Flesh for Frankenstein (1973)

Baron Frankenstein creates two "zombies" - one male, one female - planning to mate them in order to create a master race.

Directors:

Paul Morrissey, Antonio Margheriti

Writer:

Paul Morrissey

Stars:

Joe Dallesandro, Udo Kier, Dalila Di Lazzaro

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joe Dallesandro	...	Nicholas, the stableboy
Monique van Vooren	...	Baroness Katrin Frankenstein
Udo Kier	...	Baron Frankenstein
Arno Jürging	...	Otto, the Baron's assistant
Dalila Di Lazzaro	...	Female Monster
Srdjan Zelenovic	...	Sacha / Male Monster
Nicoletta Elmi	...	Monica, the Baron's daughter
Marco Liofredi	...	Erik, the Baron's son
Liù Bosisio	...	Olga, the maid
Fiorella Masselli	...	Large prostitute
Cristina Gaioni	...	Farmer, Nicholas' girlfriend
Rosita Torosh	...	Sonia, the prostitute
Carla Mancini	...	Farmer
Imelde Marani	...	Blonde prostitute

Storyline

In Serbia, Baron Frankenstein lives with the Baroness and their two children. He dreams of a super-race, returning Serbia to its grand connections to ancient Greece. In his laboratory, assisted by Otto, he builds a desirable female body, but needs a male who will be super-body and super-lover. He thinks he has found just the right brain to go with a body he's built, but he's made an error, taking the head of a asexual ascetic. Meanwhile, the Baroness has her lusts, and she fastens on Nicholas, a friend of the dead lad. Can the Baron pull off his grand plan? He brings the two zombies together to mate. Meanwhile, Nicholas tries to free his dead friend. What about the Baron's children?

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Plot Keywords:

laboratory | pubic hair | male pubic hair | male nudity | female rear nudity | 

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Taglines:

We dare you to see...

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Genres:

Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for bizarre violence and sexuality, and for language

Details

Country:

USA Italy France

Language:

English French

Release Date:

17 March 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

Andy Warhol's Frankenstein

Filming Locations:

Cinecittà Studios, Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$450,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Compagnia Cinematografica Champion,Braunsberg Productions,Carlo Ponti Cinematografica

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Swedish grindcore band Nasum takes their name from a line spoken in this film. A sample of the film's dialogue is featured on their song "Blind World".

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Goofs

When the two children escape through through the small hole, the boy goes in with one leg first, though on the other side he appears head first.

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Quotes

Otto, the Baron's assistant: [Otto forces his hand into the female monster's stomach, killing her] And now i get into you, i have to get in.
Otto, the Baron's assistant: [Otto realizes what he did] Sh... she... she's ruined.
Baron Frankenstein: [Baron Frankenstein enters the room] It's not true, no. It can't be true, what are you doing to me. You destroyed my female, you put your dirty hands on her.
Otto, the Baron's assistant: But you went into her Baron...
Baron Frankenstein: [Baron Frankenstein strangles Otto] Bastard! I studied how to do it, i know how to do it. You don't... With your clumsy hands. Everything... I ...
[...]

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Alternate Versions

The original UK cinema version was cut by around 8 minutes on its initial release in 1973. Despite a lesser cut (2 minutes 8 secs) version being shown at London's Scala cinema 10 years later, the video certificate was withheld after the film became one of the infamous "DPP 72" list of video nasties. It eventually secured a UK video release in 1996 - minus 56 seconds of cuts to shots of the Baron smearing blood across the breasts of a female corpse and sexually caressing the body - and was finally granted a full uncut certificate in March 2006.

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Connections

Version of Roger Corman's Frankenstein Unbound (1990)

User Reviews

Gorgeous erotic/Gothic film

I'm surprised that so few people have mentioned the beautiful cinematography of "Flesh for Frankenstein." Director Paul Morrisey went to great extents to model his film after the works of Luchino Visconti and other prolific Italian directors of the time. Of course to appreciate it, you must see it in it's original widescreen picture ratio. Featuring a lush, dreamlike feel that is helped along by a gorgeous and haunting music score, and top notch costumes. The gore, although extreme, possesses a kind of poetry, and i can imagine such sexually eroticized violence must have caused quite a controversy in the UK, at the time of release. Udo Kier is superb in his maniacal portrayal of Dr. Frankenstein, and the changes and additions to the Mary Shelley novel are for once, very smart and a welcome addition to an already great tale. Aside from the 1933 film "Bride of Frankenstein," this is my absolute favorite screen version of the Frankenstein monster. Excellent film!