Twilightfa Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Uriah43 When a burglar breaks into his house, "Baron Frankenstein" (Peter Cushing) is forced to leave town immediately due to some rather disturbing items he had placed inside the cellar. To that end, when he finally reaches his destination he rents a room at a boarding house and proceeds to resume his experiments from there. To further his work he blackmails a young physician named "Karl" (Simon Ward) and his lovely fiancé "Anna" (Veronica Carlson) into helping him. And part of his plan involves kidnapping a colleague named "Dr. Brandt" (George Pravda) who has gone completely insane and is locked up in a well-guarded asylum. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this particular movie put Baron Frankenstein in a much more cruel and evil light than any of the other preceding films of the Frankenstein legacy. At least, that is how it seemed to me. Yet, having said that, I thought this sinister depiction actually helped from a horror aspect and Peter Cushing was certainly able to use this diabolical change to his advantage. Likewise, having a beautiful actress like Veronica Carlson certainly didn't hurt this movie in any way either. In any case, I thought that this was a pretty good horror movie and I have rated it accordingly. Above average.

lemon_magic All right...it's Cushing acting, it's Fisher directing, it's Hammer Studios, it's Frankenstein. I should have had a great time with this...and I was glad I saw it. But...Here's my problem. This 5th chapter of the series takes the story in the only direction it could really go without becoming stale: it becomes less and less about the Monster, and more and more about the utterly ruthless and despicable bastard that Frankenstein himself turns into in his pursuit of the mastery of life after death. This makes perfect sense...but it's no fun to watch. Without the lightning storms, with city rooming houses replacing the castles, without the villagers and the burgermeister, with casual murder replacing the grave robbing, with blackmail replacing the friendship turning to alienation and fear, with pathetic victims and brain transplant cases replacing the patchwork monster...this fifth film just replaced too many of the story elements that made the earlier films such a blast to watch.That's not to say this isn't a well made film. It's very well made, one of Fisher's best. The setups are perfect, the dialog is lively, the actors work it like it's Shakespeare, the music punches things up, and everything looks great.(The final fiery scene of destruction in which Frankenstein finally meets his end (?) is excellent.) But it just isn't fun any more, and I just don't want to see Cushing's Frankenstein in action anymore because he's completely lost his charm and likability.There may well be another in the series, and if I find it, I will watch it...but I'm not sanguine about it.

TheLittleSongbird For me the only two that are superior are Curse of Frankenstein and Revenge of Frankenstein(with the weakest being The Evil of Frankenstein). Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed is Peter Cushing's penultimate outing as Frankenstein and it's a very strong one.I do have to agree with those saying that the rape scene wasn't all that necessary- it is clear that Frankenstein is depraved but the film did go a bit too far adding that in- and did seem in bad taste. The climax is very exciting and suspenseful but ends a little too hastily, and parts of the second half are a little padded. Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed as with most Hammer horrors is visually accomplished, love the sumptuous Gothic quality of the costume and set design, it's a very colourful film to look at and the film is photographed beautifully and atmospherically. Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed is hauntingly scored, with the music really complimenting the atmosphere well and even enhances it while also not over-powering.The script is witty, nuanced and tense with no signs of irrelevant froth or juvenile misplaced humour, while the story has never a dull moment(even with the odd bit of padding in the second half and is always compelling, giving off a really suspenseful, creepy and occasionally violent atmosphere. Two scenes really stood out, the buried body bursting out of the earth is unsettlingly scary and there is a scene between Freddie Jones's character and his wife that genuinely brought tears to the eye. Terence Fisher's direction is taut and unflinching. The acting is very fine all round, with top honours going to a chillingly incisive Peter Cushing as a more evil Frankenstein this time round, an alluring and heartfelt Veronica Carlson(the gowns she wears here suited her) and especially a hauntingly powerful Freddie Jones. All in all, a very strong penultimate Hammer Frankenstein outing for Cushing and the third best of the series after Curse and Revenge. 8/10 Bethany Cox

AaronCapenBanner Terence Fisher directed this fifth Hammer studios "Frankenstein" film that again stars Peter Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein, who is no longer the benevolent searcher of the soul from the previous film, but now(inexplicably) a cold, ruthless murderer who kills a Professor Richter(played by Freddie Jones) in order to place the mind of colleague Dr. Brandt(played by George Pravda) in that body, since Brandt's is failing him, and the Baron wants some valuable medical knowledge only he knows. To accomplish this, he callously blackmails a young couple(played by Simon Ward and Veronica Carlson) into helping him, which will lead to tragedy for all...despite good direction and performances, this is a most unpleasant entry, with gruesome violence and a near rape(!) by Frankenstein. That the film is even semi-watchable is a testament to the talent involved, who just went slumming here...