Frankenstein '80 – Cauldron Films (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Date: Italy, 1972
Director: Mario Mancini
Writers: Ferdinando De Leone, Mario Mancini
Cast: John Richardson, Gordon Mitchell, Renato Romano, Xiro Papas, Dalila Di Lazzaro

Release Date: August 29th, 2023
Approximate running time: 89 Minutes 43 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono Italian, DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English, English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"When Professor Schwarz invents a new serum that helps transplant patients better accept their new organs, Dr. Frankenstein quickly steals it to bring to life his greatest creation… Mosaic! Once alive, Mosaic is uncontrollable and escapes from the lab nightly to solicit prostitutes and leave a trail of corpses across the city that only seems to baffle the police and create a wave of fear." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “2K restoration from the uncensored negative."

Frankenstein '80 comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 33.6 GB

Feature: 25.7 GB

Though the source used for this transfer is in excellent shape, there is one very brief moment where the source has a blemish. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and the image looks organic.

Audio: 4.25/5 (DTS-HD Mono Italian), 4/5 (DTS-HD Mono English)

This release comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD mono mix in English and a DTS-HD mono mix in Italian. Both audio tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. And though they sound comparable in most areas, the Italian-language track sounds, in some instances, more robust. It should be noted that there is at least one instance (around the 5:02 mark) where the Italian language track has music that is not present on the English language track. Included are removable English subtitles for the Italian language track and removable English SDH for the English language track.

Extras:

Extras for this release include reversible cover art, an audio interview with actress Dalila Di Lazzaro titled Dalila Forever: The Recorded Memories of Dalila Di Lazzaro (27 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), a featurette with Domenico Monetti titled Little Frankensteins: History of Italian Frankenstein films (38 minutes 30 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo Italian with removable English subtitles), and an audio commentary with film historian Heather Drain.

Summary:

Directed by Mario Mancini (his only film as a director), who worked as a camera operator on Mario Bava’s Black Sabbath and Blood and Black Lace.

The narrative revolves around a disgraced doctor now forced to work as a morgue attendant who uses body parts and an experimental serum to build a man.

Frankenstein 80’ is a different kind of Frankenstein movie. It is not an adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel; it is a film that just takes the basic elements of her novel through the lens of Italian genre cinema.

From its opening moments, it's clear that Frankenstein 80’ is a down-and-dirty exploitation film. In the opening moments, a woman is attacked, and her guts are removed by an assailant whose identity is obscured. This scene does a superb job setting the tone for the gruesome events that follow.

Frankenstein 80’ has a good cast that's filled with recognizable faces for anyone familiar with 1970s Eurocult cinema. The most memorable performance is by Gordon Mitchell (Lady Morgan’s Vengeance) in the role of Dr. Otto Frankenstein. He delivers a delirious performance that, at times, is over the top. Other notable performances are John Richardson (Eyeball) in the role of Karl Schein, a reporter who looks into the gruesome killings, and Dalila Di Lazzaro (The Pyjama Girl Case) in the role of Sonia, Dr. Frankenstein’s niece. Though Dalila Di Lazzaro’s screen time is limited, at least she has one scene where she wears a see-through nightgown.

Content-wise, Frankenstein 80’ is a melting pot of genres. It has horror, giallo, and some fantasy elements thrown in for good measure. Though the premise of the monster who eventually kills their master has been done countless times before. Surprisingly, the narrative never drags along, as things move along with good momentum.

From a production standpoint, everything about Frankenstein 80’ screams low-budget B film. And yet the result is a film that often exceeds expectations. The most impressive asset of Frankenstein 80’ is Carlo Rambaldi’s (A Lizard in a Woman's Skin) gory special effects. Another strength is composer Daniele Patucchi's score, especially the amazing, catchy main theme that serves as the monster's motif when he kills. Ultimately, Frankenstein 80’ is a highly entertaining film that fans of 1970s Italian-genre cinema should thoroughly enjoy.

Frankenstein 80’ gets a solid release from Cauldron Films that comes with a strong audio/video presentation and a trio of informative extras, recommended.

Written by Michael Den Boer