Review – Gothic

Ken Russell puts his unmistakable thumbprint all over this terrifically terrible movie loosely based on the weekend that gave birth to the original Frankenstein story. Gabriel Byrne and Julian Sands do battle to see who can ham it up the worst, though ultimately the title has to go to Myriam Cyr as Claire, Mary Shelly’s half-sister. I suppose there might have been half a concept here; fears so concentrated that they become real is almost believable in the romantic, gothic realm of the poets in question. There’s also some solid erotic horror potential in here as well. But Russell brings his usual aplomb with female characters to full bear, and that alone is enough to kill the production. Throw in an unusually disjointed script and all you’re really left with on the plus side is a lengthy parade of the director’s distinctive visual style, sometimes entertaining but not enough on its own to sustain a picture of this length. See if desperate