Anthony Hinds

A young woman is terrorized by her deceased fiancé's demented mother who blames her for her son's death. Patricia Carroll arrives in London to get married with her fiancé Alan Glentower. However, the stubborn Pat decides to pay a visit in the country to Mrs. Trefoile, the mother of her former fiancé Stephen, who died in a car accident. Once there, the religious fanatic Mrs. Trefoile insists to Pat to stay overnight to go to the mass on the next morning. After going to the church, the naive Pat tells Mrs. Trefoile that she was not going to marry Stephen, triggering her insanity. Mrs. Trefoile abducts Pat to purify her sins and make her pure for her beloved son. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil American Patricia Carroll has sailed to London with her British fiancé, Alan Glentower. Before they are to get married, Pat, against Alan's wishes, goes to visit Mrs. Trefoile, who Pat has never met. Mrs. Trefoile's son Stephen was Pat's former fiancé before Stephen tragically died. Pat needs to close that chapter of her life before she can move on, and she feels she owes Mrs. Trefoile the courtesy of the visit. Mrs. Trefoile lives in a secluded house in the English country, with her servants, husband and wife Harry and Anna, and a mentally disabled young man named Joseph. Once there, Pat learns that Mrs. Trefoile is a devoutly religious woman who lives by an extremely strict moral code. But Pat quickly comes to the realization that Mrs. Trefoile's need to adhere to that moral code is fanatical. With the assistance of Harry and Anna who are working on their own motivations unknown to their boss, Mrs. Trefoile will do whatever she needs to to save both Pat and Stephen's immortal souls. —Huggo Patricia Carroll was once engaged to Stephen Trefoile who died in an auto accident. Now in England to marry her new fiancé Alan Glentower, she decides to follow up on a promise and visit Stephen's mother. Mrs. Trefoile welcomes her warmly and insists that she spend the night. She proves to be a demanding hostess however - there are no mirrors in the house, insists that Patricia not wear lipstick and is highly religious requiring that her guest attend prayers with her. When Mrs. Trefoile tells her that she considers her to be her daughter and that it would be a sin to "remarry", Patricia tells her the truth: that she never intended to marry Stephen. Mrs. Trefoile then locks her in a room, intending to teach her the errors of her sinful ways. —garykmcd While in rural England beautiful Pat Carroll decides to pay a courtesy call on the mother of her dead fiance Stephen, who was killed in an auto accident several years earlier. The overbearing Mrs. Trefoile is very controlling and presses Pat to stay overnight and go to church with her in the morning. In short order, her guest becomes her prisoner as the religious fanatic uses her servants to enforce her will. When Pat tells her that she wasn't going through with the marriage and that Stephen actually committed suicide, Mrs. Trefoile decides to starve her into obedient submission. Her only hope is that Alan, her current fiance, will rescue her. —Gabe Taverney (duke1029@aol.com)

A man's body has been laid out in a cabin in the woods. While the deceased's relatives go to fetch a priest, a body snatcher steals the body, observed by a young girl who then runs off screaming into the woods where she bumps into Baron Frankenstein [Peter Cushing]. The Baron and the thief take the body to the Baron's laboratory where the Baron cuts out the dead man's heart and places it in a tank of fluid. The priest [James Maxwell] takes the young girl with him to identify the body snatcher and locate the residence of the Baron. The Baron and his assistant Hans [Sandor Elès] start the laboratory equipment which is connected to the heart. As it generates electricity the heart starts to beat. The priest bursts in and starts to destroy the equipment, including the tank with the heart. Frustrated that his work has been destroyed, the Baron relocates with Hans back to the village of Karlstaad and the Baron's castle which has been badly neglected since the last time he was there. The Baron explains to Hans he is researching the life force within people and how he once harnessed the electrical force of a storm to generate enough power to bring a person he had created to life in his laboratory at the castle. In a flashback, the Baron is seen bringing the heavily bandaged creature [Kiwi Kingston] to life. He spends time observing the creature's behaviour in his laboratory; how it reacts to fire and food. One morning when the Baron awakes the creature has escaped. The Baron follows and finds it killing sheep for food. A police officer [Duncan Lamont] and some villagers chase them and shoot the creature as it tries to escape. The baron is arrested and forced to leave. He explains that people destroy what they don't believe and what they are afraid of. The Baron and Hans go into Karlstaad where a carnival in taking place and they are able to move freely wearing masks so the Baron won't be recognised. In a bar the Baron sees the Burgomaster [David Hutcheson] and the police officer who shot the creature, who is now chief of police. The Baron sees the Burgomaster is wearing something of his and starts to make a fuss, but when the police recognise him they leave in a hurry. They escape to a tent where Zoltan [Peter Woodthorpe] the hypnotist is performing his show. He enlists the help of the Baron and Hans as volunteers but the police come in and break up the show claiming Zoltan does not have a licence to perform. The Baron flees and forces his way into the Burgomaster's house and accuses him of stealing the Baron's belongings. The police chief arrives to arrest the Baron, but the Baron escapes out of the bedroom window and back into the carnival crowd where he meets Hans. They escape up into the mountains since it is the only place they will be safe. A young dumb beggar woman [Katy Wild] sees them and takes them to a cave where they can rest and shelter from a storm. In a part of the cave, the Baron finds the body of the creature, preserved in the ice of a glacier. They thaw it out and carry it back to the castle and the beggar girl goes with them. The Baron and Hans prepare the laboratory equipment to revive the creature. The storm intensifies and they switch on the electrical power to give life back to the creature. However, despite it brief movements, the creature is unresponsive. The Baron believes its brain was damaged when it was shot. Although he repaired it, he is unsure why the creature is now so unresponsive so he asks Zoltan for help. Zoltan is preparing to leave Karlstaad but the Baron convinces him to come to the castle and try to hypnotise the creature. When Zoltan manages to wake the creature up, it attacks them and the Baron and Hans have to subdue it with chloroform. The Baron wants to continue his research on the creature but Zoltan wants to put it in a show. He demonstrates that the creature will not obey the Baron, it will only obey him. Zoltan wants a partnership with the Baron and Hans, to which the Baron has no choice now but to agree. Zoltan commands the creature to go into the village at night to steal gold for him. The creature returns with several gold ornaments but was seen by a villager who reports what he saw to the police. Zoltan commands the creature to punish the Burgomaster and the chief of police. The creature breaks into the Burgomaster's house and attacks him, beating him to death. It then goes to the police station and kills the chief of police. When the creature returns and Zoltan sees the blood on its hands, he says he did not mean it to kill them. He tries to make his escape with the gold but is caught by the Baron and thrown out of the castle, not before threatening to kill the Baron. The beggar girl attends to the creatures wounds but Zoltan commands the creature from outside to let him back in. The creature attacks the Baron with a metal stake but the Baron repels it with fire from an oil lamp. When Zoltan commands it to go back, the creature kills him with the metal stake instead. The police arrive and arrest the Baron for the murders of Zoltan, the Burgomaster and the chief of police. The girl and the creature escape back to the mountain cave, followed by Hans who brings them back to the castle once everyone else has left. While the Baron is in a police cell, the villagers group together to hunt down the creature. The Baron manages to escape by knocking out the guard with chloroform and rushes back to the castle. The girl gives the creature some wine, sending it into a rage. It staggers around the laboratory destroying the equipment despite the Baron's efforts to stop it. Fires break out but the Baron barricades the door to stop it escaping, trapping himself inside with it. As the beggar girl and Hans run away from the castle, an explosion destroys it.

