This week on The Rotten Horror Picture Show Podcast, Clay and Amanda are going back to the beginning of one of horror cinema’s most legendary eras with The Curse of Frankenstein (1957)! Directed by Terence Fisher and starring Peter Cushing as the brilliant but morally bankrupt Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as the Creature, this landmark film helped launch Hammer Film Productions into horror superstardom. With its vivid color photography, gruesome scientific experiments, and decidedly less sympathetic take on the classic monster story, The Curse of Frankenstein changed the game and paved the way for decades of Gothic horror. So join Clay and Amanda as they crack open the laboratory doors and examine the movie that helped make Hammer Horror a household name!
Now, I want to make one thing perfectly clear: I understand the difference between Frankenstein and the monster. I know Frankenstein is the doctor. I know the Creature is the one lumbering around the countryside looking for people to murder. I have absolutely no problem with that distinction.
My problem is the name.
Is it Frankenstein? Or is it Frank N. Stein?
Because I’ve spent my entire life hearing people say “Frankenstein,” and every time I hear it, I picture some guy named Frank who has somehow managed to acquire the surname Stein. Like, was there a Frank Stein who lived in Germany and got really good at science? Did he have a brother named Gary Stein who worked in accounting? Was the whole thing a family business?
And if it’s Frank N. Stein, what does the N stand for? Nathaniel? Norman? Nobody seems to know! Everyone just accepts that this man has a name that sounds suspiciously like a pun, and nobody asks questions.
I’ve tried looking into it, but the more I investigate, the more confused I get. Mary Shelley wrote the book, James Whale made the famous movies, and Hammer came along in 1957 to show us that a mad scientist could be even more unpleasant in Technicolor. But nowhere in all this history can I find a satisfactory explanation for whether we’re dealing with a proper German surname or a man whose parents thought they were being clever.
And frankly, I’m tired of living in uncertainty.
So join Clay and Amanda for The Curse of Frankenstein, the movie that kickstarted the Hammer Horror boom. We’ll talk about Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, and the legacy of this Gothic classic.
And if anyone knows whether Frank N. Stein is a real person, please write in. I need closure.
And make sure to follow this year’s journey through franchise sequels over on Patreon at patreon.com/thepenskyfile!