On the run yet again, Baron Frankenstein, with his assistant Hans, returns to his castle, only to find it derelict and all his belongings confiscated by the Burgomaster. Then, by chance, a beggar girl leads him to a cave in the mountains where he finds his creature, perfectly preserved in the ice. He manages to revive it, but needs the services of hypnotist Zoltan to reactivate the brain. Unfortunately, however, the creature will now only react to Zoltan’s voice and he plans to use it for his own greedy and vengeful ends!
Production Details
A Hammer film production released by Universal Pictures
Copyright MCMLXIV Universal Pictures Company Incorporated – All rights reserved
MPAA Approved Certificate No. 20649
The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious and any similarity to the name, character, or history of any person is entirely accidental and unintentional
RCA Sound Recording
Produced at Bray Studios, England
Eastmancolor 86 mins
Filming Began: 14th October 1963
UK Release: 1st May 1964
Studio:
Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire
Stills from film
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Original Poster
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Footnotes
This was the third time that Universal had taken on “The Phantom of the Opera”, the other versions having been made in 1925 and 1943. The famous scene in which Lon Chaney’s horrific make-up is unmasked in the silent 1925 film remains one of the classic moments of screen terror.
English-born Hollywood star Cary Grant was originally intended for the title role in this film, but eventually decided against it and was replaced by Herbert Lom. Lom himself later became best known for his performances as Peter Sellers’ increasingly demented boss Commissioner Dreyfuss in the “Clouseau/Pink Panther” series of films.
Character actor Thorley Walters also appeared for Hammer in “Dracula – Prince of Darkness” (1966), “Frankenstein Created Woman” (1966), “Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed” (1969) and “Vampire Circus” (1971).
BBC TV’s second Doctor Who, Patrick Troughton, has a small part here as a rat-catcher, his other films for Hammer are “The Gorgon” (1964), “The Viking Queen” (1967), “Scars of Dracula” (1969) and “Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell” (1973).