Hammer's second Frankenstein movie, a sequel to the successful The Curse of Frankenstein. In the first movie the mad doctor was condemned to the guillotine, but he was saved in the last minute and a priest (!) was executed and buried in his place. Working under the pseudonymous "Dr. Stein", he's now running a charity clinic in the town of Carlsbruck, amputating body parts from his patients to continue his macabre experiments. The local Medical Council doesn't trust him, but he soon gets assistance from a young medical student who wants to learn as much as possible from "the greatest doctor in the world".
Interesting to see the development of the Frankenstein character. In this early outing, our baron is not yet the incarnation of evil he would become in some of the later entries. His treatment of the patients notwithstanding, there's still a spark of idealism in him and he is not too far removed from the proverbial 'mad doctor' from many a fifties' horror movie, a man who would do anything for science, even sacrifice human lives. The action of these mad doctors, reflected some of the worries people had about scientific progress. When his experiments go wrong (and the creature murders an innocent girl), his patients stand up against him, almost beating him to death. In the end, he's as much a victim as the pitiful 'monster' he created.
The Revenge of Frankenstein is cleverly plotted, but it's not as compelling as the first movie, and some might argue that it's a bit too gloomy and pensive to work as a full-blood horror movie. Eunice Gayson, who plays the damsel in distress, was cast at one point as Miss Moneypenny, but the part went to Lois Maxwell instead.
