Frankenstein Created Woman
Blu-ray (Collector’s Edition)
Director: Terence Fisher
Screenwriter: John Elder (Anthony Hinds)
Cast: Peter Cushing, Susan Denberg, Thorley Walters, Robert Morris, Peter Blythe, Susan Denberg, Derek Fowlds, Barry Warren
Distributor: Scream Factory
Not Rated | 92 Minutes
Release Date: June 11, 2019

“Everything we don’t understand is magic – until we understand it.”

Directed by Terence Fisher (1958’s Dracula, 1959’s The Mummy), 1967’s Frankenstein Created Woman is the fourth film in Hammer’s Frankenstein series and perhaps the most intriguing, dealing with the metaphysical aspects of Frankenstein’s work. For the first time, the film is available on Blu-ray from Scream Factory, presented in a new 2K scan from the original film elements, and loaded with special features.

Peter Cushing (of Star Wars, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Horror of Dracula) stars as Baron Victor Frankenstein who, with the help of his assistant Hans Werner (Robert Morris) and Dr. Hertz (Thorley Walters), has discovered a way of containing the soul of a recently deceased person. Frankenstein believes he can transfer the soul into another body to restore it to life.

The Baron’s test subject is Christina (Susan Denberg), an enchanting young woman who committed suicide after her lover was wrongly accused for a crime and executed by the guillotine. Christina is resurrected, but the spirit inside her is that of her vengeful lover. Armed with a meat cleaver, the possessed Christina goes on a killing spree – a series of slayings that can only be stopped by the man who caused it, Baron Victor Frankenstein.

Filmmaker Martin Scorsese, a fan of Roger Corman’s Edgar Allen Poe adaptations and Hammer’s gothic horror films, picked Frankenstein Created Woman as part of a 1987 National Film Theatre season of his favorite movies. It’s easy to see why the Goodfellas director would be so taken by Fisher’s film – it’s an intriguing exploration of trauma, grief anger, and class, disguised as a handsome, albeit absurd, genre flick.

Scream Factory’s new Blu-ray is equally as handsome, with a 2K scan from the original film elements and a new audio commentary with film historians Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr. Additionally, there are two new interviews with actor Robert Morris, camera assistant Eddie Collins, and 2nd assistant director Joe Marks.

Also included in this Collector’s Edition is a previously released audio commentary with Derek Fowlds, Morris, and film historian Jonathan Rigby, as well as two “World of Hammer” episodes (“The Curse of Frankenstein” and “Hammer Stars: Peter Cushing”), a “Hammer Glamour” featurette, and your typical assortment of trailers, TV spots, radio spots, and still galleries.

Frankenstein Created Woman is the rare sequel that dares to be bold and abandon the by-the-numbers, autopilot approach that most franchises adopt by their fourth entry. Anchored by another great performance by Cushing, Fisher’s film isn’t the best of the bunch – that would be 1957’s The Curse of Frankenstein – but certainly the most interesting. Scream Factory’s presentation is top-notch, preserving this under-seen cult classic for future generations of horrorhounds to enjoy.

Scream Factory’s fantastic release is now available at Amazon. For more reviews of Scream Factory releases, click here.

Trailer

Clip: He Lives

Clip: She Lives

Cover Art

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