FRANKENSTEIN (Standard Edition Blu-ray) PRE-ORDER

FRANKENSTEIN, LEGEND OF TERROR (KYOFU DENSETSU: KAIKI!
FURANKENSHUTAIN) – 1981, Toei Animation, 98 min. “Don’t tell me you believe in
monsters?,” asks the balding police inspector investigating a series of grisly
supernatural murders, in this surprisingly adult Gothic Japanese animated feature based
on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, published in 1818. Produced by Toei Animation and
directed by Yugo Serikawa (THE LITTLE PRINCE & THE EIGHT-HEADED DRAGON,
CYBORG 009), the film opens on images of a ruined graveyard and a castle lab with
gruesome animal heads and bone saws – and never lets up from there, as Dr.
Frankenstein (voiced by Nachi Nozawa), his wife and daughter are followed by the
tormented creature (voiced by Hosei Komatsu), who is barely able to mutter his own
name (he’s known as just “Franken” in the film.) The hulking, shambling “Franken”
ultimately emerges as a pitiable and despairing figure on par with Boris Karloff’s
incarnation from the 1930s (and watch for the scene where he staggers into a church
and compares the wound on his hand to the stigmata on the crucified Jesus!). Newly
restored in 4K from the original camera negative by Deaf Crocodile and Toei Animation,
this excellent and too-long overlooked Gothic gem takes its place as one of the finest
Japanese animated horror and sci-fi films from the 1980s. In Japanese w/ English
subtitles.

• New restoration from the original 35mm negative based on a new 5K scan by Toei Animation. Digital restoration for Deaf Crocodile by Craig Rogers and Michael Coronado. Restoration color grade by Tyler Fagerstrom.  

• 48-page illustrated booklet featuring:

• New essay by film critic Walter Chaw

• New essay by animator & filmmaker Dorian Saisse

• Rare original production art from the film from the archives of Toei Animation

• New audio commentary by film historian Arne Venema

• New visual essay by Ryan Verrill and Dr. Will Dodson of Someone’s Favorite Prod

• New roundtable with Eisner Hall of Fame comics artist, film historian and author Stephen R. Bissette, acclaimed comics artist Kelley Jones and podcaster Erik Hanson (Cradle to the Grave), discussing the long, rich history of Frankenstein adaptations in film and comics from the Silent Era up to today - moderated by Dennis Bartok.

• New graphic design and cover art by Beth Morris

• New subtitles by Jason Franzman

• Blu-ray authoring by Vital Passenger