In a time of movie oversaturation, it’s tough to stand out in a crowd, especially when it comes to the horror genre. These days films are judged by their budgets instead of the creativity put into them. That means films like Frankenstien’s Army unfortunately fly below most people’s radar. That’ll be too bad for them, because they’ll be missing out of some of the most fun and creative monster designs seen in years.
Born from the mind of Richard Raaphorts, who’s better known as an artist (Beyond Reanimator), takes his first shot at directing a feature length film that feels more like 84 minutes running around a horror fun house than a standard hack and slash-fest. Filmed as found footage during World War II, a group of Russian soldiers find themselves lured into an Eastern German village that contains things more horrifying than they could have ever prepared themselves for.
The movie does start a little slow as characters are introduced and little clues are planted as to something not being right. This is where the choice of the found footage style hurts the most. Although cleverly used, making it look as if new reels and lenses are being used makes viewing the film jarring. But once things begin to unravel, the movie kicks into high gear and the monsters come out to play.
The monsters of Frankenstein’s Army are some of the most unique and creative monsters to ever escape a mad man’s sketchbook. Designed with an almost limitless glee and disregard for any rules, creatures like “Hammerhead”, “Mosquito Man”, and “Propellerhead” are the real stars of the film. The soldiers never really make a large impression throughout the movie, so once the monsters appear, it’s easy for them to take the lime light. Created by the mad scientist Viktor Frankenstein as ultimate super soliders, each of Viktor’s creatures is a patchwork of dead flesh and machine, completely programmable and unable to feel pain. With all of the anticipation built up for the film and its true stars, it’s actually a little disappointing that Frankenstein’s army is only in it for as much as it is.
All the same, Frankenstein’s Army has its highs and lows, but remains one of the best examples of filmmakers who are still making wild fantasies come to life. Richard Raaphorts’ long struggles have paid off, as this is the kind of movie you will never forget.
Available today online and in stores in both BluRay and DVD, catch it in a cool theater house, or watch it on VoD! Check out more, including Zombot backgrounds, galleries, and tailers at FrankensteinsArmy.com.