CBB presents The Bear Cave of Terror - Ep. 9 - Curse of Frankenstein (1957)

In our second Franken-Episode, Craig Lantz joins Steve in the Bear Cave to talk about the Hammer Studios classic: 1957's The Curse of Frankenstein! Starring Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee as the Creature in their first starring roles with Hammer, and directed by Terence Fisher, this established the Hammer legacy, with vibrant color, flowery dialogue, and lavish sets that put Hammer horror films apart from the pack, coming just one year before their equally successful and iconic Horror of Dracula (see BCoT Ep. 3!) We talk about the differences in this version of the well-worn Frankenstein tale and what the real "curse" of the title could be, the censorship at play on its initial release, the relationship between Frankenstein and his mentor? colleague? ...boyfriend? ...Paul, played by Robert Urquhart, and more topics.

Additional Resources:

"The Frankenstein Story" by Staff, ed. James Warren - Famous Monsters of Filmland, vol 1, no 1 1958, pp 24-35

"The Curse of Frankenstein 4K Release: A Deep Dive with Steve Rogers" by Hammer News 8/27/25 - HammerFilms.com

Hammer: Heroes, Legends, and Monsters, (2024) dir. Benjamin Field, produced by Sky and Deep Fusion Films

Flesh and Blood: The Hammer Heritage of Horror, (1994) dir. Ted Newsom, produced by Bosutow Media Group, Hammer Films, and Heidelberg Films