The Curse of Frankenstein' (1957) and its Impact on Hammer Horror Productions

The Curse of Frankenstein is a horror film released in 1957. It is directed by Terence Fisher and produced by Hammer Film Productions. The film is a loose adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein. The Curse of Frankenstein stands out as one of the most influential films in the horror genre. It marked Hammer Films' first venture into horror, setting the stage for their subsequent successful horror films. The movie also brought a fresh approach to the story of Frankenstein, deviating from the Universal Studios' version that had popularized the monster in the 1930s.

You move up to a group of foes, keeping a 5' gap between, and cast Rimed Frost Hands (altered Burning Hands). Regardless of how little or how much damage you do, if the target takes any damage it is Entangled, no saving throw. Next, your ally with a reach weapon advances and whacks the foe. If the foe wishes to close the 5' gap it must Move, giving anyone with reach an AoO and, thus, a free extra attack. If you are the sort of Sorcerer who bothers with weapons, you'll want to carry a Longspear yourself, for that free AoO every time you cast a short range Rime spell.

Human Tattooed Dragonic Sorcerer STR 7 DEX 14 CON 12 INT 12 WIS 8 CHA 20 Traits Magical Lineage Freezing Sphere , Wayyang Spellhunter Snowball Familiar Greensting Scorpion 1 Rime Spell, Irrisen Icemage, Varisian Tattoo Evocation 2 3 Improved Initiative 4 5 Piercing Spell 6 7 Spell Focus Evocation 8 9 Greater Spell Focus Evocation 10 11 Dazing Spell 12 13 Empower Spell, BL Quicken Spell 14 15 Spell Perfection Freezing Sphere 16 17 Intensify Spell 18 19 Improved Familiar Faerie Dragon , BL Toughness 20 Offensive spells of interest 1st lvl Snowball 5th lvl Ice Spear 8th lvl Dragon s Breath 10th lvl Cone of Cold, Icy Prison 12th lvl Freezing Sphere, Cold Ice Strike 16th lvl Polar Ray 18th lvl Icy Prison, Mass As you can see, up to the 8th lvl you will mostrly use conjuration spells, this is the reason that I have delay the spell focus evocation. A creature that fails this save becomes vulnerable to cold and fire damage, and any time it would make an attack or cast a spell, it must make a dexterity check against the DC of this spell.

The movie also brought a fresh approach to the story of Frankenstein, deviating from the Universal Studios' version that had popularized the monster in the 1930s. Peter Cushing plays the role of Baron Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant yet morally corrupt scientist. He is determined to bring life to a constructed human body using various body parts.

Help needed building an Ice based Sorcerer(PFS)

So I want to build a caster based on the character Elsa from "Frozen" though male because I'm a guy.

Goal: spontaneous spellcaster with a focus on Cold spells.

I was thinking Human Sorcerer Elemental(Water) bloodline.
Figure a focus on Cha and Dex/Con?
Any suggestions for builds would be appreciated.

Rime spell (metamagic feat) would be great. Fireball is a good spell for carrying status conditions. And your bloodline arcana I believe changes the spell to frost damage. So if you put them together and take magical lineage fireball, you could cast an entangling frostball, that will entangle anyone who takes frost damage for 3 rounds.

If you add a rod of dazing spell (or a different rod), you can add additional effects to your frostball as well. Dazing spell would daze anyone who takes damage for 3 rounds. But if they make their save against frostball, they avoid the daze.

I also recommend picking up one Aristocrat level and and dumping a bunch of ranks into "Perform: Oratory".

ehhh. boreal is awful compared to Elemental(Water). You could go crossblooded Elemental/Draconic.

That's clearly Perform(sing).

I would rather have the primal wildblooded bloodline for the damage boost. Good spells for AoE rime - dazing metamagic include Dragon's Breath, Cone of Cold and Freezing Sphere. Other good spells with the [cold] descriptor are Snowball, Sleet Storm, Ice Spears (Inner Sea Magic), Wall of Ice, Icy Prison, Cold Ice Strike (swift action to cast), Icy Prison, Mass. Do not neglect the summoning bonuses the bloodline gives you too. Even if you do not invest in augment summoning, SM spells will probably be your best answer against the BBEGs.