Simon and Eleanor Ashby are at church, along with their Aunt Harriet, for a service commemorating the death of their parents in a plane crash. Also mentioned is their brother Tony, who disappeared soon after and was believed to have committed suicide. Eleanor is a frail young woman who never recovered from Tony's death. At Simon's insistence, she has a nurse companion to attend her. Unknown to the family, Francoise is Simon's mistress. Eleanor suddenly spots a young man outside and runs to find him. She insists the man is Tony but no one believes her. Later that day, she spots him in the garden. Again he escapes before she can confront him. Convinced that she is going insane, she goes to the cliffs and prepares to jump into the ocean. She is rescued by the young man, who carries her to the house. The butler recognizes the man as Tony Ashby. The young man turns up at the office of John Kossett, the family solicitor. He claims to be Tony Ashby, revealing that he did not commit suicide but ran away. He has traveled all over the world but now wishes to return to the family and claim his inheritance. Unfortunately, Simon is due to inherit everything in a few weeks. Tony's reappearance will ruin everything. Simon becomes even more drunk and obnoxious. While Eleanor is delighted to have her brother back, Aunt Harriet and Simon are hostile. They do not believe the man is Tony. He is summoned to the house and put through the ringer, but answers every question correctly. Later, Tony meets the solicitor's son Keith for a drink. Keith hired him to pose as Tony to prevent an audit of the estate, which would reveal Keith's embezzlement. The impostor's real name is not revealed but he bears a startling resemblance to Tony. Keith gave him a compete family history, adding events that only the real Tony would know. Tony awakes one night to the faint sounds of a choirboy singing, to an organ accompaniment. He follows the music to the ruined chapel attached to the house. Eleanor joins him, explaining that she has heard the singing too but though she was imagining things. They manage to look inside. Someone wearing a choir robe and a garish mask is standing next to a phonograph, which is playing a record of a child singing. Simon is playing the same song on the organ. Tony and Eleanor don't know what to make of this. Suddenly the door opens and Tony is attacked by the robed figure. Despite a slashed arm he manages to overpower the figure. It is Aunt Harriet. Upstairs, Aunt Harriet explains that Simon has been tormented ever since his brother's presumed suicide. Having her impersonate Tony, while playing a song that Tony sang as a child, is the only way he can get any peace. Eleanor and Tony are shocked. Aunt Harriet turns on Tony, asking why he bothered to come back. Simon continues to drink, running up huge liquor bills. One night Tony is forced to bring him home from the local pub, where he has passed. out. It is obvious that Simon hates him and even accuses him of being an impostor. Eleanor confesses that she is now afraid of Simon. While Eleanor and Tony are on a picnic, the brakes of her car fail and she is nearly killed. Once again Tony saves her life. They are forced to take a taxi home. When Simon sees them arrive from Francoise's window, he is furious. It was he who cut the brake line, hoping they would both die. Francoise is aware of this and threatens to tell the police unless Simon marries her. That night she decides to leave, but Simon catches her in the grounds. He forces her head into a nearby pond and she drowns. Eleanor begins to realize she is in love with Tony. After they kiss, she runs to her room and locks herself in, intending to cut her wrists. If she is in love with her own brother, she must be insane. Tony breaks down the door and stops her, revealing that he isn't her brother. He asks her if she will leave with him and she agrees. But Simon overpowers Tony and knocks him out. When he comes to, he is tied to a chair in the ruined chapel. Simon is the one who is insane. After getting Tony to write a fake suicide note sometime earlier, he put the note and Tony's clothing on the cliffs. In the impostor's attempts to free himself, he knocks over a lantern and fire breaks out. Simon screams and begins tearing off the paneling next to the organ console. A skeleton wearing a choir robe is revealed. It is the real Tony Ashby, who was killed by Simon. Eleanor arrives and frees the impostor. They are unable to rescue Simon, who goes to his death clutching his brother's skeleton.

