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| That's some high quality framing |
Goofy and rapey is a very odd vibe for a film to shoot for. The two just don't go together under any circumstances, and I don't think even the boldest and/or most talented filmmaker would even try. But that doesn't stop Frankenstein '80, an Italian exploitation flick that is semi-interesting as a gory novelty, but is certainly not a very good movie.
It's a film that asks the bold question - what if early-70's Dr. Frankenstein put gonads into his creation (called "Mosiac" here), and the organ caused the monster to become not only murderer, but also a rapist? Sounds fun, yeah?
Well, it is from time to time. The whole film, even pre-rape, just feels sleazy and grimy - it looks dark and shadowy, and the doctor's surgical procedures are unnecessarily graphic. (It flirts with being a gore film pretty early on... although it never fully commits.) So if you're into the whole cheap/nasty/grindhousey thing, you could enjoy yourself. There's also a bit of weird (and out of place) comedy courtesy of the cops investigating the attacks. It's honestly like the chief stepped out of an Airplane-style romp, so tonally it's an interesting contrast.
But ultimately it never really amounts to anything. Frankenstein '80 hits the requisite spots of "action" and gore with a few fights/attacks. But there's no real hook to the film. You spend a little bit of time with the cops, a little bit of time with Doctor Frankenstein and Mosaic, and a little time with the dude investigating the case for his own convoluted reasons. (His sister died in the O.R. because Dr. Frankenstein stole some magical organ transplant fluid. The only bottle in the whole wide world!) The characters are all pretty worthless - other than the strange humor from the cops, everyone is pretty bland. It's like the filmmakers just had this loose framework of cops/doctor/guy and lazily threw the film over it. It's not particularly well-paced, and while there *is* a story it's told relatively boringly. Once you get a grasp of the grimy tone, everything you expect to happen happens.
Probably the most memorable thing about the film is the rape scene... I mean, it's not Irreversible, but when the rest of the film is so boring you have to have *something* that sticks out. As you may expect, it's pretty exploitative and nasty. It's not overly graphic - but still uncomfortable. And one important part of the Frankenstein story is that the monster is somewhat sympathetic - and you never get that from Mosaic here. He never shows any emotion, and is just kind of a shitty "person." So there's not really any drama or anything with his character. Plus, when he (*spoiler*) eventually turns on the doctor, it's also been firmly established that he's also a shitty person too - so there's really no one to root for. It all just falls flat.
And as evidenced by the title screen, the transfer on Pure Terror Budget Set is *not* well framed. About half the credits are just cut off, which is a little funny but also a reminder that "yep - I paid just north of 25 cents for this movie." Is it worth a quarter? I'd say so - but then again, I like movies. For what it's worth, I don't feel like you really lose anything from the lackluster presentation. Other than the opening credits, I don't feel that the poor framing detracted *too much* from the film.
But I wish there was a little more to sink your teeth into here - good or bad. For a movie that is as sleazy and gory as Frankenstein '80, it's surprisingly forgettable.
I would not recommend this film.
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