Movie Review: Frankenstein's Daughter (1958)
Synopsis: Trudy Morton lives with her uncle Carter, a scientist who is trying to cure all diseases in the laboratory he has set up in his house. What Trudy doesn't know is Carter's assistant, Oliver Frank, is really Oliver Frankenstein, the grandson of the original Dr. Frankenstein. Determined to build on his family's legacy, Oliver first secretly experiments on Trudy, using a special chemical to temporarily turn her into a monster, before bringing his own terrifying creation to life.
Who's in it? The movie stars Sandra Knight, John Ashley, Donald Murphy, Sally Todd, Felix Locher and Wolfe Barzell.
Review: I decided I was in the mood for a classic monster movie this morning and remembered I had Frankenstein's Daughter in my library. At first, I wasn't sure what to expect from this movie but after watching it, I have to say it was worth the time.
I think the thing that really surprised me about this film was it is surprisingly creepy. The monster makeup, both when Trudy (Knight) is transformed via a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde scenario and when the monster (Harry Wilson) is revealed is really good. In fact, I'd even go as far as to say it's the kind of thing that might cause some people to have nightmares.
As far as the plot goes, it was a solid story. I am still a little confused about Oliver's (Murphy) experiments on Trudy and what he was hoping to accomplish (other than maybe getting a bit of revenge for her not wanting to sleep with him). However, his secret experiments in her uncle's (Locher) laboratory under the pretense of helping the older scientist (who, himself, was conducting some illegal activity) worked. At minimum, the fact he was in Trudy's home did leave her much more vulnerable.
Oliver himself was also an intriguing villain. This was because, in addition to being obsessed with his family's attempts to re-animate life, he was a genuine creep around women. While it was something a film from this era wouldn't openly make part of the plot, I did wonder if some of it was some sort of repressed sexual rage since there were a couple scenes where he seemed like he was ready to rape someone.
The end of the movie did leave a little to be desired. It was exciting to watch but, like many films in this genre, there were a lot of loose ends that Trudy would be forced to explain while also likely being traumatized. It did leave me wondering what would happen next for her, especially since I wasn't convinced her boyfriend, Johnny (Ashley), was necessarily the guy she should marry. I mean, it did take an awful lot to convince him she wasn't just dreaming things.
Final Opinion: This is a good, classic, monster movie that was a lot better than I was expecting. It's worth taking the time to watch it if you get a chance.
My Grade: A
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Here are some reviews of other classic monster movies:
Movie Review: Creature From the Haunted Sea (1961)
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