Gerald [Edward de Souza] and Marianne [Jennifer Daniel] Harcourt are motoring through Europe on their honeymoon when their car runs out of petrol. Looking out over the valley from his chateau window, Dr Ravna [Noel Willman] sees them, but cannot do anything before Gerald goes for help, leaving Marianne in the car. Gerald gets a tow to the nearest hotel, where they take a room for the night. There are no other guests, save for Professor Zimmer [Clifford Evans], who spends much of his time drinking. The owners, Anna [Vera Cook] and Bruno [Peter Madden], try to make the newlyweds' stay a happy one, but they are obviously troubled by something and haven't had guests in a long time, attested to by the sheets over the furniture and remarks like, "Nobody ever stays here anymore." But no one will say why. While Gerald and Marianne take tea in their room, a letter arrives for them. It is from Dr Ravna, inviting them to dine with him. When Bruno tells them that Dr Ravna's table is the best in the country, they decide to go. Gerald and Marianne find the pheasant and wine to be tasty, Dr Ravnos to be a charming host, and his son Carl [Barry Warren] is a fine pianist. When Carl plays one of his own compositions, Marianne is almost entranced. As an added surprise, Dr Ravna says that he's sending for some petrol for their car, but it may take several days. Gerald and Marianne return to their hotel. It's late, and Marianne is tired, but not tired enough not to hear Anna sobbing in a room down the hall. Marianne peeks in and sees Anna sitting on the floor, going through some clothes and photos of her daughter Tania, who has been lost to Ravna. The next day, Carl Ravna and his sister Sabena [Jacquie Wallis] drop by the hotel to invite Gerald and Marianne to a party they are giving on Saturday night. It's going to be a gala. Ravna is bringing in a chef from Paris and an orchestra from Vienna, and Carl and Sabena offer to loan Gerald and Marianne formal clothes so they don't have to worry about their dress. Gerald invites them in for a drink, but they leave quickly when Professor Zimmer informs that the weather is changing...the sun is coming out. It's a masked ball. Marianne is given a black mask, and Gerald is given a red devil mask. Carl and Marianne dance and dance. When Marianne takes a break and wonders where Gerald has gone, Carl switches his mask for one like that being worn by Gerald and, without saying a word, he leads Marianne upstairs, where he abruptly pushes her into a room and locks the door. Marianne is alone, except for Dr Ravna, who mesmerizes her and then bites her neck. Gerald is chatting downstairs with Sabena and drinking a bit too much champagne. He wonders where Marianne is, but Sabena offers him one more "special" class of champagne. Gerald drinks it and begins to feel faint, so Sabena takes him upstairs so that he can lie down. The party-goers suddenly take off their masks, change into white gowns, and enter a ceremonial chamber where Ravna introduces Marianne as a new disciple. When Gerald wakes up, there is no evidence of any party, and everyone denies knowing Marianne. Carl tells Gerald that he came alone, drank too much, and had to sleep it off. They throw Gerald out, where he is later found laying in the road by Professor Zimmer who takes him back to the hotel. Bruno also denies knowing Marianne, and all her clothes are gone. Not even the police believe him. Only Zimmer remembers, and he tells Gerald that Marianne is being held at Ravna's chateau. Zimmer knows about the vampires. He tells Gerald about his own daughter who was made into a vampire by Ravna. That night, Gerald goes to the castle. He happens upon Tania [Isobel Black] and asks for her help. Tania leads him straight to Ravna, who calls for Marianne. Marianne, obviously entranced, doesn't want anything to do with Gerald. To prove it, she spits in his face. Ravna then tells Tania to "initiate" Gerald. Tania scratches his chest, drawing blood. As she bends forward to bite his neck, Gerald pushes her away and makes a cross on his chest using his own blood. At that moment, Zimmer enters the room. They grab Marianne and take her back to the hotel. Zimmer has placed crosses drawn with distillation of garlic on all the entrances to the chateau, which seals the vampires inside. Tonight is the full moon, he says, and Capricorn is in conjunction with Saturn, a perfect night for performing a ritual that he's been working on to destroy the vampires. While Zimmer prepares, Ravna summons Marianne, who starts walking back to the castle. When Gerald discovers that Marianne is gone, he and Father Xavier [Noel Howlett] pursue. Zimmer summons a scourge of bats that fly into the castle and bite all the vampires to death, which releases Marianne from her trance. NOTE: US version has the following story interwoven with the one above. The Stanghers live in the same village as Dr Ravna. Rosa Stangher [Virginia Gregg] sews robes for Dr Ravna, although neither she nor husband Otto [Horst Ebersberg?] know what he uses them for. Daughter Theresa [Shiela Welles] wants to step out for a while, but her father is worried about her being out alone. When he finds that his wife actually sent Theresa to Ravna's castle that afternoon to tell him that his robes were ready, Otto is really angry. Rosa refuses to believe the gossip about Ravna. Theresa's boyfriend Anton [Carl Esmond] drops by. When he finds that Theresa has received a music box as a gift from Ravna, he gets angry and warns her to never go to the chateau again. Later, as Theresa listens to the music, she feels strangely compelled to put on her shawl and go for a walk, but her mother stops her and sends her to bed. Theresa has also been invited to the ball. Her mother helps her get ready, but her father refuses to let her go. The day after the ball, the town is happy and alive again. Anton and Theresa are back together. Everyone is going to church. While Theresa gets her hat, Anton burns the musicbox. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl]

In Spain a cruel and arrogant Marques is wedding a young and beautiful maiden. During the elaborate celebration a beggar appears. After making fun of him, the marques gives the beggar some food and then has him thrown in the dungeon. The beggar becomes friends with the jailer and his young daughter. After the jailer dies, the mute girl of his grows up to be a beautiful and voluptuous woman. The marques, now an old and bitter widower, makes sexual advances toward her and she bites him and runs off. He then finds out who she is and has her thrown into the dungeon until she changes her mind about his advances. The beggar, old and deranged, rapes her. She is let out and the marques pulls his old tricks again until she stabs him to death. The young mute flees and hides in the forest until found by the kindly Don Alfredo. He and his wife take care of her until she has the beggar's baby. Unfortunately, her baby is born on Christmas, which carries awful curse that takes her life and causes her baby son to wear the mark of the beast. Years later, the young boy, still being raised by the couple, escapes their home and disappears during the night. On these nights, livestock is found slaughtered by a powerful beast. The couple finds out that it is Leon, their adopted son. A local priest reveals then that he is a werewolf and that only love can calm the savage beast. The couple heeds the priest's advice and love keeps the beast at bay. When Leon becomes a man and moves away for work, he falls for a young lady. His bestial nature takes over and he returns to his murderous ways, killing his friends. As the death toll rises, the other prophecy of the priest comes true. "Whatever weakens the spirit will strengthen the wolf." Finally, the hunter becomes the hunted, and Leon, the werewolf is killed by his own father.

