PopHorror Let's Get Scared
There are few iconic images in horror history as recognizable as Frankenstein’s monster, a creature originating from the 19th century English novelist, Mary Shelley, in her allegory story, Frankenstein. Shelley’s work captured horrific beauty immortalizing a misunderstood monster that has gone on to see countless inspirational onscreen variations throughout time. Perhaps one of the most unique adaptations that I have personally seen is the anthology, Tales of Frankenstein, written and directed by Donald F. Glut and based on his own four short stories.
Though lacking depth and a moving plot for the wraparound story, the film opens with a great imagery that truly sets the tone for what is to come. Scott Fresina perfectly portrays the iconic monster’s frustration as he stumbles through the ruins of a crumbling building. Finding a painting of Victor Frankenstein, the monster’s memory appears to be jogged as a narration explains that Victor was not the only one to play with the secrets of life and death. The mad scientist had inspired others who followed in his footsteps.
The first tale, “My Creation, My Beloved,” follows the story of Dr. Gregore Frankenstein (Buddy Daniels Friedman: Road to Red 2015), a deformed descendant of Victor who attempts to use his ancestor’s studies to give life back to his lost love, Helga (Lilian Lev: Hybristophilia 2018). However, this leads to grim consequences while somehow salvaging a Tales from the Crypt-esque happy ending.
Tale number two, “Crawler from the Grave,” takes place years later in another part of the world. Driven by greed, jewel collector Vincent (John Blyth Barrymore: Full Moon High 1981) is obsessed with a ring owned by Victor’s descendant, Helmut Frankenstein (the late Len Wein: creator of comic book character Wolverine). When Helmut passes away, Vincent goes to extremes to finally gain possession of the ring he covets. However, his plans take a morbid twist when he discovers the effects of a concoction Helmut took before his death. Ending with a Creepshow meets Tell-Tale Heart vibe, this story displays its own sense of justice for greedy grave robbers.
Taking place in yet another time and place, the third story, “Madhouse of Death,” not only serves as a classic monster throwback, but also takes the form of a classic private eye detective tale like Roman Polanski’s Chinatown. Displayed in mostly black and white to give it a noir look and feel, this segment follows PI Detective Jack Anvil (Jamisin Matthews: the face of Resident Evil’s Leon Kennedy) as his investigation that leads him to the house of Dr. Mortality (Mel Novak: Game of Death 1978, Syndicate Smasher 2017 – read our review here). Mostly known for mobster flicks, Novak surprisingly fits the part of a mad scientist who’s not unlike Dr. Moreau from H.G. Wells’ famous novel.
If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Victor Frankenstein’s science were to be applied to a vampire, the fourth chapter in this anthology, “Dr. Karnstein’s Creation,” gives you the bloody answer. Appropriately set in Transylvania, Dr. Karnstein (Jim Tavare: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004) manipulates Carl (Justin Hoffmeister: Flight 666 2018), the town’s local pervy version of Fonzie, into assisting him with continuing Victor Frankenstein’s work. Though the ’70s greaser look felt a bit random, Hoffmeister made his character somehow work in this monster mash story. Despite the town’s whispered rumors and legends, this mad scientist takes a body (Douglas Tait: Grimm TV series) from a tomb and unleashes a whole new hybrid monster on the world. The obvious shortcoming of this story is how the vampire didn’t awaken and rip the mad scientist and his greaser assistant apart before becoming a lab experiment. Personally, I was able to forgive this pitfall just for the sake of seeing a hybrid of two types of classic monsters.
Although the wraparound story held potential to be something more, Tales of Frankenstein came as a very pleasant surprise. Utilizing outstanding practical effects with minimal CGI, fantastic performances from the entire cast and cinematic effects that help to capture each time period, there are few complaints to be had. Despite a modest budget, it is obvious that Gluts utilized all available resources in the best ways possible.
This is a must see for anyone who appreciates notable horror classics from Re-Animator, Tales from the Crypt and Creepshow, to the classic literature of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Island of Dr. Moreau. This monster mashup of so many classics is now available on VOD.
