Starring - Sandra Knight (The Terror, Tower of London), Donald Murphy (Hands of Mystery, Strange Intruder), and Felix Locher (Curse of the Faceless Man, Star Trek)
Release Date - 1958
Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "It reaches from the grave to relive the horror"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)
Rating (out of 5):
A few reviews back I mentioned that I have a huge soft spot for the campier side of horror from the late 50s through the 60s. I love modern technology but I would have loved to live through this era in movie history watching all these classic films at the drive-in. Even if the movie sucked it was still an experience that you would always remember. These movies, regardless of budget, always seemed to have big stories that always left the viewer laughing or in shock. Frankenstein's Daughter is one of those films that has left viewer baffled but a certain breed of horror fan has kept this film alive at a cult classic over the years. I remember watching this one when I was little on cable but I can't remember the situation around the viewer yet alone how I felt about the film. Over the years I would get random scenes stuck in my head from the film but that's about all I remembered. When I received the press release from The Film Detective about their blu release of it I was very curious about revisiting it. I don't remember my initial impressions on it but it's always fun to spin this type of film late at night. I reached out to MVD, who was handling the release, and they were kind enough to send a copy my way. Thanks guys!
The film follows a older scientist who is working on an experiment in secret with the help of the mysterious Dr. Frank (Murphy). Frank is often rude to the older man and refuses to divulge information about his past or who he really is. However, Dr. Frank is really the grandson of mad scientist Dr. Frankenstein and is using his partner's research to further his family's legacy of reanimating the dead.
Frankenstein's Daughter is not a good movie, and it's not a movie that I would consider to be so bad it's good, but it is an experience. It's not a movie that I could rewatch over and over again but every couple years if I wanted something bad to watch with a few beers it would be a good choice. The acting in this one is decent for the most part. A few scenes are a little awkward but most of the film is solidly acted. The cast does a great job at getting into character and they make the film that much easier to follow. I do wish the monster and Dr. Frank had a little bit more personality but it's not something that breaks the film for me. The story for this one could work as an unofficial sequel/ continuation of the Frankenstein story that most of us already know and love. It was an interesting idea but the film itself peaks way too early and then you are left with an hour long of pointless scenes and a climax that is very uneventful. It feels as if the film was shot and written on the fly or some of the scenes were edited out of order which threw the flow of the film and the story off. Finally, this is not a bloody flick. We do have some make-up effects for a monster in the film, as well as, the creature and both look ridiculous. It was funny the first time around when I saw it but subsequent scenes left me rolling my eyes. I've seen other films from this time with a smaller budget and they were able to accomplish so much more than this. Overall, Frankenstein's Daughter is a cult classic and for good reason. It's goofy, weird, and fun with a group of people and some alcohol. It's not a good movie but it's a movie that is still fun to watch. Just turn your brain off and hit play. The blu from The Film Detective looks great. I wouldn't recommend double dipping with this one but if you don't own a copy at all then I would suggest snagging this release over the DVD.
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