Prologue: "Transylvania...land of dark forests, dread mountains, and black unfathomed lakes. Still the home of magic and devilry as the 19th C draws to its close. Count Dracula, monarch of all vampires, is dead, but his disciples live on to spread the cult and corrupt the world." Marianne Danielle [Yvonne Monlaur] is a student teacher on her way from Paris to the Lady's Academy at Bachstadt. When the coach makes an unexpected stop before reaching the Academy and then leaves without Mlle Danielle while she is getting a meal at the local inn, she is forced to secure lodging for the night. Unfortunately, the inn is full. That is, until the Baroness von Meinster [Martita Hunt] appears and offers lodging for the night at her castle. Suddenly, the innkeeper has a room, but Marianne decides to take up the Baroness's hospitality and goes to the castle. As she prepares herself for dinner, Marianne looks out the balcony window and sees a young man on the balcony below. Thinking that the baroness, the servant Greta [Freda Jackson], and herself are the only ones at the castle, she wonders who the young (and handsome) man might be. The baroness confesses that it is her son, the Baron von Meinster [David Peel], who is suffering from an undisclosed illness. Later, as Marianne prepares to sleep, she again looks out the window and sees the young man, this time walking on the ledge of his balcony. Certain that he is about to jump to his death, she calls out to him. She runs downstairs to his room and learns that he could not be contemplating a jump for he is imprisoned in his room by an anklechain. Horrified, Marianne rifles through the baroness's desk in search of the key, which she tosses to the baron. The next morning, Marianne is found lying in the forest by Dr van Helsing [Peter Cushing] who accompanies her to the school, even vouching for her when the schoolmaster accuses her of being tardy. On the way, however, they first stop at the inn where a young girl is lying in state with two piercing wounds on her neck. Ever the quintessial vampire hunter, Dr van Helsing immediately recognizes the nature of the bites and realizes that Marianne is also in jeopardy. While Marianne is being shown around by student teacher Gina [Andree Melly], van Helsing returns to the inn where he finds the local priest and the father of the dead girl arguing over her burial in the churchyard. That night, van Helsing watches over the dead girl's grave. He finds Greta lying on it, calling to her. The dead girl works her way to the surface but, before van Helsing can stake her, she changes into a bat and escapes. Van Helsing pays a visit to the castle, hoping to encounter the baron, but instead he faces the baroness, now a vampire, thanks to her loving son. To release her, van Helsing drives a stake through her heart. Meanwhile, Marianne is making her way at the school. She has a caller...the owner of the school, none other than the Baron Meinster, and he asks her hand in marriage. Everything sounds dreamy until the baron shows up in Gina's bedroom, seduces her, and turns her into a vampire. The baron and his two brides are holing up at the old windmill, so van Helsing pays them a visit. A fight follows in which van Helsing is bitten by the baron. To rid himself of the curse, van Helsing cauterizes the marks on his neck with a hot branding iron. While van Helsing recoups, the baron fetches Marianne. Again, a fight breaks out, van Helsing sprinkles the baron with holy water, and the baron kicks over a grate of burning coals, causing the mill to catch on fire. As the baron tries to flee, van Helsing leaps on the windmill and moves it just enough to form the shadow of a cross on the ground below, trapping the baron and destroying him. [Original Synopsis by bj_kuehl]

Title and Credits are shown over a painting of Baskerville Hall on a hill top during a storm. A narrator tells us, "Know then the legend of the Hound of the Baskervilles. Sir Hugo a wild, profane and godless man; An evil man, in truth for there was with him a certain ugly and cruel humor that made his name a byword in the county." A drunken party is underway and a servant is tortured by Sir Hugo (David Oxley). The servant's daughter is the prize, but she has left the house. Furious, Sir Hugo sets the hounds on her trail, "The hounds: Let loose the pack!" The servant girl escapes on the estate, Sir Hugo gives chase and both hear the loud baying of a hound. The girl takes refuge in the old abbey ruins, but Sir Hugo finds her. In a fit of rage, he stabs her with a dagger. He hears the hound. It attacks and kills him. "And so, the curse of Sir Hugo came upon the Baskervilles in the shape of a hound from Hell, forever to bring misfortune to the Baskerville family. Therefore, take heed and beware the moor in those dark hours when evil is exalted else you will surely meet the hound of Hell, the hound of the Baskervilles." Dr. Mortimer (Francis De Wolff) reads this last passage to Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) at his Baker street residence. Holmes is unimpressed and Dr. Mortimer is perturbed. Holmes asks the real reason for his visit. "The body of Sir Charles Baskerville discovered on Dartmoor early today," Dr. Mortimer reads from a local newspaper. Sir Charles was found by a servant, Barrymore, near the abbey ruins up on a hill not far from Baskerville Hall. The coroner's inquest ruled it heart failure. Dr. Mortimer's desire is to have Holmes investigate the matter because he thinks Sir Henry is in danger. Holmes agrees to see Sir Henry at his hotel the next day. Dr. Watson (Andre Morell) sees Dr. Mortimer out. Sir Henry Baskerville (Christopher Lee) is dressing in his hotel room. Holmes and Watson arrive, but Sir Henry mistakes them for hotel employees that have come to investigate a missing boot. Dr. Mortimer arrives amid the confusion and makes introductions. Sir Henry makes it clear he intends to occupy Baskerville Hall. Dr. Mortimer reluctantly tells Holmes the estate is worth about one million pounds. The will details bequests, including one thousand pounds for the Barrymores, and Dr. Mortimer is to receive forty thousand pounds. Holmes tells Sir Henry that, "I must impress upon you that I believe your life to be in considerable danger." Holmes also tells him that he is unable to leave London at the moment, but he will be sending Dr. Watson along to Dartmoor. Before anyone leaves, the first attempt on Sir Henry happens. A poisonous tarantula is hidden in a boot and crawls up near Sir Henry's head, but Holmes dispatches it. Sir Henry, Watson and Dr. Mortimer arrive in Dartmoor. Dr. Mortimer exits the cart for a short walk home. Before he walks away Perkins, the cart driver (Sam Kydd) suggests that Dr. Mortimer not walk alone. He tells him there has been a prison escape and a man named Selden, sentenced to life imprisonment is out on the moors. Sir Henry and Watson proceed to Baskerville Hall while Dr. Mortimer walks home. They are met at the Hall by Barrymore (John Le Mesurier). He gives the new master a tour of the house, and shows him a portrait of Sir Hugo. He tells him of the legend. Sir Henry notices a missing portrait, another