ORLAK, THE HELL OF FRANKENSTEIN (1960)
Article #281 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing date: 12-21-2001
Posting date: 5-7-2002

Frankenstein meets a convict in prison who helps him escape.The convict then uses the professor’s monster to take revenge on those who sent him to prison.

Considering that this movie only seems to exist in a unsubtitled Spanish language version, it’s a bit of a miracle that it’s as easy to follow as it is; sure, you miss a few details, but the plot is pretty straightforward, and the acting is such that even if you don’t know the exact words, you get the gist of what they’re saying. This may actually be an advantage when dealing with the comic relief in the movie; you can pretend the gags are funnier than they probably were. I also want to recommend the experience of watching a foreign film like this once in a while (unsubtitled and undubbed); it gives you an idea just how much is lost in the dubbing process. This isn’t a classic by any means, but it is a solid and fun Mexican variation on the Frankenstein legend.