TERROR OF FRANKENSTEIN (1977)
aka Victor Frankenstein
Article 4722 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 12-29-2014
Directed by Calvin Floyd
Featuring Leon Vitali, Per Oscarsson, Nicholas Clay
Country: Sweden / Ireland
What it is: Literary adaptation

Victor Frankenstein becomes obsessed with the creation of life, but abandons the creature he has created. The latter soon discovers his origins and seeks revenge against his creator.

Those seeking an adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel that is reasonably faithful to the novel will probably be satisfied with this one; though it omits certain plot elements, they’re the ones that really slow the story down in the novel. Those seeking a lively adaptation of the novel however may find themselves disappointed by this one, as I was. There’s no doubt it’s trying to be cinematic (note how many scenes unfold without a lick of dialogue), but it often feels like it’s doing so self-consciously, and the lack of any background music only makes it seem worse. The lack of intensity is also an issue; this is one of those movies where none of the scenes feels any more important than the others, and that makes for a dull watching experience. Every once in a while there’s an effective moment, but the movie often feels unimaginative and uninspired. I’m afraid I found this version of the story to be ineffective.