of Sir Hugo. He is told it disappeared a few months ago. Watson is at the table finishing his meal. Sir Henry offers a toast, but Mrs. Barrymore (Helen Goss), visibly upset drops her glass then excuses herself. Dr. Watson asks Barrymore about the death of Sir Charles, as he found the body. Dr. Watson asks Barrymore if he believes in the legend of the hound. Barrymore tells Dr. Watson that he has heard the terrible howl. Dr. Watson is awakened in the night to the sound of a woman moaning. He investigates but finds nothing. The next morning the local Vicar, Bishop Frankland (Miles Malleson) stops to ask Sir Henry for a donation to the church. He is invited in for a glass of sherry. Sir Henry asks Mrs. Barrymore to donate an old suit to the jumble sale. Dr. Watson stops at the Grimpen Post Office to get a telegram from Holmes. It reminds Watson, "Under no circumstances allow Sir Henry to venture on the moor alone at night." Dr. Watson walks back to Baskerville Hall through the moor. He encounters Stapleton (Ewen Solon) who warns the doctor he was about to step into a trap. Stapleton also warns Watson to stick to the trail, lest he fall into the Grimpen Mire. Along the walk he encounters Cecile Stapleton (Maria Landi). Watson asks her if he is on the right path to Baskerville Hall. She bolts without answering, and Watson follows her but he falls into the mire. Stapleton rescues him, Cecile returns and helps. The Stapletons, father and daughter, return Dr. Watson to Baskerville Hall. Watson and Stapleton go into the house, and Cecile remains in the cart outside. They don't know Sir Henry is out riding his horse. Sir Henry arrives and talks to Cecile. She is very rude to Sir Henry. She runs away and when confronted, she kisses Sir Henry. That evening after everyone else has gone to bed, Sir Henry is joined by Dr. Watson. They see a light under the door of an unoccupied room. A candle burns near a window. Sir Henry notices a light out on the moor--a signal. Dr. Watson and Sir Henry investigate outside and find the source of the light. They find Selden (Michael Mulcaster), the escaped convict. They give chase and hear the hound. Sir Henry suffers a mild heart attack. Dr. Watson helps him back to the hall. Dr. Mortimer examines Sir Henry and orders bed rest. Dr. Watson wants Mortimer to stay and watch Sir Henry while he returns to the moor. Watson goes to the abbey ruins and encounters Holmes asking, "Why have you left Sir Henry alone?" Holmes tells Watson he has been in Devon for the whole time gathering information from Selden. "Selden told me all he had seen since hes been hiding." They hear the hound in the distance and run to investigate. Holmes notices Dr. Mortimer left Baskerville Hall. They hear a man scream and rush to investigate. They spot a man they believe to be Sir Henry dead. Holmes and Watson return to Baskerville Hall to get help to move the body. They see a light under the door of the signal room. Inside the room is Sir Henry reading a book. Sir Henry asks, "Who was it Holmes? Who was the poor devil that died instead of me?" Holmes deduces it was Selden, "Selden had on the suit you were wearing when we met in London." The next morning, Holmes and Watson return to the site of the death of Selden. They go to the abbey ruins and there they find blood on a stone and a dagger. Barrymore finds Selden's body, which had been moved from the night before. His body has been mutilated. "Some revolting sacrificial rite has been performed," Holmes notes. At the Hall, Holmes confronts Mrs. Barrymore and extracts the confession she was aiding her brother, Selden. She gave him food and Sir Henry's clothes and used the candle as a signal. Holmes pays a visit on the Bishop to inquire about a missing spider. Holmes knows the Bishop is regarded as the highest living authority on the study of rare spiders. He asks about the genus Theraphosa--tarantula. Bishop Frankland finally admits he is missing a tarantula and volunteers his visitor list, which included Dr. Mortimer and the Stapletons. Sir Henry stops at the Stapleton cottage. He lets himself in when no one answers his knock. Cecile appears and asks, "Why did you come here?" Stapleton is out and Cecile tells Sir Henry he is invited for dinner. She tells Sir Henry she is Spanish and her mother is dead. Her father returned to farm, but the property is no good. Sir Henry is in love with Cecile. Stapleton walks in and sees his daughter and Sir Henry being intimate. They sit and have a drink. Holmes and Watson meet with and confront Dr. Mortimer. They suspect he may have had a hand in the strange circumstances surrounding the death of Sir Charles and the attempts on Sir Henry. They ask about an old tin mine on the property. Mortimer tells Holmes that Stapleton may be more help as it is under his land. Holmes insists in seeing the mine, and insists that Dr. Mortimer accompany him. Holmes shows Mortimer the dagger that was used on Selden and the same as Sir Hugo used to kill the servant girl centuries earlier. Stapleton, Dr. Mortimer, and Holmes explore the old tin mine. Watson stays above. It is dank and water seeps through from the mire above. Holmes is looking for bones. While Stapleton and Mortimer chock the wheels of an old mining cart, Holmes explores deeper. He tells the two men, "We won't need to go any further, I've found what I came down for." They hear the hound howling. The cart runs down the rails, hits a support beam and causes a cave in, trapping Holmes. They dig for a while, but after two hours they stop. As it turns out, Holmes is waiting in the cart. He hurt his leg. Back at Baskerville Hall, Sir Henry invites Holmes and Watson to join him for dinner at the Stapletons. Holmes is very rude to Sir Henry. This is his plan--he wants Sir Henry to leave without them. The dagger is missing and Holmes has learned that Sir Hugo's hands were webbed, like Stapleton's hands. It turns out Stapleton is next in line for the Baskerville fortune. Holmes and Watson head for the abbey ruins where Sir Henry and Cecile have gone. She is leading Sir Henry to her father, the hound, and certain death. Fortunately Holmes and Watson hear Cecile's plan as she tells Sir Henry he will die. The hound appears and leaps on Sir Henry. It begins to maul him. Stapleton attacks Watson as he tries to shoot the hound. They scuffle briefly but Watson manages to shoot Stapleton. Holmes shoots the hound which turns on Stapleton. Cecile retrieves the dagger and tries to finish Sir Henry off, but Holmes intervenes. Cecile escapes. Holmes and Watson help Sir Henry to his feet and show him the dead dog. The dog was kept in the mine, starved for weeks, given the scent and turned loose. His missing boot was the scent. Cecile still running slips into the mire and is pulled under. Back in London Holmes and Watson admire a gift sent by Sir Henry. It is the missing portrait of Sir Hugo, showing his deformed hand, as a souvenir Holmes can add to his collection. Sir Henry also included a check for a very generous amount. Watson asks Holmes about what clue was the key. Holmes quips that, "the missing boot put me on the scent." We close with Holmes and Watson having tea.

