Frankenstein 1970 1958

In 1970, Baron Viktor von Frankenstein, Boris Karloff, bears the scars of torture and disfigurement inflicted by the Nazis for resisting them during World War II, yet he continues his scientific work. To fund his experiments, the Baron agrees to let a television crew shoot a horror film about his infamous monster-making lineage at his castle in Germany, a setup he hopes will generate the cash he needs.

That arrangement provides the Baron with the funds to acquire an atomic reactor, a device that enables him to conjure a living being shaped in his own earlier image. The creation—the Monster Mike Lane—emerges as a startling blend of man and memory, a literal extension of the Baron’s own will or obsession. As the supply of body parts grows scarce, the Baron grows desperate and begins to kill off crew members, and even his loyal butler, in pursuit of more spare parts. The film’s mood shifts from a guarded scientific triumph to a chilling, self-destructive vice run amok.

With the Monster under his control, the Baron initially believes he can funnel his life force into the creature and preserve the Frankenstein name. But the Monster turns on him, and the two are killed in a final blast of radioactive steam from the reactor. After the reactor is shut down and radiation falls to safe levels, the Monster’s bandages are removed, revealing the creature as more than a shell; an audio tape plays in which the Baron laments his fate and reveals that the Monster was meant to be a perpetual image of himself—the last surviving member of the Frankenstein lineage.