A sample build as you said that you would like one:

Human Wildblooded Sorcerer

Primal (cold) bloodline

STR 7
DEX 14
CON 12
INT 12
WIS 8
CHA 20

Traits: Magical Lineage (Freezing Sphere), Wayyang Spellhunter (Snowball)

1 Rime Spell, Spell Focus (Conjuration)
2
3 Varisian Tattoo (Evocation)
4
5 Piercing Spell
6
7 Spell Focus (Evocation), BL: Improved Initiative
8
9 Greater Spell Focus (Evocation)
10
11 Dazing Spell
12
13 Quicken Spell, BL: Empower Spell
14
15 Spell Perfection (Freezing Sphere)
16
17 Intensify Spell
18
19 Augment Summoning, BL: Great Fortitude
20

Offensive spells of interest:
1st lvl: Snowball
5th lvl: Ice Spear
8th lvl: Dragon's Breath
10th lvl: Cone of Cold, Icy Prison
12th lvl: Freezing Sphere, Cold Ice Strike
16th lvl: Polar Ray
18th lvl: Icy Prison, Mass

Do not forget your metamagic.

I'm going to chime in, having played a Boreal sorcerer, and just say that the bloodline felt much more suited to someone going for a frost giant vibe, not so much an ice mage vibe. I'd highly suggest going Elemental(Water). If you're looking for a damage boost, you can always go Crossblooded with Draconic(Silver), and snag extra damage and a bonus to Perception.

Creative re-flavoring of spells can help, too. Grease becomes a thin sheet of ice, Obscuring Mist becomes a thick snow cloud, so on. Hell, Color Spray can be simply explained as a manifestation of the Northern Lights.

Well there is the feat "irrisen ice mage" which let´s you turn spells to cold 3 times a day and gives you +1 caster level for all cold spells, but also -1 caster level for other elemental spells (fire, etc).

You could do crossblooded elemental cold/boreal, but not sure if that would be legal except from a homegame of course. You loose a lot with crossblooded though in my eyes.

Voidfrost Robes: +1 CL when casting cold spells
Frostfist Amulet: +d6 cold damage when hitting things with unarmed strike

Ok just checked, crossblooded and wildblooded together are still not legal in PFS, so that is not on the table. But since neither Marid nor Boreal require wildblooded, you could still do something like that.

With a crossblooded water elemental/boreal sorcerer you could go tattoed sorcerer, get the varisian tattoo feat, take irrisen icemage and have +2 caster level with certain spells. You would have to decide between evocation and conjuration. Some of the natural cold spells are conjuration, which denies spell resistance often, but most blasting spells are evocation.

A revision of the above build that includes the feat irrisen ice mage and this time goes with a dragonic (silver) tattooed sorcerer.

Human Tattooed Dragonic Sorcerer

STR 7
DEX 14
CON 12
INT 12
WIS 8
CHA 20

Traits: Magical Lineage (Freezing Sphere), Wayyang Spellhunter (Snowball)

Familiar: Greensting Scorpion

1 Rime Spell, Irrisen Icemage, Varisian Tattoo (Evocation)
2
3 Improved Initiative
4
5 Piercing Spell
6
7 Spell Focus (Evocation)
8
9 Greater Spell Focus (Evocation)
10
11 Dazing Spell
12
13 Empower Spell, BL: Quicken Spell
14
15 Spell Perfection (Freezing Sphere)
16
17 Intensify Spell
18
19 Improved Familiar (Faerie Dragon), BL: Toughness
20

Offensive spells of interest:
1st lvl: Snowball
5th lvl: Ice Spear
8th lvl: Dragon's Breath
10th lvl: Cone of Cold, Icy Prison
12th lvl: Freezing Sphere, Cold Ice Strike
16th lvl: Polar Ray
18th lvl: Icy Prison, Mass

As you can see, up to the 8th lvl you will mostrly use conjuration spells, this is the reason that I have delay the spell focus (evocation). After this lvl though you will switch to evocation spells for the rest of your carrer.