1860 and Baron Frankenstein [Peter Cushing] is to be executed for the murders his creature committed. The Baron is taken from his prison cell to the guillotine but a scuffle is heard before the blade drops... In a bar, two drunk grave robbers Fritz [Lionel Jeffries] and Kurt [Michael Ripper] talk about a potential job. Kurt is reluctant at first but agrees when he hears the price. They open the grave of Baron Frankenstein but inside the coffin is the priest from the execution. Frankenstein appears, causing Fritz to suffer a fatal heart attack in shock. The Baron and his partially paralysed and deformed assistant Karl [Oscar Quitak] bury Fritz in the open grave. Three years later and Baron Frankenstein is now practising as a medical doctor called Dr. Stein in Carlsbruck but is not a member of the town's medical council. The council are not happy about this so they send a delegation to try to persuade him to join or to stop him practising. Stein is working in his overcrowded hospital ward full of sick patients when the council delegation arrives. He refuses to join them, saying the council only exists to eliminate competition and he has succeeded alone. Doctor Hans Kleve [Francis Matthews] is waiting for Stein when he returns to his office from the ward. He recognises Stein as Baron Frankenstein and negotiates to work with and learn from him in exchange for his silence about the Baron's former indiscretions. Stein agrees and takes Kleve to his laboratory and introduces him to Karl. In the laboratory are various body parts that Stein has removed from patients in his hospital ward. Stein demonstrates how disembodied eyes and a hand connected to a remote brain react to a flame. Also in the laboratory is a chimpanzee into which Stein has transplanted the brain of a orangutan. In another preservation tank, Stein shows Kleve a complete man [Michael Gwynn] constructed from various body parts. The only thing missing is a live brain. Karl helped Stein escape the guillotine and has agreed to donate his brain in return for the new body. Back at the hospital, Margaret [Eunice Gayson], the daughter of the president of the medical council, arrives at the ward to work with Stein and Kleve as a compromise to allow Stein to keep his hospital open. That night in the laboratory, Stein and Kleve perform the operation on Karl and transplant his brain into the new body. During the operation the creature becomes highly agitated and they have to subdue it until the brain becomes used to the new body. They move Karl to the hospital but are seen by the hospital porter who confides in Margaret about Stein's activities. The next day Margaret visits Karl and releases him from his straps because he is uncomfortable. The hospital assistant talks to Kleve about changes in animals. This prompts Kleve to start wondering if a brain may react differently in a different body. Kleve returns to the laboratory where he and Stein discuss the chimpanzee which has started eating meat since its brain transplant. Karl escapes from his room at the hospital via the window and returns to the laboratory that night after Stein and Kleve have left. He finds his old body and throws it into a furnace but is overheard by the janitor [George Woodbridge] who comes to investigate. At first the janitor thinks the chimpanzee is making the noise, but as Karl tries to leave he accidentally starts up lab equipment connected to another complete body in a glass tank. The janitor fights with Karl and although Karl is meek to start with he soon becomes angry and kills the janitor. Stein and Kleve go to Karl's room to find him gone. They rush back to the laboratory and find the janitor's body and the burnt remains of Karl's old body. Stein tells Kleve to return to the hospital and continue as normal. Margaret finds Karl hiding in her stables so goes to the hospital to fetch Kleve. Meanwhile, Karl is struggling to control his new body in the stable and when Margaret and Kleve return, Karl has gone. That night, Stein and Kleve search for Karl. Karl murders a girl as his cannibal tendencies start to develop. Stein and Kleve go to Margaret's house and the now disfigured Karl breaks in and implores Frankenstein to help him. One of the other house guests, Dr Molke [Arnold Diamond], sees this and reports Frankenstein to the medical council. Stein and Kleve attend the medical council where Stein denies he is Baron Frankenstein and suggests they obtain proof. The medical council open the Baron's grave again and find the priest's body. Back in the hospital ward, none of the patients want to be treated by the man they now believe to be Frankenstein. The patients all attack Frankenstein but before they kill him Kleve arrives and takes him to the laboratory to tend to his injuries. However, Frankenstein is mortally wounded so Kleve transplants his brain from his disfigured and mutilated body into a new one. A police inspector and the medical council members arrive at the laboratory to arrest Frankenstein but Kleve shows them Frankenstein's old body and they leave, believing Frankenstein to now be dead. Frankenstein and Kleve relocate to Harley Street in London where Frankenstein resumes practising medicine under the name Dr Franck.

