''Frankenstein '80'' is a 1972 Italian film directed by Mario Mancini.

Plot summary

By day,

Dr. Frankenstein Victor Frankenstein is a fictional character who first appeared as the titular main protagonist of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. He is an Italian-born Swiss scientist who, after studying chemical process ...

(Gordon Mitchell) works innocuously in his lab. But at night, he works to perfect Mosaic (Xiro Papas), a monstrosity pieced together from dead bodies. Once completed, the behemoth escapes from the lab and embarks on a killing spree. Local beauties begin popping up dead, murdered in a variety of gruesome ways, as authorities attempt to stop Mosaic's rampage.

Cast

Production

Despite the film's title alluding to

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...

's character, the film has little in common with her creation. The inspiration of Ferdinando De Leone and Mario Mancini's script was from the adult only comics such as ''Oltretomba''. Future

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

winner

Carlo Rambaldi Carlo Rambaldi (September 15, 1925 – August 10, 2012) was an Italian special effects and makeup effects artist. He was the winner of three Academy Awards: one Special Achievement Academy Award for Best Visual Effects in 1977 for the 1976 ve ...

provided the special effects in the film such as the monster named Mosaic. Curti referred to the special effects as "crude" and was an "early hint of the tendency towards excess that will characterise Italian genre cinema of the decade"

Lou Castel Lou Castel (born Ulv Quarzell; 28 May 1943) is a Colombian-born Swedish actor who became internationally known through his work in Italian films, in particular for his starring role in Carlo Lizzani's '' Requiescant'' (1967) and his co-starring ...

was originally going to act in the film but was not allowed after being expelled from Italy in April 1972 due to his political views. Actor

Gordon Mitchell Gordon Mitchell (born Charles Allen Pendleton; July 29, 1923 – September 20, 2003) was an American actor and bodybuilder, known for his starring roles in Italian sword-and-sandal and Spaghetti Western films. Early life Charles Allen Pendleto ...

stated that parts of the film were possibly shot in

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

, but not any of the scenes he was involved in. The rest of the film was shot in Munich and Rome.

Release

''Frankenstein '80'' was released in Italy on 12 December 1972 where it was distributed by Les Films 2R Roma. Film historian Roberto Curti stated that the film "passed almost unnoticed in Italy at the time of its release" A

photonovel Photo comics are a form of Sequential art, sequential storytelling using photographs rather than illustrations for the images, along with the usual comics conventions of narrative text and word balloons containing dialogue. They are sometimes ...

version of the film was released in the Italian issue of ''Cinesex'' in May 1973. As of 2017, the film is in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...

in the United States.

Reception

From retrospective reviews,

AllMovie AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne. History AllMovie was ...

called the film "stupid, sickening, and obscene", but "seekers of psychotronic cinema will have a field day with this ridiculous Italian exploitation product." In his book on Italian horror film directors, Louis Paul referred to the film as "strange" and "a lurid sex film dressed as a horror movie."

References

Footnotes

Sources

* * *

External links

* *
''Frankenstein '80''
at

Variety Distribution Variety Distribution is an Italian-based film distribution company. It distributes Italian films worldwide, produced from the 1930s onward. History Variety Distribution (formerly Variety Film and Variety Communications) has been in the film ...

1972 horror films 1972 films Italian science fiction horror films 1970s Italian-language films Frankenstein films Films shot in Rome Films shot in Munich 1970s Italian films {{1970s-Italy-film-stub