Why not completely focus on conjuration then?
I think the most ice spells are conjuration or not?
Without the elemental bloodline to change them you don´t have that much evocation. irrisen icemage is only 3 times a day changing a spell.

Why not Rime-Blooded (mutant Boreal) for the bloodline? One target in the area will be subject to a Rime-spell type effect without boosting levels via metamagic. Why blast or control when you can do both at the same time?

To take full advantage of Rime Spell you want allies with reach. Foes entangled by Rime Spell are unable to 5' step. So you set up for this:

You move up to a group of foes, keeping a 5' gap between, and cast Rimed Frost Hands (altered Burning Hands). Regardless of how little or how much damage you do, if the target takes any damage it is Entangled, no saving throw. Next, your ally with a reach weapon advances and whacks the foe. If the foe wishes to close the 5' gap it must Move, giving anyone with reach an AoO and, thus, a free extra attack. If you are the sort of Sorcerer who bothers with weapons, you'll want to carry a Longspear yourself, for that free AoO every time you cast a short range Rime spell.

A revision of the above build that includes the feat irrisen ice mage and this time goes with a dragonic (silver) tattooed sorcerer.

Human Tattooed Dragonic Sorcerer

STR 7
DEX 14
CON 12
INT 12
WIS 8
CHA 20

Traits: Magical Lineage (Freezing Sphere), Wayyang Spellhunter (Snowball)

Familiar: Greensting Scorpion

1 Rime Spell, Irrisen Icemage, Varisian Tattoo (Evocation)
2
3 Improved Initiative
4
5 Piercing Spell
6
7 Spell Focus (Evocation)
8
9 Greater Spell Focus (Evocation)
10
11 Dazing Spell
12
13 Empower Spell, BL: Quicken Spell
14
15 Spell Perfection (Freezing Sphere)
16
17 Intensify Spell
18
19 Improved Familiar (Faerie Dragon), BL: Toughness
20

Offensive spells of interest:
1st lvl: Snowball
5th lvl: Ice Spear
8th lvl: Dragon's Breath
10th lvl: Cone of Cold, Icy Prison
12th lvl: Freezing Sphere, Cold Ice Strike
16th lvl: Polar Ray
18th lvl: Icy Prison, Mass

As you can see, up to the 8th lvl you will mostrly use conjuration spells, this is the reason that I have delay the spell focus (evocation). After this lvl though you will switch to evocation spells for the rest of your carrer.

How did you get a Familiar?

Ignore that. blonde moment

What should be noted is that for PFS, you usually have the character play up to Level 11. Once they reach Level 12, they become a "Seeker", also known as a retired character. Seekers, up to the discresion of the Player, can attempt Seeker Missions or Adventure Paths/Modules at and above Level 12, but there are far few to run. So unless the Player really wants to see how far the character will go in its journey, is is best to just plan out the character ideas in the range of Level 1-11, rather than Level 1-20.

A revision of the above build that includes the feat irrisen ice mage and this time goes with a dragonic (silver) tattooed sorcerer.

Human Tattooed Dragonic Sorcerer

STR 7
DEX 14
CON 12
INT 12
WIS 8
CHA 20

Traits: Magical Lineage (Freezing Sphere), Wayyang Spellhunter (Snowball)

Familiar: Greensting Scorpion

1 Rime Spell, Irrisen Icemage, Varisian Tattoo (Evocation)
2
3 Improved Initiative
4
5 Piercing Spell
6
7 Spell Focus (Evocation)
8
9 Greater Spell Focus (Evocation)
10
11 Dazing Spell
12
13 Empower Spell, BL: Quicken Spell
14
15 Spell Perfection (Freezing Sphere)
16
17 Intensify Spell
18
19 Improved Familiar (Faerie Dragon), BL: Toughness
20

Offensive spells of interest:
1st lvl: Snowball
5th lvl: Ice Spear
8th lvl: Dragon's Breath
10th lvl: Cone of Cold, Icy Prison
12th lvl: Freezing Sphere, Cold Ice Strike
16th lvl: Polar Ray
18th lvl: Icy Prison, Mass

As you can see, up to the 8th lvl you will mostrly use conjuration spells, this is the reason that I have delay the spell focus (evocation). After this lvl though you will switch to evocation spells for the rest of your carrer.