May 3, 1885: Jonathan Harker [John Van Eyssen] goes to Castle Dracula with a job as librarian. Harker writes in his diary that his purpose is to end Dracula's "reign of terror". A woman he meets in castle [Valerie Gaunt] asks him to help her escape, but the woman turns out to be a vampire. She attempts to bite Harker, but Dracula [Christopher Lee] intervenes. The next morning, Harker finds marks on his neck and knows he must act fast. He hides his diary at a crossroads, goes to the crypt, stakes the woman vampire, but Dracula wakes up. Days later Van Helsing [Peter Cushing] arrives at Klausenberg Inn; asking after Harker. The innkeeper's wife Inga [Barbara Archer] gives him Harker's dairy. Van Helsing goes to Dracula's castle where he sees a funeral coach leaving. He finds Harker lying in a coffin and stakes him. Weeks later, in Karlstadt, Van Helsing informs Arthur [Michael Gough] and Mina [Melissa Stribbing] Holmwood of Harker's death. Harker's fiancee, Lucy Holmwood [Carol Marsh], is ill and is being treated for anemia by Dr Seward [Charles Lloyd Pack]. When alone, Lucy opens her window and lets in Dracula. Mina seeks advice from Van Helsing who examines Lucy, sees marks on her neck, and instructs Mina not to open windows and to use garlic, but the maid Gerda [Olga Dickie] removes the garlic and opens the windows. The next morning, Lucy is dead. Van Helsing gives Harker's diary to Arthur to read. That evening, policemen bring home the maid's child Tania [Janine Faye] who reports seeing Lucy. Later that night, Van Helsing and Arthur go to Lucy's tomb. Van Helsing suggests that this is Dracula's revenge for the woman Harker staked. Van Helsing and Arthur go to the douane at Ingstadt to see where Dracula's coffin was bound (49 Frederichstrasse in Karlstadt). Meanwhile Mina gets a note to meet "Arthur" at 49 Frederichstrasse. Van Helsing and Arthur go to that address (it's a funeral home) and find Dracula's coffin gone. They go home just as Mina arrives from a "morning walk". Arthur gives Mina a cross to wear but it burns her hand and they know Dracula has gotten to her. They watch the house all night but Dracula gets in somehow and drinks from Mina. She receives a blood transfusion from Arthur, after which Van Helsing suggests that Arthur have a glass of wine. However, Gerda refuses to go down to wine cellar because Mina has forbidden her to do so. Turns out that Dracula is there. Dracula escapes and takes Mina to his castle. Van Helsing and Arthur follow. Dracula sees dawn approaching and stops from burying Mina. Van Helsing follows him into the castle. Dracula attempts to kill Van Helsing, but Van Helsing leaps onto some curtains, tearing them down and letting in sunlight. Dracula starts to deteriorate. Van Helsing grabs two candlesticks and makes a cross out of them. Dracula turns to dust; Mina is released. [Original synopsis by bj_kuehl]

The movie opens with text over a red background that reads, "More than a hundred years ago, in a mountain village in Switzerland, lived a man whose strange experiments with the dead have since become legend. The legend is still told with horror the world over...It is the legend of..." A clever segway into the title: The Curse of Frankenstein. Credits follow. A man on horseback approaches a prison in the mountains along a narrow pathway. A church bell chimes the hour as a man opens the gate for the rider. He is a priest (Alex Gallier). He is escorted by the Warder (Michael Mulcaster) to see Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing). The warder explains that the prisoner is dangerous. The Baron wishes to see the priest because he thinks he can trust the man with his story. He starts his story, "I suppose it was when I was a boy at school. I always had a brilliant intellect. When my mother died, I inherited the Frankenstein fortune." The Young Baron (Melvyn Hayes) is escorting his extended family out of his house after his mother died. His uncle (Raymond Ray) leads the family delegation. Aunt Sophie (Noel Hood) and her daughter, young Elizabeth (Sally Walsh) stay behind. Aunt Sophie wants reassurance her allowance will continue uninterrupted. After confirming the money will continue, Victor quickly escorts the two relatives out the door. As they are leaving, a dapper gentleman in a brown top hat arrives. Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart) walks into the house and presents himself to the new, but very young, Baron. He had corresponded with the Baron for a tutor. Initially he thinks there must be some mistake or a joke, but Victor explains the tutoring is for himself and he is serious. The two hit it off immediately. After two years, "I learned all he had to teach, but we went on together probing into the unknown, investigating, recording, searching, always searching until gradually the sweep of our research began to assume a single direction and to this aim we finally turned all our energies. It took us years of unrelenting work to discover what we were seeking." With chemical and electrical apparatus they were able to restore life to a dead puppy. Paul sees the possibilities of their discovery. He notes, "If we could delay or prolong the period in which the body is apparently dead while the heart is alive wed have a living body with only the barest life-spark present. That what that would mean when it came to performing major surgery!" Paul wants to write up their findings and present it at a medical conference within a month. Victor expresses his opposition because he wants to experiment further and does not want to share the secret, not yet at least. He proposes the next step. Rather than just restore life, he wants to create life from the beginning. He tells Paul, "We must build up our own creature, and built it up from nothing. We must create a human beinga perfect human." Paul disagrees, "What you're saying is nonsense, a revolt against nature. Such a thing could only end in evil." Victor persuades Paul to continue the work. He proposes to obtain a body, and knows a highwayman was hanged for his crimes and suggests they retrieve it. They take a horse and cart and cut down the body and return it to their lab. Paul notes that half the head has been eaten away. Victor quickly cuts the head off, explaining it is of no use. He dumps it into a vat of acid in the storage room next door. They remove the old clothes, wrap the body in bandages and place it in a large, glass tank. Now Paul voices his objection to the whole exercise, "I don't think we should continue with this." Victor tells Paul he will be leaving for a while but does not explain where or why. Justine the maid (Valerie Gaunt) carries refreshments into the living room and asks Paul if the Baron has returned. She answers the door, expecting that Victor has returned. To her disappointment it is not the Baron but a woman who tells her she was expected and needs help with her luggage. Elizabeth (Hazel Court) is the Baron's cousin and we learn later his fiancée. She mistakes Paul for the Baron. Victor arrives home in an excited state calling for Paul. He is not surprised to see Elizabeth. He and Paul rush off to the lab upstairs leaving Elizabeth annoyed and confused. Victor unwraps something from a small black bag. He proudly displays two hands, cut off at the wrist. He explains they are Bardello's hands--the hands of the world's greatest sculptor. Paul voices his objection to exposing Elizabeth to the experiment. He tells Victor, "While you were away, I decided I could not continue with this experiment." He tries to convince Victor to stop, but he is unsuccessful. Victor remains in the lab and will graft the new hands on by himself. Paul goes downstairs and tries to convince Elizabeth to leave. In this he is also unsuccessful, mainly because he will not explain the nature of the experiment or the danger. She explains she is to be Victor's wife. Outside the lab, Victor and