Frankenstein '80
Frankenstein '80
NR | 12 December 1972 (USA)
Frankenstein '80 Trailers

A mad scientist creates a monster called "Mosaico," who breaks out of the laboratory to hunt down and kill beautiful women.

Reviews
Konterr Brilliant and touching
Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Matylda Swan It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.
Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
MARIO GAUCI I was only vaguely familiar with this title starring "Euro-Cult" stalwart (and former muscle-man) Gordon Mitchell – especially since I had already watched him dealing with this popular horror figure (albeit in a supporting part and with its original Gothic setting intact) in the notoriously bad FRANKENSTEIN'S CASTLE OF FREAKS (1974)! Anyway, I actually found this – at the proverbial eleventh hour – on "You Tube" in time for a mini-Frankenstein marathon which I have just concluded. Interestingly, this forms the middle part of an unrelated trilogy (also because they emanated from different countries!) involving the Mary Shelley creation – all of which tried to bring the monster into our modern age (with varying degrees of success) by appending a future decade to the name: hence the American FRANKENSTEIN – 1970 was made in 1958(!), the Italian film under review precedes the inferred date by 8 years, while that for the 1990s (whose viewing came hard on the heels of this one) emerged from France in 1984!Truth be told, the lowly rating for this one is not indicative of the lack of ideas put on the table along the way but rather the extremely dull handling (the dreary cheapo look does not help), indifferent performances (the other familiar face here was that of hero John Richardson) and a thoroughly listless pace (the reasons for which are given later on)! In fact, this is the first rendition of the much-filmed tale where the monster's grafts are rejected and are, therefore, in constant need of replenishment (a' la EYES WITHOUT A FACE [1960]), as well as one of only a few that address his libido (making him something of a Jack The Ripper-like serial killer!)…though, in all probability, this was done in order to up the sex'n'gore ante (cue an awful lot of padding throughout)!Incidentally, I suspect that the makers of this film were inspired by the recently-watched FRANKENSTEIN'S DAUGHTER (1958) – since Mitchell here is the assistant of a clinic director, whose precious fluid he steals for his own ends via the experiments he conducts inside a secret lab (that connects to both his office and his home)! By the way, it felt not a little awkward to have no one bat an eyelid at the mention of his name (which he did not even bother to hide as in that earlier picture)! In the end, creature turns on creator, hero saves (and hitches up with) Frankenstein's niece, the monster then expires bloodily from a fried brain…and, for no very good reason, we close on a shot of the Police Chief finally getting his self-negated nicotine fix at long last!
lazarillo This is yet another of a strange series of films that attempted to combine Frankenstein's monster and eroticism (because, of course, nothing is more sexy than a monstrous amalgamation of reanimated dead tissue). Naturally, this cycle of films was mostly Italian with some German and American co-productions here and there (and Spaniard Jess Franco making his typically insane contribution with "The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein"). The best of these films was probably "Flesh for Frankenstein" with honorable mention going to "Lady Frankenstein". This is probably the worst--or at least the most offensive--film of the cycle.Dr. Frankenstein has stolen a formula from another doctor that prevents the rejection of transplanted organs. For reasons that eluded me in the English language soundtrack, he uses it to create a reanimated monster he calls "Mosaic". "Mosaic" is the horniest Frankenstein monster ever. All he does is bone women--sometimes literally: he brains his first victim, a female butcher, with a giant bone then has his way with her lifeless body. This movie is more ridiculous than offensive though. Like when the monster steals money from the doctor to buy a prostitute, who he ends up raping and strangling anyway. The movie has a couple washed up American and English actors (Jon Richardson and Gordon Mitchell). The monster is a played by a Greek wrestler with scarry goop plastered on his face (which strangely doesn't seem to alarm any of the women he encounters). The women all have nice bodies, but are otherwise bordering on unattractive. The only recognizable face is Dalila DiLazzaro, an Italian beauty who actually got to play the bride of Frankenstein the very next year in "Flesh for Frankenstein", and went on to appear in "Night Train Murders", "The Pyjama Girl Case", and Dario Argento's "Phenomenon", all of which are infinitely better movies than this one. This is only for die-hard Frankenstein sex fans I'm afraid.
gal3 Warning: This contains a SPOILER. I had the serious misfortune to see this movie as an unsuspecting movie goer way back in the 70's. I can't believe I actually spent money to see this film. The title including the name Frankenstein is very misleading. The real monster is whoever envisioned and made this film. If necrophilia is your thing then this movie will be right up your alley to the morgue. Disgusting, perverted, with bad acting thrown in for fun. This movie (I use this term lightly) is definitely a DO NOT SEE.
DrSatan WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS I saw this film a little under a year ago. It's a preposterous retelling of the Frankenstein story. In this film a Dr. Shwartz produces his "Shwartz Serum", a drug which helps patients bodies accept organ transplants. Enter our hero, Karl Schein (whose name apparently means "handsome" or "pretty" in german, or so my girlfriend tells me). Schein's sister was in a car wreck and needs an organ transplant. Without a suitable donor, Schein turns to Dr. Shwartz. Unfortunately, the evil Dr. Frankenstein steals the serum through a secret door, and Shwartz cannot produce more! Yes, incredibly, Shwartz has no way of reproducing his bottle of serum...apparently he didn't take notes. Anyways, Shcein, a reporter, begins to investigate this and a series of deaths that involve organ stealing. Frankenstein has created a monster, named "Mosaic" after his being made of many different body parts. Frankenstein uses this serum to keep the organs in Mosaic from "exploding"! Basically, what follows is a series of sadistic rape/murders committed by Mosaic...apparently he has a random appetite for this sort of thing. Anyways, eventually the whole "Shwartz Serum/Dr. Frankenstein" connection is figured out and good ole' Mosaic is a hunted man. The police's answer for dealing with Mosaic: wait for his organs to be rejected by his body when the serum's effect wears off. Our hero, Karl, uses the effective strategy of pushing Mosaic and running away; eventually the monster justs blows up when his organs reject! I don't know which is sadder: a monster who can't kill the wimpy Karl, or the fact that the hero and the police's solution is to wait the monster out!. Highlights of this film include a random, stock footage race track sequence; the heroine's incessant "Karl! Karl!"; Dr. Frankenstein's 1890's look in a movie set in 1972; and a ridculous "Mosaic goes to a prostitute" sequence in which the heavily stitched up Mosaic hires a prostitute, who demands extra due to his appearance, seems willing to ignore it. Mosaic is instructed to leave the room to get undressed, at which point he returns. The prostitute *still* doesn't mind his appearance until he approaches the bed; then she suddenly decides to resist. Mosaic then promptly kills her. This film is ridiculous, and the murders are pretty mysoginistic; if you can get past that, the plot, dialogue, production values and FX are incredibly funny.