Gothic (1986)

User Rating:

5.4/10   

Director:

Ken Russell

Writer:

Stephen Volk (screenplay)

Release Date:

10 April 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Story of the night that Mary Shelley gave birth to the horror classic "Frankenstein." Disturbed drug...

Plot Keywords:

Mary Shelley | Nightmare | Frankenstein | 1810s | Mansion

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Gaddesden Place, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Virgin Vision

Trivia:

After Shelly comes down from the roof and tells of his fascination with lightening, Byron calls him "Shelly, The Modern Prometheus." When it was first published in 1818, Mary Shelly's novel was called "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus."

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.

Movie Connections:

References Un chien andalou (1929)

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