Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a seminal work of science fiction, not horror that pushes themes of creation, destruction, and moral responsibility. Writer-director David Weaver’s adaptation of the enduring work, The Last Frankenstein, feels like an exploitation film trying to do too much, resulting in a missed opportunity rather than a fresh look at the oft-told tale.
Weaver pays homage to Hammer films, particularly in the opening scene of a child running from a grotesque monster similar to Hammer’s The Evil of Frankenstein. The beast meets a couple who, in a rampage of practical effects bloodshed, rips off a man’s arm and beats him with it before viciously disfiguring the woman.
Dr. Jason Frankenstein (William Barnet) is a disillusioned medical professional working in a hospital, grumbling about his lack of progress and the feeling that his life is “halfway over.” His frustration seems rooted in a mid-life crisis, setting up the potential for deep emotional conflict. Jason’s crumbling relationship with his girlfriend, Penny (Jana Szabela), is just another problem he has to deal with. She wants to drink and hang out and he wants to study and work. At the root of Jason’s obsession is resurrecting his grandfather’s experiments to create life. Jason’s plans get a boost when the original monster becomes a patient at the hospital. Jason decides to steal the beast and is aided by drug-dealing paramedics. The doctor hires Paula (Keelie Sheridan) to be his assistant in the reviving of the body.
“Jason decides to steal the beast and is aided by drug-dealing paramedics.”
The dialogue in The Last Frankenstein is often delivered in a dull monotone; even the murders of the people are uninspired. But there are a handful of cool moments, such as when the monster, whose primary mind is that of a biker, escapes and goes on a motorcycle ride with a hitchhiker, and they two end up dating. The creature is shot many times like Christopher Lee was in the seminal Hammer title The Curse of Frankenstein. At one point, a hunter trips on a branch, which is the same one that befalls the woodcutter in the 1957 classic.
The film builds to its inevitable showdown by paying homage to many horror and exploitation films and filmmakers. One of the hospitals is called Arkoff/Gordon referencing the B-horror producers Samual Arkoff and Bert Gordon. One of the names on the list of patients is Robert Clarke, who produced and acted in many films, most notably the cult film The Hideous Sun Demon. Clips of poverty row films even appear during moments of rest. Noted horror actor Robert Dix, who appeared in the original Forbidden Planet, appears as Roger Frankenstein, who shows young Jason the art of surgery.
The Last Frankenstein is flawed, yes, yet it has some fun moments. The opening looks and sounds like a gore romp; think a modern, heady video nasty a la the work of Jess Franco. The fun does come, even if only drizzles out slowly.
"…flawed, yes, yet it has some fun moments."
