Frankensteins Bloody Nightmare Review

Victor Karlstein III is the head of a well respected research hospital, a doctor with a well deserved reputation for excellence, and so when his girlfriend dies under his care it plants the seeds of an obsession, a need to bring her back. Though he does so she is no longer recognizable as herself, transformed into a hideous beast that requires a constant supply of fresh parts to continue ‘living’, parts that are supplied unwillingly by a steady stream of victims.

Shot dominantly on Super 8 – the monster’s perspective is shot on DV to allow for image filtering and manipulation – FBM has a wonderfully grainy feel to it. Super 8 is the most tactile of formats, one that just oozes analog, and also one of the most versatile for those who know how to use it, which Hand very certainly does. Not only is the film lit, framed and shot to perfection but Hand also breaks out a steady stream of tricks from light level manipulation to double exposure to build his unique aesthetic. The creature effects are nastily handmade with Hand clearly sharing Cronenberg’s view that ‘squishy’ effects are best, an approach played to great effect in an encounter between Karlstein and his creation that can only be described as twistedly sexual despite all involved being fully clothed. When the blood flows – and it does – it is shot with a surreal, highly stylized approach that brings some of the more experimental 70’s giallo works to mind, with close up shots of oozing puncture wounds turning up repeatedly. The cast, though young, is quite good and I would not be at all surprised if most – if not all – have a background in theater.

Though praiseworthy on so many levels FBM is not a perfect effort. The sound mix is often raw enough that it makes it very difficult to make out dialogue, though whether this is a result of budget limits precluding the use of a proper sound recordist or whether it was a deliberate stylistic choice is certainly open to debate. And as is the case with any film so deliberately and forcefully experimental in approach FBM takes a very loose approach to its narrative, preferring image to exposition, that will be certain to drive those weaned only on Hollywood fare absolutely insane. But flaws aside this is a film that clearly loves film, a film that wants to use the unique capabilities of its medium to the fullest possible effects. It is made with style and energy and very clearly marks its creator as a talent to watch. Frankensteins Bloody Nightmare is no Tetsuo but it could very well prove to be Hand's equivalent to The Adventures Of Electric Rod Boy - the embryonic vision of an impressive and unique talent.