uncredited)

Original Name : Pauline Chamberlain

Gender : Female

Character Name : Policeman (uncredited)

Original Name : Ernest Fennemore

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mortuary Attendant (uncredited)

Original Name : Robert Gillespie

Gender : Male

Character Name : Warder (uncredited)

Original Name : Michael Goldie

Gender : Male

Character Name : Body in Glass Case (uncredited)

Original Name : Arthur Howell

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lady In Garden (uncredited)

Original Name : Daphne Oxenford

Gender : Female

Reviews

John Chard

@John Chard

2024-05-16

I fancy that I am the spider and you are the fly, Frankenstein. Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed is directed by Terence Fisher and written by Bert Batt. It stars Peter Cushing, Veronica Carlson, Simon Ward and Freddie Jones. Music is by James Bernard and cinematography by Arthur Grant. The fifth entry in Hammer Film's Frankenstein series is one of the best. Playing as a variant on the original Frankenstein sources, story finds Cushing's Baron Victor Frankenstein as an utterly repugnant individual who is prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve his medical goals. Morally and ethically bankrupt, Frankenstein blackmails young lovers Anna and Karl into helping him achieve his ultimate goal - with disastrously ghoulish results for all concerned. Steered strongly by the hands of the under valued Fisher, pic is not just hauntingly elegant as per being a Gothic mood piece, but it is filled out with macabre shocks, and even gallows humour. Some scenes are striking in their ability to gnaw away at your senses, including the infamous sexual predator scene that has divided opinions (personally I think it's great in showing how low Frankenstein has gotten). It builds to a terrific climax, where Freddie Jones (turning in a super emotionally driven turn as one of the better "creatures" in the series) and Frankenstein indulge in spider and fly bluster. Despair, degradation and disintegration unbound, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed is high-end Hammer Horror. 8/10

Wuchak

@Wuchak

2021-11-01

_**One of the best Frankenstein films**_ Hammer did 7 Frankenstein films in 17 years from the late 50s to early 70s: 1. The Curse of Frankenstein (1957); 2. The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958); 3. The Evil of Frankenstein (1964); 4. Frankenstein Created Woman (1967); 5. Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969); 6. The Horror of Frankenstein (1970); and 7. Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974). Peter Cushing played Baron Frankenstein in every one of these except "The Horror of Frankenstein" because it was a remake of the original story and they needed a much younger actor to play the role; they chose Ralph Bates (who superbly plays the love-to-hate satanist in "Taste the Blood of Dracula," released the same year). We all know the basic Frankenstein tragedy: A brilliant scientist is obsessed with creating life and eventually succeeds, but his creation goes on a killing spree, although the creature is nice to kids 'cause they're innocent. Ultimately the monster must be destroyed (and the Baron usually goes with him). I like how "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed" deviates from this overdone original plot. The story involves Baron Frankenstein as a fugitive going by a different name yet still intent on continuing his gruesome work. He cunningly manipulates a young couple into assisting him wherein they apprehend a patient from the local asylum to conduct experimental surgeries. This is one of the best Frankenstein flicks I've seen. It's creative, labyrinthian and full of pizazz. Being a sequel, the film retains the essential elements of the original story but is a natural progression. The REAL monster in this picture is Baron Frankenstein himself; he's no longer a basically decent, brilliant person obsessed with creating life. His obsession has defiled him to the point of enmity, hate, arrogance, violence, rape and murder. Speaking of the brief rape sequence, I always felt it was forced into the script to make the series more 'cutting edge' at the height of the counterculture movement (1969). In other words, it was out of character for Baron Frankenstein but producers didn't care because they wanted to keep the series 'hip' and profitable in the late 60s. That said, I suppose it can be defended on the grounds that Victor got morally worse as the series proceeded and his arrogance increased; and this was the second to last film (discounting “The Horror of Frankenstein” which, again, was a redo of the original story with a different actor). The film is highlighted by Veronica Carlson, who looks a lot like Ursula Andress, but possibly even more beautiful (if you can imagine that). The movie runs 1 hour, 41 minutes, and was shot just northwest of London at EMI Studios, Elstree, and nearby Tykes Water Lake, as well as Stanmore Hall Lodge, Middlesex (Victor’s hiding place). Another great Frankenstein film from this same period is the Italian "Lady Frankenstein," which likewise puts a creative spin on Shelley’s basic plot. It was released in 1971 and stars Rosalba Neri (aka Sara Bey) as the Baron's daughter who overtakes his work after his death. See my review for details. GRADE: A