Frankenstein’s Daughter (Blu-Ray Review)
**The Film Detective’s Special Edition for “Frankenstein’s Daughter” came out on Tuesday, October 19, 2021. This is a review of not just the film, but the Blu-Ray Special Edition.**
When one thinks of the B-movie horror, “Frankenstein’s Daughter” is the type of thing one thinks of. One look at the poster, the production stills, and you can tell you will be in for some silliness. Director Richard E. Cunha knows what he’s wanting to do. This isn’t a film in the Universal monster franchise or a Hammer film, although the recent release of “The Curse of Frankenstein” by Hammer served as an inspiration for the production. This isn’t a prestige production, and it’s more entertaining as a result.
The film begins with two teenagers kissing outside of a house. The man drives off, and not long after, the woman is startled by a monster. The weird thing is, a friend of hers (Trudy, played by Sandra Knight) saw something as well. But she was asleep. There are some questions to be answered, and they might have something to do with the research Trudy’s uncle is doing with Dr. Oliver Frank (Donald Murphy), who may have some of his own experiments going on on the side.
There’s a level of cheese to something like “Frankenstein’s Daughter” that you have to take as part and parcel with the material. This is not intended to be something serious or allegorical, like James Whale did with his Frankenstein films. This is about taking advantage of a teen market that wanted cheesy horror movies with familiar tropes and faces, like star John Ashley, who plays Trudy’s boyfriend, Johnny. The film sometimes seems at odds with itself, and the Frankenstein narrative feels like the more interesting story (the part with the creation of the monster) feels like it has to put up with the teen story more than being an organic part of it. The film still works, though, because it doesn’t take itself that seriously, and some of the twists (like who Dr. Frank really is) are ridiculous but effective because of how silly it is.
The makeup effects in this movie are cheaply made (as the film was in general), but they are nothing if not memorable. Cunha was a filmmaker who worked fast and well with the constraints he was given, and “Frankenstein’s Daughter” is a fun introduction to his work. If you’re a fan of “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” though, don’t be surprised if you have a running commentary going while watching it.
Blu-Ray Presentation
For a movie that has such a weird, B-movie premise, The Film Detective has done a terrific job giving it a physical release. In terms of audio and video, the restoration of the black and white cinematography by Meredith Nicholson is pristine; this film looks fantastic. Meanwhile, the soundtrack- including the score by Nicholas Carras and songs by The Page Cavanaugh Trio- sounds flawless. They continue to deliver great presentation for low-budget movies.
The special features of “Frankenstein’s Daughter” are probably the strongest I’ve seen on a Film Detective disc. First up is a commentary by historian Tom Weaver and director Larry Blamire. (Note: The Blu-Ray cover lists the two having separate commentaries; they are, in fact, on the same track.) It’s clear early on that Weaver is a huge fan of the film, and having a filmmaker familiar with this type of production is great; we also get a lot of insight on the film itself, and it’s worth a listen. There’s also a short documentary about the career of lead actor John Ashley called “John Ashley: Man from the B’s” that’s enlightening, and Weaver writes an essay for the booklet about the film that is a good read. The best feature, however, is a 36-minute film about director Richard E. Cunha called “Richard E. Cunha: Filmmaker of the Unknown,” which is an archival interview with Cunha- answering questions sent by a young Weaver on video- that also includes producer Arthur P. Jacobs, who would go on to produce the “Planet of the Apes” films. It’s a must-watch.
Film Grade: B
Audio & Video: A
Special Features: A+
