Frankenstein Reborn! (1998)

[bunniefuu]

[dramatic scary music]
[flames crackle]

[flames roar]

[thunder cracks]
[dramatic creepy music]

[dirt shuffles]

[shovel thuds]

[liquid pours and sizzles]

[bones crunch]

[dark brooding music]
[wolf howls]

[hooves clop]
[carriage rattles]

[dramatic choral music]

[horse neighs]

[footsteps shuffle]

[knocker thuds]

[door creaks open]

- Who the devil do you
think you are knocking

at this door in the
middle of the night?

How did you get in here?

- I'm Anna.
- What?

- I'm Anna Frankenstein.
I'm supposed to be-

- You're not supposed to be
here until tomorrow afternoon.

We are not ready for you.
- Yes, I know.

They put me on an earlier train.

- Well, it's a nuisance.
- I'm sorry.

[footsteps shuffle]

[door thuds shuts]
[tense music]

- Put it there and wait
here. Don't go wandering off.

[knock thuds]
[door creaks open]

[footsteps shuffle]

- Victor?

- No.

[tense brooding music]

- Come on.

[footsteps shuffle]

[door creaks shut]
[footsteps shuffle]

- So you're my late
brother's daughter?

- Yes.

- So he and his wife manage

to get themselves
k*lled in an accident.

Now I suppose I'm stuck
with you. Is that it?

- I'm sure they didn't mean
to be an inconvenience.

- No, I'm sure they didn't.
This is not just my home.

It's where I conduct my
work, my experiments.

When you're in the castle, you
are to remain in your room.

You can go down to the
kitchen for your meals.

During the day, you can go
out and romp in the woods

or do whatever it is
that young girls do.

Do not wander around the
castle, inside or outside.

This is my home. I
want it respected.

Do you understand?
- I think so.

I don't romp, though. [chuckles]

Do you have any books.
- Books?

Do you mean you read?

- Yes, I read. Do
you have any books?

- I have a library
full of books,

but I can't have you
wandering about in there.

I'll have Frau Herstner find
you some children's books.

That's all. Take
her away, Herstner.

[slow dramatic music]

- Yes, sir.

Come on.

[footsteps shuffle]
[door opens]

[door shuts]

- That man coming out of my
uncle's study, who was he?

- That's Herr Ludwig.

He help your uncle
with his experiments.

You aren't to bother him.
- What experiments?

- Beg your pardon?

- What exactly does my
uncle experiment on?

- What business is
that of yours or mine?

You ask a great many questions.

- Do I?

How am I supposed
to learn anything

if I don't ask questions?

- You know, in a
proper young lady,

curiosity is an extremely
unattractive attribute,

something else we
have to work on.

Here.

- Are there any
other kids my age?

[door opens]
[footsteps shuffle]

[door shuts]

Never mind.

[footsteps shuffle]

[slow dramatic music]
[crickets chirp]

[deep muffled rumble echoes]

[footsteps shuffle]

[dramatic music]
[machinery clicks and whirs]

- Now pull the levers.

Elevate the frame.

[crank clicks]

It lives!

There's a pulse.

[heels clack]

- Stay here, eat your breakfast,

then go out and play, but
not around the castle.

- Is there anyone else my age?

[feet thud]
[serveware clinks]

Hi. I'm Anna Frankenstein.
Hi, I'm Anna.

Hi, I'm Anna Frankenstein.
Hi, I'm Anna Frankenstein.

Hi, I'm Anna Frankenstein.

[feet thud]
[soft dramatic music]

Hi, I'm George Frankenstein.

- Nice to meet you, George.

[footsteps shuffle]

[birds chirp]

[footsteps shuffle]

[rooster crows]

[footsteps shuffle]

Hello again, George.
- Oh, it's you.

My name's Anna.
- Oh, I like that better.

Mine's Thomas.

Look, don't tell your uncle
that I'm talking to you, okay?

- Why not?

- Maybe he's afraid
you'll find things out.

Any idea what that sound is?

- Like, find what things out?

- This shaft isn't part of
the original construction.

It's only been here a few years.

They brought in workers
all the way from Hildesheim

to build these shafts,
do some other work

down in the basement
of the castle.

