Frankenstein Unbound

We had HBO when I was a kid, and a television with cable in the basement... and kids love basements. Time makes no sense in a basement. It's a totally different world down there and, with HBO and that whole latchkey thing, you could be down there into the early hours of the morning watching wonderful trash.

And this is really wonderful trash.

I mean, it IS a Roger Corman film, and those are known for being cheap B-movie fair of the most entertaining quality. Far better than Troma trash that never really seems to have actual talent.

But, this, well, it was 1990 and it had John Hurt, Raul Julia, Bridget Fonda, and Jason Patrick in it and that already felt like it was seriously pushing the boundaries of what qualifies as a Corman movie. Those are names anyone would be thrilled to cast.

And it looked good, OK, it looked a little 90s B, but there are certainly a lot of movies that look worse than this.

It was Frankenstein cast as kind of science-fiction more than horror, black holes and all, and that alone, is intriguing. I mean, when it was written it kind of walked that line and Frankenstein Unbound does a decent job of walking that line as well.

It's part traditional Frankenstein and part alternate reality post apocalyptic Frankenstein with a wild enough plot to keep the viewer entertained no matter how absurd it feels to write that, let alone read it.

It was 1990, honestly it SHOULD have received more of a showing than simply catching it on HBO late one Saturday when USA's Up All Night was showing something absolutely pathetic. It should have been a little more prime time, it is certainly good enough to carry that weight.

Corman returns after 2 decades with a Frankenstein flick

A scientist in 2031 (John Hurt) inadvertently enters through a rift in the fabric of time & space, ending up in 1817 Switzerland wherein he meets Dr. Frankenstein (Raul Julia), his creature, Mary Godwin/Shelley (Bridget Fonda) and Lord Byron (Jason Patric). The murderous monster struggles between vengeance and acquiring a fitting mate.

Based on Brian Aldiss’ 1973 novel, "Frankenstein Unbound" (1990) was Roger Corman’s return to directing after almost twenty years. For those not in the know, Corman was the king of Indie cult movies from 1955-1971, most famous for his Poe-inspired flicks starring Vincent Price.

While Corman had way more money to work with than back in the ’60s ($11.5 million to be exact), it still wasn’t a blockbuster budget à la “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein” (1994). It’s interesting if you’re a devotee of Shelley’s book and entertaining if you’re in the mood for old-fashioned Gothic horror on a modest budget, but it lacks the magic of, say, “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Raven.”

Nevertheless, if you’re a fan of “The Terror,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” “The Tomb of Ligeia” and AIP or Hammer films in general, not to mention “The Bride of Frankenstein,” it delivers the goods. Classy Bridget Fonda is a plus on the feminine front while Catherine Rabett is worth a mention. Meanwhile the cheesy monster makeup works and Raul Julia is charismatic as Victor Frankenstein. I shouldn't fail to add that the 1988 ItalDesign Aztek car brings to mind “Back to the Future” and Knight Rider.

It totally bombed at the box office, but it has cult appeal, which is to be expected with Corman at the helm. It was his final directorial effort.

The film is short-n-sweet at 1 hour, 25 minutes, and was shot in the region of Lombardia in north-central Italy. You can’t beat the locations.

GRADE: B-