GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Beulah Bram A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Michael_Elliott Tales of Frankenstein (1958) *** (out of 4) Hammer originally produced this as a TV pilot but when it didn't sell they just threw it into theaters as a short and it turned out to be a pretty good one. Dr. Frankenstein creates a monster but accidentally uses a criminal's brain. He gets a chance to correct the mistake when a man dies after his wife begged the doctor to keep him alive. The doctor decides to put the dead man's brain into the body of the monster. I can understand this thing not selling as a TV pilot because there's really no place to go but as a short the thing is quite the success and in the end turns out to be a rather effective version of the classic tale. What I enjoyed most was the actual monster who had a pretty good look and he's given quite a bit to do. I really enjoyed the first creation scene when the monster attacks Frankenstein only to have some electrical equipment to go crazy and give him a real shock. The stuff at the end, when the dead man remembers who he is, was also very effective. The make up was clearly trying to look like the Karloff version but the large actor and the puffy cheeks makes him look more like Chaney from THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. The performances were good as is the direction so fans of the monster will certainly want to check this out.

BA_Harrison Anton Diffring stars as the Baron, an obsessive scientist attempting to create human life, but who keeps failing due to a substandard supply of brains which have been harvested from executed murderers; however, when a terminally ill man and his wife approach the Baron seeking medical help, he at last sees the opportunity to perfect a non-psychotic version of his experiment. All he has to do is wait a few weeks...A collaboration between Universal and Hammer, this pilot for a TV series that never was condenses all the elements of your average Frankenstein movie into a no-nonsense, half-hour slice of Gothic horror which, given the pedigree of both studios involved, unsurprisingly proves to be an entertaining treat for fans of the classic movie monster and his maker.Diffring's portrayal of the Baron is sufficiently unemotional and effectively tinged with madness, the Universal-style monster make-up is well realised, and the half-hour format ensures that the action whips along at a brisk enough pace to avoid boredom setting in. Sure, the plot (from classic Universal scribe Curt Siodmak) holds no real surprises, primarily consisting of well-worn ingredients of the genre—a creepy lab in a Gothic castle; a drunken grave-digger keen to earn a few extra bob; the hideous and rather unhappy monster—but it is this very familiarity that makes the whole thing so much fun.It's a shame that this show wasn't picked up for a whole series; it would have been great to see where they might have gone next.

Cristi_Ciopron This exquisite TV pilot cannot be overrated. It ranks with the best TV stuff ever, and it is a joy for the cinema buff to praise it. Its form is very adequate—concise and lapidary, no—nonsense. It has great emotional density. A masterful treatment of a camp legend. It is a new version of the tale of Frankenstein's uncanny, cursed experiments. The intelligence put in this pilot episode is quite unusual even for a period rich in TV and movie accomplishments. TALES … belongs to the highest class of the B league.A word about the advantages of the shorter TV episodes. They are more than a sketch, less than a waste of time.The short episodes all managed their content much better than the ulterior longer ones. An episode consists essentially of one idea. The compact, laconic ,sustained form of these short episodes served the contents the best. It is also a taste for this rapidity that does not allow the action to linger.TALES … makes obvious the advantages of this concentrated, ultra—dense and highly dramatic form. Here the content consists of emotions.The B movies fall into three categories—the camp (that is, the dignified and respectable movies that belong to the B in virtue of their budget restrictions—modest ,even tiny budget …;indeed artistic and intelligent, small jewels of taste and skills, they may sometimes B classified as B not only in virtue of their tiny budget, but also for adopting some notes and touches that distinguish the B league—the B indicates also their aesthetics, not only their budget; this is true for melodramas, noir films, Sci—Fi, etc., i.e. genre films generally …);the goofy (sometimes silly, goofy, clumsy, yet amiable, enjoyed, very likable; they do have qualities, even charm);and the crap, the inexcusably bad movies .Needless to say that a lot of A movies are very camp, today most of the big—budget are; or,often, less than that. Sometimes, the B movies, when not exclusively comic, may be straightforward—movies to take as straightforward stories; others, humorous; others, straight masquerading as humorous, or vice—versa. Back to the TALES ...:extraordinary TV ....

jim riecken (youroldpaljim) For years the only thing I knew about TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN was from a still I had seen in "Famous Monsters" magazine. Then a promotional trailer for this film/T.V. pilot turned up in the Zacherle video "Horrible Horror." For years I remained very curious about this film/T.V. pilot, but the damn thing was impossible to see. Then one day a copy of this film turned up on the shelves at my favorite video rental store and I was able to satisfy my curiosity.In TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN the good Dr. Frankenstein has created a being from bits and pieces of dead bodies stolen from graves. He brings the monster to life but discovers its mind is blank. Dr. Frankenstein decides a living brain is needed and is soon met by a dying man and is told by Dr. Frankenstein he can make him immortal if agrees to allow him to be used in an experiment. The dying man gets more than he bargained for when he wakes up in the horrible disfigured body of Frankenstein's creation.The monster's make-up in the film resembles the classic Universal monster with puffy cheeks giving the impression it is starting to develop acromegaly. The production values are not up to Hammers usual standards. The films sets look very stagey. Then again, this was a 1958 T.V. show, not a feature film. I have heard conflicting accounts on what this T.V. series was supposed to be. One states its was supposed to be a weekly series with each weeks episode telling the tale of a famous monster (i.e one week Dracula, next week The Mummy etc.) Another account claims each week would be about a different adventure in the life of Dr. Frankenstein. The latter seems unlikely. However, its doubtful either could have resulted in a long running series. The show would have ran out of plots very quickly.