THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957) 4K Blu-ray Review

The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) d. Terence Fisher (UK)

Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing), imprisoned and awaiting judgment, recounts to the local priest the dark path that led him to his fate. A brilliant, driven, amoral young scientist, Victor is obsessed with mastering life and death. With the reluctant assistance of his former mentor Paul (Robert Urquhart), he assembles a living creature from stolen body parts, convinced he is on the verge of a world-changing breakthrough. As Victor’s quest comes closer to fruition, his fiancée Elizabeth (Hazel Court) senses a disturbing shift in him, while the duplicitous maid Justine (Valerie Gaunt) grows increasingly frustrated with Victor’s waning attentions. Paul desperately tries to pull Victor back from the brink, but the reanimated being (Christopher Lee) proves far more dangerous and unpredictable than anyone could have expected.

THE MUMMY (1959) Blu-ray Review

The Mummy (1959) d. Terence Fisher (UK) (86 min)

In 1895, archaeologists Stephen Banning (Felix Aylmer) and his brother-in-law Joseph Whemple (Raymond Huntley) unearth the opening of Egyptian princess Ananka’s tomb, much to the excitement of Banning’s son John (Peter Cushing), who is laid up with a broken leg but refuses to leave the site until his father breaks the seal. A local follower of the god Karnak, Mehemet (George Pastell), cautions the Westerners with a dire warning: “Whomever disturbs the tombs of Egypt… dies.” They shrug him off, but within moments, Banning is rendered a gibbering idiot after his encounter with… something. Three years later, ensconced in a mental hospital, he emerges from his stupor long enough to warn his son that the curse of Ananka is real, and is shortly thereafter dispatched by the murderous hands of the princess’ guardian mummy, former high priest, and forbidden lover Kharis (Christopher Lee), resurrected by Mehemet. Whemple is next on the bandaged assassin’s hit list, followed by John, although the latter escapes his fate when his wife Isobel (Yvonne Furneaux) distracts Kharis with her striking resemblance to Ananka, awakening a centuries-old fire in its dessicated breast….