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A Hammer Duo: Twins of Evil and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell
Neither Collinson twin looks evil here. |
Real-life twins Mary and Madeleine Collinson plays teenage sisters Maria and Frieda, who come to live with their Uncle Gustav (Peter Cushing) following the death of their parents. Gustav is a religious zealot whose followers burn young women suspected of being witches. Despite the presence of their kindly aunt (Kathleen Byron), Maria and Frieda have a difficult time adapting to their new almost-Puritan lifestyle.
Frieda becomes interested in Count Karnstein, who defies Gustav with his hedonistic activities. When Karnstein sells his soul for eternal life as a vampire, he finds that Frieda is most willing to join him. However, complications are bound to ensue when there are twin sisters...one good and one evil!
Peter Cushing as Gustav. |
Considering that their voices were dubbed, the Collinson twins give respectable performances. Madeleine somehow manages to look evil (and for that reason, I had no problem telling the sisters apart). The sisters famously became the first Playmate twins in Playboy. Alas, Twins of Evil was the highlight of their acting career.
Director John Hough directs with a sure hand, pacing the story well and maintaining the expected Hammer atmosphere (using the same set as Vampire Circus). An added bonus is the chance to see Kathleen Byron, an under-used actress who was brilliant in Black Narcissus and Night of the Eagle.
Cushing as Victor Frankenstein. |
The film's opening scenes focus on handsome surgeon Simon Helder (Shane Briant), who has been studying Frankenstein's experiments. Unfortunately, his grave-robbing endeavors get him arrested and sentenced to an insane asylum for five years. The good news is that the institution's resident physician, Dr. Victor, turns out to be none other than Baron Frankenstein!
Frankenstein wants to transplant the brain of a genius into the body of an almost Neanderthal man. His work, though, has been constrained by his crippled hands. Helder eagerly agrees to perform the operation under Frankenstein's instruction. Of course, to get a genius's brain, Victor might have to resort to murder.
Prowse as the ape-like Monster. |
Cushing is the sole reason to watch Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell. Hammer apparently wanted to make Briant into a star, but he clearly lacks the charisma to anchor a film on his own. As the monster, Dave Prowse (who would later embody Darth Vader) is limited by a mask that restricts facial movement. It's easily the worst-looking monster that Hammer put on screen in its long history.
Source: 70s Movie
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