RELEASE DATE: 1969
RATED: PG-13
REVIEWED BY: The DarkSider
Things start off with the decapitation of a doctor on his front steps. The murderer makes his way back to a standard evil science lab complete with tubes, wires and other brain transplanting nonsense. Once there he finds a guy trespassing and we finally see his face, which is covered in a mask. After a brief scuffle, he unveils his face and its the one and only Peter Cushing in another "evil English guy" role as Dr. Frankenstein.
Knowing the police will be by to investigate the scuffle, he packs up the necessities (a corpse, severed head, etc) and escapes through a hole in the floor. The police, who follow the bad movie law enforcement incompetence rule to a tee, get there and start the hunt for the perpetrator.
Meanwhile, Frankenstein takes up residence under an assumed name in a local Inn run by a robust blonde named Anna. That evening Frankenstein gets into an argument with his fellow borders when they start to talk about a fellow brain transplanter named Dr. Brandt. Just excuse that bit of plot convenience for now please.
Speak of the devil, the film switches to the local halfway house where Dr. Brandt is hanging out in a rather disturbed state. A young ambitious doctor named Dr. Karl Holst is tending to his screaming next-door neighbor.
After a long day of dealing with crazies, Holst heads out to see Anna who once again runs the inn housing Dr. Frankenstein. Turns out Anna and Holst are a young couple with much to look forward to. Yep, you know they're screwed in this film. Holst drops a small package on the doorstep, which is found by Frankenstein. It turns out Holst is trafficking a bit of the old nose candy and Frankenstein uses this to blackmail the couple.
Frankenstein's terms are as follows. He claims he will keep the ye-yo situation silent only if Dr. Holst helps him with something. First order of business is getting rid of the other borders in the inn, which Anna does. Secondly, he asks Holst to help him break out Dr. Brandt. It turns out Brandt has some valuable information about brain transplanting in his messed up noggin that Frankenstein intends to get.
One evening, Frankenstein and Holst head into the mental institution to bust Brandt out. This is after Brandt's wife Ella is told that he will never be normal again. When Frankenstein and Holst head in to do their thing Brandt puts up a fight, which leads to him having a bit of a stroke. The two doctors quickly get a replacement body and transplant the brain of Brandt into it.
After taking care of the post op responsibilities (burying the body of Brandt in the flower garden outside) everyone moves on with every day life. Ella finds out about her husband's abduction and Frankenstein becomes a wanted man in the case. Frankenstein gets himself a little in-out, in-out from Anna. Anna quickly finds herself in trouble one day when a waterline breaks in the garden thus exposing the body. The cops case the joint looking for Frankenstein. You know, every day life things like I said.
Brandt's new body makes a speedy recovery and before you know it he is able to communicate with hand gestures. Ella finds out about Frankenstein living in the inn and heads there to find out about her husband. Frankenstein proves to her that he has cured Brandt and assures her they'll be together soon.
Ella leaves feeling good about herself but is shocked to find out the next day that Frankenstein has closed up shop and left town. The cops arrive and find the body of Brandt. Meanwhile, Frankenstein and his buddies b-line for an abandoned house on the countryside.
Holst sets up an escape plan, which goes horribly wrong when Frankenstein finds out about it. While the two effeminately scuffle, Anna is shocked to find out Brandt, in his new body, has fully recovered. For no apparent reason other than not liking icky looking science experiments, Anna stabs Brandt with a scalpel. Frankenstein, after getting the best of Holst in the epic battle outside, finds out and offs Anna with the scalpel.
While all this happens Brandt, wounded but feeling ok apparently, heads back home to Ella. She is a bit shocked to see how much her husband has changed and he sends her away so he can battle Frankenstein.
Frankenstein shows up thus cuing up a death rules version of Lets Make A Deal. Basically, Brandt assures him that the information he wants is behind one of three doors. For every door he opens, Brandt starts a fire in the house. Well after three tries, Frankenstein successfully gets the paperwork he wants. However, Dr. Holst who battles him in one last scuffle greets him outside. Brandt pearl harbors Frankenstein and hauls him back into the burning house thus fulfilling the film's title.
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed is a well-done macabre film piece. Granted it may not be the best spin off of the classic Mary Shelly tale, but still it has all the death and darkness that comes with it.
1.) What A Hack - Frankenstein performs various surgeries without a license, which usually translates to a decent amount of gore.
1.) Dr. Frankenstein - Now accepting all forms of medical insurance with a minimal co-pay of whatever body part you'd like to donate.