Nobody knows what.
- For my uncle's experiments?

- I suppose, some sort
of mischief, anyway.

- What does he do down there?

- Don't know.

- Wouldn't you like to know?

- On one hand, I do,
but on the other,

I'm not sure that I'd
like what I found out.

- It's very risky.
- It would be at that.

Of course, I sleep in
the groundskeepers lodge,

not the castle.
- Oh.

- But I can get into the castle.

- You can?
- Sure.

You know, George, there's
a trick to poking around.

Start when you're about five
and you make all your mistakes

when you're too young to
earn more than a beating.

By the time you get old enough
to get into real trouble,

you don't make
any more mistakes.

- So you know the
inside of the castle.

- Inside, outside, all around,
except for the basement.

That's locked up real tight.

Nobody goes down there except
for the baron and Ludwig.

- Show me.

[tense music]
[lock clicks]

[key slides]

[lock clicks]
[door creaks open]

- Not bad. Ready
for the grand tour?

- Do you know where
the library is?

- I know where everything is.

- Can you take me there?
- Come on.

[dark ethereal music]

[crickets chirp]

- These are all medical books.

Anatomy, physiology, chemistry.

They're books of experiments.

[footsteps shuffle]

Look. Subject,
white rat, D by D.

Do you have any idea
what that means?

Wait. Length, length of
exposure, 12 seconds.

No reaction. Subject, white rat.

Subject, dog, D by D, D by D.

Now it's different. D
by P, cyanide injected.

- What's cyanide?
- It's a poison.

- D by P, death by poison,
and D by D, death by drowning?

- You know a lot, don't you?
Reading and books and things?

- I don't know as
much as I'd like.

Here, see if you can
find anything else.

I'm gonna check the last volume.

[footsteps shuffle]

[footsteps shuffle]

See what else there is.

- That's no good. Can't read.

- You can't read?
- I never bothered with it.

- I'm sorry.
- Why?

I'd like to see how
well you do in a garden.

- This isn't the current volume.
It only goes up to March.

Subject, dog, D by P, cyanide.

Length of exposure, 28 seconds.

Revivification achieved
2nd of February, 12:43 PM.

Pulse, heartbeat, erratic;
breathing, labored;

behavior, agitated
and aggressive.

Refused food. Lived
42 hours, 20 minutes.

- What's all that mean?

[dog barks]
[tense music]

- I don't know.

[horse neighs]
[dog barks]

[footsteps shuffle]

You know him? That's Ludwig,
your uncle's assistant.

- Yeah, I've met him.

- He lords over the rest of
the staff, that's for sure.

Actually like he
runs the castle.

[dog barks]
[cart rattles]

- What's that on the cart?

Looks like a coffin.

- Yeah, it does, doesn't
it? Wonder whose.

- Limbs are in good condition.
We'll salvage those.

Thorax is useless.
Viscera is necrotic.

- The head?
- Useless.

We'll start with the arms.

I wanna try to save
the major muscle groups

of the shoulders.

Right, let's get started.

- Over here's the last one.

[birds chirp]
[tense brooding music]

- They're down in that
laboratory every night,

late into the night.

- And how far do you
wanna go with this?

- How far do you wanna go?

- If we're caught doing this,

me and the gaff are gonna
be put out of the job,

and you could be shipped off
to an orphanage somewhere

or wherever it is they ship
girls who stick their noses

in when they're not supposed to.

- Thomas, I wanna know what
my uncle does down there.

I wanna see.

So you're gonna come?

Tonight.

[dramatic music]

- Tonight.

[machinery clicks and whirs]

[g*n clicks]

- This is a man, not a dog.

- Thus, all the
dangerous potential.

Switches at 50%.

[heels clack]

[switches click]
[machinery whirs]

- Pull the crane.

[crank and chain click]

[chest clicks open]
[tense music]

[keys jingle]

- Got it.

[steam hisses]

- Should we increase the power?

- If we set it high,
we'll reduce it to ashes.

[keys jingle]
[tense music]

- Let me do it.

[chain rattles]

[door shuffles]

- Pull it up!

