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

Version of Haunted Summer (1988)

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Soundtracks

"Sonata in D Major (L463)"
(uncredited)
Music by Domenico Scarlatti
Arranged and Performed by Gaynor Sadler and Tony Sadler

User Reviews

Leeches and Intellectuals

GOTHIC is a seductive and fascinating study of the four principle players in the turn-of-the-century origin of at least one, if not two, of the principle monster icons of popular culture: the

vampire and the Frankenstein Monster. But despite the incredible (and true) historical significance of the writing challenge, to produce a ghost story apiece worthy of these literary personages, Mary and Percy Shelley, Lord Byron and Polidori, the film is brilliant in its fictional depiction of people whose minds are brilliant enough, creatively, that their ideas become tangible forces, released, and uncontrollable.

The chaotic structure of GOTHIC is excellent, while the interplay between the actors is fabulous. GOTHIC's intellectual hysteria creates an atmosphere where ghosts and demons gain power and autonomous life from their creators, showing the formulation in Mary Shelley's mind of the Frankenstein story, and the tragic consequence of both the story and the real lives of Percy Shelley, Byron and Polidori. Well worth experiencing.