Pass Horror Notes: ‘Tales of Frankenstein’ Review
TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN
Stars: John Blyth Barrymore, Buddy Daniels Friedman, Jim Tavaré, Tatiana DeKhtyar, Len Wein, Jamisin Matthews, Justin Hoffmeister, T.J. Storm, Jerry Lacy, Beverly Washburn, Ann Robinson, Mel Novak, Scott Fresina, Jena Sims, Lilian Lev | Written and Directed by Donald F. Glut
Name: Tales of Frankenstein
Age: 2018
Appearance: Nostalgic tribute to all things Frankenstein, Universal and Hammer. Based on Mary Shelley’s creation, Tales of Frankenstein explores the fates of Dr Frankies’ descendants over the course of four stories in which we get film noir, body swapping, a crawling severed arm, a vampire and a comedy gorilla.
Fun with Frankie!
I don’t recall A Modern Prometheus featuring a gorilla…
There was never a gorilla in the classic novel. However, there is a comedy gorilla (aka a man in a suit) in an amusing film noir segment about a detective who finds himself trapped in the laboratory with the great grandson of the erstwhile Frankenstein.
Do you mean… FrankAPEstein? Ho!
You’re going to do lots of monkey-Frankenstein jokes, aren’t you?
What? That novel written by Marmoset Shelley? HO!
Sigh… Anyway, Tales of Frankenstein is a series of short films interspersed with scenes of Frankenstein’s monster grunting at a portrait of his maker. Each grunting scene then segues into a story about the good Doctors descendants.
So, all these tales are based on that well known novel about Frankenstein’s monkey called… wait for it….
I’m waiting…
The Modern Pro-Rhesus? Ho!
NO! The central theme is what happens after Frankenstein. First up is “My Creation, My Beloved” where Victor Frankenstein’s great grandson creates the body of a woman to bring his dead lover back to life. “Crawler from the Grave” features the disembodied arm of a Frankenstein descendent and a cursed ring. “Madhouse of Death” has a private detective caught up with a mad scientist and his pet gorilla and finally we have our Frankenstein and vampire mash-up, “Dr Karnstein’s Creation”.
I note with interest that it features bass playing comedian Jim Tavaré?
Yes, he plays Dr Karnstein, a grave robber who decides it’s a good idea to rob the tomb of a long dead vampire.
Let me guess. It turns out to be a really good idea and everyone goes away happy?
Well that would be a spoiler but it features a nice vampiric twist on an old story. It’s the strongest tale of the four – it’s atmospheric and full of character. In fact, all four tales look good considering it appears as if it was filmed in a sound studio on a TV budget. However, Tales of Frankenstein is a labour of love which is wonderfully stitched together like the creature himself.
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Don’t say: Frank-hate-stein
Do Say: Thanks Frank!