[dramatic music]
[crank and chain click]

[electricity zaps]

[cloth rips]

[cloth rips]

[punch lands]

[body thuds]

[g*nsh*t blasts]

- What is it?
- Get back out, quick!

[Ludwig cries out]

[body thuds]

[soft dramatic music]

[fist slams]
[slow dramatic music]

- What is it? Can
you see anything?

- No, and I don't want to.

[keys jingle]

Look, we'll get these keys
back to Ludwig's room,

and you'll get back to yours.

- It was a man, a man screaming.

- I don't know what it was,
and I don't wanna know.

[keys jingle]
[dramatic music]

[monster grunts]

[monster cries out]

Come on. Come on!

[birds chirp]

[heels clack]

- What is it my uncle said
he needed to see me about?

- More questions?
- Is he all right?

[knock thuds]

[door opens]
[heels clack]

Uncle Victor, are you all right?

- Your uncle is has
had, how shall I put it?

Shock to his system.

- Yes, it's really
nothing. I'll be fine.

We were wondering, Anna,
that is, I was wondering,

if you happened to hear
anything last night?

- Screaming, perhaps.

- I did hear something, but I
thought it was just a dream.

- No, I'm afraid not.

We just thought that you
might've heard and been alarmed,

so we wanted to explain.

- Your uncle and I are doing
some very, very important work.

We are trying to find a
way to cure the insane.

- Cure the insane?
- Yes.

Last night, we had a poor
lunatic from the asylum

in Bellheim down in our
laboratory, a subject.

I'm afraid he became
rather violent,

but everything is fine now.

- We just didn't
want you to worry.

- Now your uncle has to sleep.

- Was it successful?
- I'm sorry?

- The cure. Was the man cured?

- Yes! Yes, he's
much better now.

[footsteps shuffle]

[door creaks shut]

- What did you find?

- I followed its
trails to the lake.

It must have fallen.
- We must find it.

[soft dramatic music]
[baby coos]

[footsteps shuffle]

[bird caws]

[baby coos]

[baby laughs]

[baby cries]
[woman coos]

[woman screams]
[dramatic music]

- Run, run! Go!

[g*nsh*t blasts]

[g*n c*ck]

[man grunts]

[man grunts]

[g*n thuds to ground]
[man grunts]

[man gags]

[man grunts]
[body thuds]

[dramatic music]

- No madman ever
looked like that.

That wasn't any kind of man.

That's what they're doing down
there, magic, devil's magic.

They conjured up that thing.

- Ghost don't leave footprints.

- Who says they don't.

- We can follow his tracks.
Maybe we'll find something.

- No.

I'm not gonna stick
my nose in any more

where it doesn't
belong; it's crazy.

- Well, I'm going.

- I'm not.

[footsteps shuffle]
[rooster crows]

[water trickles]
[soft upbeat music]

[birds chirp]
[footsteps shuffle]

[woodpecker pecks]

[woodpecker pecks]

[woodpecker pecks]

[footsteps shuffle]

[bird caws]

- That's no ghost.

[tense music]

[footsteps shuffle]

Who are you?

[bird caws]

Can you stand up? Oh
my God, I'll get help.

All right. All right, I'll stay.

I'll help you.

I promise, won't tell
anybody that you're here.

[objects clatter]

[tray slides]

[feet thud]

- I'm gonna go
romp in the woods.

Oh, did you make me lunch?

[sack rustles]

[heels clack]

[footsteps shuffle]

[hen clucks]

Thomas!

Thomas, please, listen.

I followed the trail.
It led to the lake.

- Listen up, whatever you're
getting mixed up in, quit it.

And if you're not gonna quit
it, then leave me out of it.

I don't care what you say.

Some things it's just
better off not knowing.

- I don't believe that, and
I don't think you do either.

- Think what you want.

[footsteps shuffle]
[hen clucks]

[footsteps shuffle]

[footsteps shuffle]

- So how are you
feeling this morning?

All right. Let's
open your shirt.

Shirt.

Sorry these don't
fit any better.

They were largest
ones in the rag bin,

and I'm not much of a
seamstress, I'm afraid.

[bird caws]

I don't understand.

You're healing so quickly, and
these others? It's amazing.

