Tuesday, October 21, 2025

THE 31 DAYS OF HORROR-WEEN: FRANKENSTEIN GENERAL HOSPITAL (1988) **

Six years after starring in the ho-hum Jekyll and Hyde… Together Again, Mark (Fridays) Blankfield tried his hand at another horror spoof of a beloved monster character.  This one is equally bland and unfunny. 

Blankfield stars as Bob Frankenstein, who works by day as a doctor in a hospital, but by night tries to create a monster (Irwin Keyes from House of 1000 Corpses) in his laboratory down in the basement.  The annoying Leslie Jordan is Frankenstein’s inept assistant Iggy who sneaks around stealing body parts when no one is looking.  After the experiment is a success, it doesn’t take long before the monster escapes from the lab and wreaks havoc on the hospital. 

Frankenstein General Hospital has been referred to as “the worst Frankenstein movie of all time”.  Well, it’s not THAT bad (Frankenstein Island, anyone?), but it never once comes close to approaching “good”.  If you enjoyed Jekyll and Hyde… Together Again, you may find something to appreciate here.  All others should probably steer clear. 

The big problem is that it’s a horror comedy that frankly never delivers on the laughs.  The jokes are feebly constructed and indifferently delivered.  There’s also a lame running gag of people laughing every time the doctor mentions his “secret experiment”. 

It’s not all bad though.  All the scenes in the doctor’s lab are in black and white, which was a nice touch.  These sequences at least look the part, even if the jokes land with a thud.  We also get some small servings of T & A, which help a little. 

I’ve never been much of a Blankfield fan, so this one didn’t do a whole lot for me.  Thankfully, Keyes is fun as the monster, especially when he becomes smart.  Playboy Playmate of the Year (1986) Kathy Shower is easy on the eyes as a sexy shrink who doubles as a dominatrix.  We also have Ben Stein as a doctor, a cameo by Bobby “Boris” Pickett of “Monster Mash” fame, and a photo of Colin Clive. 

AKA:  General Hospital.  AKA:  Monster Hospital.

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