TWO HUNDRED YEAR ANNIVERSARY AND THE GOTHIC CLASSIC STILL INSPIRES

#MONSTERMONDAY! This year marks the 200th anniversary of the publication of Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein - first printed on 1 January 1818. As we are all probably know here, Hammer Films took on the Frankenstein horror franchise in 1957, with Peter Cushing playing Baron FRANKENSTEIN. 'The Curse of Frankenstein' also starred Christopher Lee as the creation and was the "first really gory horror film, showing blood and guts in colour", according to Professor MacCormack on the BBC NEW website today. Patricia MacCormack, is a professor of continental philosophy at Anglia Ruskin University, and has published papers on the horror genre.

'THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN' MONSTER had a very different aesthetic from the first Universal studios film, Cushing's monster was covered in scars and transplanted tissue - partly because the Universal Karloff-era make-up had been copyrighted. But it's this "patchwork human, which was touted as the closest to the monster of Mary Shelley's book," says Prof MacCormack. "The idea of a patchwork humanity is at the very core of Shelley's story.The film carries a strong message from the original book: "Beware ambition, it seems to say. It's all about men circumventing the role of women and the role of god - and the consequences of that."

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