Justine embrace and kiss. Victor is just toying with the maid. She believes she will be his wife, but Victor tells her that Elizabeth is to be his wife. The next morning Victor prepares to leave on another trip. Elizabeth talks to him about the household accounts and possibly assisting in other ways. Victor pays a visit to the Municipal Charnel House and buys a pair of human eyes. Victor takes them home to examine them when Paul asks to see him. He reiterates his refusal to help Victor with his work. Victor proudly shows Paul how far he has gone on his own. Paul turns away from the tank with revulsion and exclaims, "It's horrible!" Victor tells Paul that once a genius brain is obtained and installed the creature will take on a benevolent face. When asked where the brain will come from, Victor replies, "I'll get it." Victor and Elizabeth are in the living room entertaining a visitor. Professor Bernstein (Paul Hardtmuth) accepted an invitation from the Baron for dinner and to spend the night. The professor tells Victor that discoveries can be mishandled. Paul enters the room and is introduced to the distinguished professor. Victor escorts the old man upstairs to his room. At the top of the stairs Victor shows him a painting, maneuvering the old man closer to the bannister, which gives way. Victor pushes the old man through and down to his death. Professor Bernstein is given a burial at the Baron's expense and in his family vault. Later that evening the Baron retrieves Bernstein's brain. He carefully places the jar in his bag and prepares to leave the vault. Paul arrives, expecting to find Victor and accuses him of murder. Paul intends to stop Victor from using the brain, and tells him so. They briefly struggle over the bag and the jar is broken. Paul calls on Elizabeth in her room and again begs her to leave. He explains he only stays to ensure her safety. In the lab, Victor is picking pieces of glass out of the brain, trying to salvage it. He puts the brain into the skull and prepares to revive his newly finished creature. He starts the chemical and electrical equipment as an electrical storm brews outside. Paul is upstairs in his room preparing for bed. As the tank empties, Victor goes to Paul's room and again asks for help. He admits, "That apparatus was constructed for dual operation. You know that. I thought I could work it myself, but I can't." But Paul gleefully replies, "I'm delighted." A lightning bolt starts the electrical components and the body in the empty tank begins to breathe. Victor promises that after the experiment is completed he will dispose of the body. Paul reluctantly agrees to help. Victor returns to the lab and hears glass breaking. He unlocks the lab door and standing there is the creature. It pulls away the bandages covering its head to reveal a scarred and hideous face (Christopher Lee). One eye is blue, the other brown, and it stares at its creator with hate. It grabs Victor and chokes him. Only Paul's quick action saves Victor. He breaks a chair over the thing's head. The creature stumbles and falls to the floor. Paul demands the creature be destroyed as Victor straps it down to a table. Victor tells Paul he will operate on the brain the next morning and try to correct its homicidal tendencies. But the next morning the lab is a shambles and the window broken. The creature has broken free and escaped. Victor and Paul search the countryside for the creature. An old blind man (Fred Johnson) and his grandson (Claude Kingston) are out in the woods for a stroll. The old man sits and the grandson goes down to the lake shore to pick mushrooms. The creature encounters the old man. After a brief exchange he kills the old man. The grandson returns to where he left his grandfather. Victor and Paul find signs and follow it into the woods. They find it, and Paul shoots the creature through the eye. The creature falls and is pronounced dead. They bury it in place and return to the house. Paul goes to the lab and tells Victor he is leaving. With the creature dead, he no longer needs to stay and protect Elizabeth. But Paul doesn't know Victor dug his creation up and returned its lifeless body back to the lab. Victor stares at his creature hanging in the store room and promises, "I'll give you life again." Victor is dressed and tells Justine she can serve dinner. Justine reminds Victor of his promise to marry her. Her trump card is the revelation she is pregnant with his child. He does not believe he is the father, but Justine informs the master that Elizabeth will believe her. She adds that she will go to the authorities regarding the experiment. He fires the maid and orders that she leave the next morning. That night Justine goes up to the lab to get the proof she will need for the authorities. Victor leaves the lab door unlocked and Justine enters for a look. She enters the storage room and finds the revived creature. When she tries to flee, Victor locks her in, knowing his homicidal creation will kill her. It does. A week later, Victor and Elizabeth are having breakfast. Elizabeth inquires about Justine. Victor lies and tells her, "I expect some village lothario eloped with her." They discuss the wedding plans. Elizabeth reveals she invited Paul. Instead of being angry, Victor casually informs her he hopes Paul comes. He says that he has something to show Paul. It is the eve of the wedding, and a reception at the Baron's home is underway. The Burgomaster (Andrew Leigh) is enjoying the laced punch and practicing his speech. His wife (Ann Blake) reproaches her drunk husband and they leave for home. When all the guests have left, Victor announces he will be working in the lab. Elizabeth is disappointed and tells her future husband. Paul does not attend the reception, but does come later that evening. Elizabeth tells Paul to go surprise Victor. Victor is preparing a plate of flood when Paul knocks on the lab door. Victor invites his old tutor into the lab. He leads him to the storage room. Paul is shocked to discover the creature chained to the wall and showing signs of brain surgery. Victor orders the creature onto its feet. It struggles but stands, then sits when ordered. Paul chides the Baron about the creature's lack of perfection, but Victor reminds Paul, "There you see the result of your handiwork as much as mine...but you damaged it. You put a bullet in the wretched thing. This is your fault, Paul." Paul exits the lab, promising to go to the authorities and have them destroy the creature. Victor chases after him. He leaves the lab door unlocked and Elizabeth enters the lab. The creature breaks its chains. Elizabeth enters the storage room and sees the vat of acid. The creature gets out onto the roof. Victor and Paul see it and Paul goes to the village for help. Elizabeth goes outside to explore a noise she heard. Victor grabs a pistol and goes out to the roof. Firing at the creature he hits Elizabeth, then the creature. Only wounded, the creature approaches Victor. A well-aimed toss of an oil lamp sets the creature ablaze. The creature falls through the skylight and straight into the acid filled vat below. We return to the prison, and the priest still listening to the story now finished. Victor concludes, "My life's work destroyed. Destroyed in a moment. And by the same hand that gave it life." Paul comes to visit Victor at the prison. Elizabeth was only wounded and recovers. She is also at the prison, but stays in the waiting area. Victor begs Paul to tell the priest about the creature and to verify the story, but Paul denies it. He does accuse Victor of murdering Justine. Victor claims it was the creature who murdered the maid. The priest leaves the cell. Victor tries to kill Paul, but the jailer prevents it. Paul leaves the cell and returns to talk to Elizabeth. He takes her home. Victor is led to his execution. The last scene is of a guillotine, seen in silhouette, and the credits roll.