Warner-Pathé Distributors released Frankenstein Created Woman in the UK on 18 June 1967. 20th Century Fox released the film earlier, on 15 March, in the United States. It was the same for the previous filmin the series, The Evil of Frankenstein. Universal distributed that film. But the film’s performance did not impress the studio. So three years later, Hammer released Woman as part of its deal with Seven Arts and 20th Century Fox. But it is a UK film and we will treat it as such!
We can classify Frankenstein films by how the doctor is portrayed. He can be good or bad. A good doctor can be kind of nutty. That was the case in the first two Universal films. Or he can be truly idealistic as in Frankenstein: The True Story.
Generally, I prefer the evil doctor. That’s who he is in the novel — with a helping of self-pity, depending on the edition. But the main thing is that it’s just easier to create a good story with an evil doctor. And Hammer was generally at its best when it was making the doctor evil. I like Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed most.
Frankenstein Created Woman features a good doctor. But it’s okay because he isn’t that important to the plot. It’s really a love story:
- Boy meets girl
- Posh boys frame boy
- Girl is distraught and kills herself
- Frankenstein puts boy’s soul into girl
- Boy (inside girl) kills worthy posh boys!
I wish I could tell you it has a happy ending. But you just have to console yourself with the posh boys getting murdered.
This film is similar to The Brides of Dracula. Dracula isn’t even in that film! And while Frankenstein Created Woman features the doctor, it doesn’t need to. And there really is no creature in the normal sense.
But that doesn’t matter. This is an excellent film that you should stop and watch right now!
Other 18 June Anniversaries
Filmmakers
- Dick Foran (1910-1979): Actor known for The Mummy’s Hand and The Mummy’s Tomb.
- Steve Miner (1951-): Director of a number of horror films including Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.
- Carol Kane (1952-): Actor known for When a Stranger Calls and much more.
- Isabella Rossellini (1952-): Actor best known for Blue Velvet.
Films
- House of Usher (1960): The first film of the Corman Poe Cycle.
- The Mummy’s Shroud (1967): The third of the Hammer mummy films. It was released as a double-feature with Frankenstein Created Woman.
- Eye of the Cat (1969): A couple of thieves rob a mansion, not realizing the threat they face from the cats inside.
- The Maltese Bippy (1969): Rowan and Martin haunted house comedy.
- Food of the Gods (1976): Mr BIG brings us giant rats!
- The Last Action Hero (1993): A kid goes into the alternate reality of his favorite action hero.
- High Tension (2003): French slasher with a twist.
- Nightfall (2009): David DeCoteau sexy vampire film.
- Bitter Feast (2010): A celebrity chef goes after a food blogger.
- Jonah Hex (2010): Cowboy superhero film.
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
