In the 50's, it was common practice to take gothic horror elements and adapt them to contemporary times. FRANKENSTEIN 1970 tried to go one better and move it's story into the near future (although, the placement along the timeline has little bearing on the story itself, which remains very firmly anchored in the 50's). Boris Karloff is the latest Last Of The Frankensteins, and he rather resentfully rents out his ancestral castle to a television crew filming a documentary about the infamous Frankenstein legend. Frankenstein, his body broken by brutal treatment at the hands of his Nazi captors during the War, has little in the way of love for any other human being. He's also got a monster... Though it blows it's shocking twist ending by telegraphing it nearly half way in, FRANKENSTEIN 1970 is a fair addition to the 50's monster cycle. Filmed in CinemaScope, the picture manages to make use of several moody sets despite being confined to the castle and grounds of the Frankenstein home. Karloff had played the Monster, so his casting as Frankenstein seems a natural. Boris despised having to do the picture, however, and let some of his bitterness come out through his crotchety elder Frankenstein (which actually works as he's a brilliant surgeon who lost the full use of his hands thanks to the Nazis). Not perfect, of course, but it's always fun to see another of these 50's gems.
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