From the tattooed sorcerer archetype.

Need Help?

Mon–Fri, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific

Ok just checked, crossblooded and wildblooded together are still not legal in PFS, so that is not on the table. But since neither Marid nor Boreal require wildblooded, you could still do something like that.

Christopher Lee portrays the Monster, a grotesque creature born out of Frankenstein's experimentation. Lee's portrayal of the Monster is haunting and memorable, bringing a new dimension to the character. The Curse of Frankenstein explores the themes of scientific ambition, morality, and the consequences of playing god. It delves into the dark recesses of the human psyche, presenting a chilling portrayal of a man driven by his desire for power. As the story unfolds, Frankenstein's actions have dire consequences, leading to tragedy and death. The film is known for its atmospheric gothic setting, lavish production design, and gruesome special effects. The color scheme and lighting techniques used in The Curse of Frankenstein contribute to its eerie and sinister atmosphere. The makeup and costume design of the Monster create a horrifying and memorable depiction. Despite the movie's critical acclaim, it faced controversy and censorship due to its graphic violence and suggestive content. The Curse of Frankenstein challenged the boundaries of what was considered acceptable for cinema at the time, pushing the limits of horror storytelling. In conclusion, The Curse of Frankenstein is a classic horror film that broke new ground in the genre. It presented a fresh take on the story of Frankenstein, with standout performances from Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. The film's exploration of themes, stunning visuals, and controversial content solidify its place in horror movie history..

Reviews for "How 'The Curse of Frankenstein' (1957) Revived Public Interest in Classic Monsters"

1. Sarah - 1/5 stars - I was really disappointed with "The Curse of Frankenstein". The storyline was predictable and lacked any sort of depth. The acting felt forced and the characters were one-dimensional. The special effects were also quite dated and didn't add anything to the overall experience. I found myself bored and disengaged throughout the entire film. Overall, I would not recommend this movie to anyone looking for a captivating and well-executed horror film.

2. Michael - 2/5 stars - "The Curse of Frankenstein" was a letdown for me. While I appreciate the effort to bring the classic story to life, the execution fell short. The pacing was off, with long stretches of nothing happening, and then sudden bursts of action. The dialogue felt stiff and unnatural, making it difficult to connect with the characters. Additionally, the movie relied heavily on shock value and gore rather than building a truly frightening atmosphere. Overall, I found it to be a mediocre horror film that failed to live up to its potential.

3. Emily - 2/5 stars - I was really hoping for a captivating retelling of the Frankenstein story, but "The Curse of Frankenstein" left me unimpressed. The acting felt lackluster and the characters were poorly developed, making it difficult to root for anyone. The narrative lacked coherence and seemed to jump from one scene to the next without much explanation. The special effects, while impressive for its time, now appear dated and do not hold up well. Overall, I found it to be an underwhelming and forgettable film that does not do justice to the Frankenstein legacy.

4. David - 1/5 stars - "The Curse of Frankenstein" was a complete disaster in my opinion. The performances were wooden, especially from the lead actor who failed to convey any real emotion. The plot was convoluted and confusing, with several unnecessary subplots that added nothing to the overall story. The pacing was all over the place, making it difficult to stay engaged. The special effects were laughable and took away from any potential scares. Overall, I found this movie to be a waste of time and would not recommend it to anyone looking for a quality horror film.

The Legacy of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee in 'The Curse of Frankenstein' (1957)