That was an excellent one.

A Disappointing Continuation

A Brilliant Conflict

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

All right...it's Cushing acting, it's Fisher directing, it's Hammer Studios, it's Frankenstein. I should have had a great time with this...and I was glad I saw it. But...Here's my problem. This 5th chapter of the series takes the story in the only direction it could really go without becoming stale: it becomes less and less about the Monster, and more and more about the utterly ruthless and despicable bastard that Frankenstein himself turns into in his pursuit of the mastery of life after death. This makes perfect sense...but it's no fun to watch. Without the lightning storms, with city rooming houses replacing the castles, without the villagers and the burgermeister, with casual murder replacing the grave robbing, with blackmail replacing the friendship turning to alienation and fear, with pathetic victims and brain transplant cases replacing the patchwork monster...this fifth film just replaced too many of the story elements that made the earlier films such a blast to watch.That's not to say this isn't a well made film. It's very well made, one of Fisher's best. The setups are perfect, the dialog is lively, the actors work it like it's Shakespeare, the music punches things up, and everything looks great.(The final fiery scene of destruction in which Frankenstein finally meets his end (?) is excellent.) But it just isn't fun any more, and I just don't want to see Cushing's Frankenstein in action anymore because he's completely lost his charm and likability.There may well be another in the series, and if I find it, I will watch it...but I'm not sanguine about it.

This is one of the best films of the Peter Cushing Frankenstein series. I found it to be superior to parts 3 & 4 (just my personal taste in films). This 5th film is equal to parts 1 & 2 in my opinion. It is a fantastic Sci-Fi Horror film.I find this film more graphic than the others - that is a fair warning for first time viewers. There is indicated rape, murder, insanity, some blood-letting, among other things that really shows how far Dr. Frankenstein will go to prove himself and his theories true to the medical community - he will stop at nothing.This film is highly recommend viewing for fans of Hammer Horror and Peter Cushing. It is a most excellent film! 9.5/10

Like the Title says, If You Thought that Dr. Frankenstein Deserved to Continue His "Un-Godly" Experiments Forever and was just a Misunderstood Scientist Be-Deviled by Victorianism, Without Losing His Soul, Think Again.The Years of Hiding in the Shadows from the Law and Society and His Jealous and Vindictive Peers, has Turned the Good Doctor into Pure Evil Without any Redeeming Qualities. A Psychopathic Murderer, Rapist, and all around Nasty Fellow.This is at the Heart of this Late Entry in the Hammer Series. Peter Cushing Slides easily into Pure Evil and Director Terence Fisher makes the most of the "New" Aesthetic Creating a "Modern" Madness without Losing any of the Hammer Elegance. The Lush Color, Sets, Costumes, Good Acting, and Music still Retain that Hammer Gloss and Ultra-B-Movie-Artistic-Professionalism. This one is Certainly the most Lurid and Unsettling in the Series and Viewed Out of Sequence Loses some of its Appeal and Context, because it is Shocking just how far the Doctor has Fallen from Grace.The Cast Includes the Beautiful Veronica Carlson, the Stiff Peter Ward with a Beatle Haircut, and the Over-Ripe Thorley Walters as the Police Inspector. The "Monster" is Given some Serious Sympathy (more so than usual) and Actor Freddie Jones Final Act is more Rewarding than ever.

FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED is one of the later entries in the long running Hammer Horror Series, which sees Peter Cushing reprising his famous role of the ruthless mad doctor. This is undoubtedly one of the highlights in what remains a very strong series, because the emphasis isn't on scientific apparatus or Universal stylings (as in the slightly disappointing previous two entries, THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN and FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN). Here, the villain of the piece is Frankenstein himself, and he's never been so ruthless.The gory, blood-drenched murder scene which opens the film reveals just what a monster the doctor has become, but somehow Cushing still holds it all together and makes his Frankenstein a fresh and spellbinding creation. Watching him upset the local gentry is just as enjoyable as watching him performance his brain experiments. Director Terence Fisher is at his best here, creating a lush and colourful masterpiece loaded with ghoulish delights - the set-piece involving the burst water main is straight out of a Hitchcock film.The supporting cast are strong indeed, with Simon Ward taking on the apprentice role, and Veronica Carlson a fitting damsel in distress. Freddie Jones gives the best performance as the Creature in any of Hammer's Frankenstein movies, a truly sympathetic portrayal of a man who has quite literally lost his mind. There are a couple of minor problems with this film, namely the tacked-on rape scene (unnecessary) and the sub-plot involving detective Thorley Walters and his sidekick Geoffrey Bayldon, which goes nowhere and seems to have been added in to pad out the running time. Nevertheless this remains a Hammer Horror highlight and a delightfully dark slice of English Gothic.