Gothic (1986)

Story of the night that Mary Shelley gave birth to the horror classic "Frankenstein." Disturbed drug induced games are played and ghost stories are told one rainy night at the mad Lord ... See full summary »

Director:

Ken Russell

Writers:

Lord Byron (story), Percy Bysshe Shelley (story),

Stars:

Gabriel Byrne, Julian Sands, Natasha Richardson

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gabriel Byrne	...	Byron
Julian Sands	...	Shelley
Natasha Richardson	...	Mary Shelley
Myriam Cyr	...	Claire Clairmont
Timothy Spall	...	Dr. Polidori
Alec Mango	...	Murray
Andreas Wisniewski	...	Fletcher
Dexter Fletcher	...	Rushton
Pascal King	...	Justine
Tom Hickey	...	Tour Guide
Linda Coggin	...	Turkish Mechanical Woman
Kristine Landon-Smith	...	Mechanical Woman
Chris Chappell	...	Man in Armour (as Chris Chappel)
Mark Pickard	...	Young William
Kiran Shah	...	Fuseli Monster

Storyline

Story of the night that Mary Shelley gave birth to the horror classic "Frankenstein." Disturbed drug induced games are played and ghost stories are told one rainy night at the mad Lord Byron's country estate. Personal horrors are revealed and the madness of the evening runs from sexual fantasy to fiercest nightmare. Mary finds herself drawn into the sick world of her lover Shelley and cousin Claire as Byron leads them all down the dark paths of their souls.

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Plot Keywords:

lord byron | frankenstein | mary shelley | ghost story | drugs | 

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Taglines:

Conjure up your deepest, darkest fear... now call that fear to life.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gothic - Poetas e Fantasmas

Filming Locations:

Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Gross:

$916,172 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Virgin Vision

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Polidori's line "Sleep is nature's balm" comes from a poem by Keats, a contemporary and close friend of both Shelley and Byron.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Tour Guide: And there, ladies and gentlemen, on the other side of the lake we have the famous Villa Diodati where Lord Byron, greatest living English poet, resides in exile. Romantic, scholar, duelist, best-selling author of Childe Harold, he was forced to leave his native land after many scandals including incest and adultery with Lady Caroline Lamb. "Mad, bad and dangerous to know" she called him.
[the guide squeezes a lady's hand and points]
Tour Guide: Bedroom - top right.

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Connections

References Un Chien Andalou (1929)

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Soundtracks

I Wish I Was a Maid Again" (uncredited)
Traditional
Arranged and Performed by Gaynor Sadler and Tony Sadler

User Reviews

One of the most interesting horror films ever made!

I've only seen two of Ken Russell's films (Gothic and Lair of the White Worm), but if they are anything to go by, he is one of the best horror directors of all time. It is so nice to see someone going against the mould and not making predictable slasher films or Hollywood 'Sixth-Sense' style horror-thrillers.

It is about the weird night that Mary Shelly and her poet brother spent with Lord Byron, which supposedly inspired her to write Frankenstein.

It is filled with hallucionations and erotic weirdness which bridges it much closer to the work of David Lynch or Cronenberg than to the traditional horror film.

I absolutely loved this film and can't recommend it enough. Even if you hate it, you can't deny that it's an experience! 5/5