Here's some breakfast.

[woodpecker pecks]

[bird caws]

I wish you could talk.

You know, tell me what happened
to you, where you came from.

Do you even remember?
Can you understand me?

[bird caws]

I guess not.

You know, I don't
see why you have

to be different
from anybody else.

I don't mind telling you that
it's getting a bit lonely.

It'd be nice to have a friend

to talk to every once in
awhile, a real friend.

- Friend.

- What?

[slow dramatic music]

- Friend.

- Yes, friend, Anna.

Friend.
- Friend.

[door opens]

[footsteps shuffle]

- Don't lie around
sleeping all day.

- Hmm?

What are those?

- Your uncle wanted you to
have some books. Here they are.

[books thud]

- But these are
children's books.

- You are a child, but
if you don't want them.

- No, no, I'll take
them. Thank you.

- Waste of time for
a proper young lady.

If you give a squint,
well, with your face,

it'd hardly make a
difference, I suppose.

If you want breakfast,
don't hang about.

[footsteps shuffle]

[upbeat music]
[birds chirp]

[footsteps shuffle]

- For the ducks.

- Of course.

[tool clanks]
[footsteps shuffle]

[soft upbeat music]

- Boy.

[bird caws]

- Girl.

Girl.

- Anna.

[Anna laughs]

- Man.

Man.

- Friend.

- [laughs] All right, come on.

We'll start from the beginning.

Tree.

Tree.

[flames crackle]
[footsteps shuffle]

[door opens]
[dramatic music]

[footsteps shuffle]

Somebody's been in my room!

- Your room. [chuckles]

I didn't know that
you'd bought the castle.

- Everything is
all over the place.

- Well, then I suppose you
have to straighten it up.

- Who went in my room?

- Don't take that tone of
voice with me, young lady.

You're living in his house
because of your uncle's charity.

You have no rights here, no
more than any other beggar.

Now get back upstairs.

[feet stomp]

[silverware clink in distance]

[footsteps shuffle]
[tense music]

[door opens]

[door shuts]

[electricity zaps]
[machinery whirs]

- Uncle Victor?

Uncle Victor?

[dramatic music]

I wanna see my uncle.

- By all means, come in,
Fraulein Frankenstein.

[footsteps shuffle]

The machine, my machine,

requires constant care and
attention, like a child almost.

- Uncle, somebody's
been in my room.

- Yes, it was I.

- You? What gave you the right?

- Your uncle gave me the right.

- But why? I don't understand.

- Anna, don't you? Don't you
understand perfectly well?

Do you know this?

Do you recognize this?
Where did you get it?

- I found it in the woods.
- You found it in the woods.

Why would you say such a thing?

- I don't know.
- Don't you? I think you do.

Talk! What do you know?

- I know.
- What do you know, Anna?

- I know what you do down here.

- What is that?

- You bring the
dead back to life.

- How do you...

- No, no, restoring
life to the dead.

That was only the
beginning. I will tell you.

- Herr Baron!
- I will tell you everything.

This machine, in this
crucible I create life itself.

Within this pit poses
the pure essence of life,

the fundamental energy
for which all life spring.

I pour it into the
dead, and the dead live.

We've gone beyond that.

In this room, we
assembled a man,

put it together from
pieces of the dead,

assembled him like
a puzzle of flesh.

We loaded him into the pit
and poured life into him.

We created a man who
had never lived before,

brought a new thing
into the world.

- Where is it?
Where is it hiding?

- I don't know what
you're talking about.

- It's been a dream of the ages.

Of all things that were
born on this earth,

we human beings alone
know that we must die,

that all we know
and love must die.

It's been a curse that's
followed men from the beginning.

But here in this
place, I banish death.

You of all people
must understand.

What of my brother,
of your mother?

What if we had the power
to bring them back?

- Do you?

- Not yet, but one day, perhaps.

- What about friend?
That man you-

- The one you know
nothing about?

- You said you assembled
them from pieces,

but what about his
brain, his mind?

Who was he? Why can't
he remember who he was?

- Who can say?

Whatever memories he had,
whoever he was was destroyed,

erased, either by the
effects of death itself

or by the process
of revivification.

Now he's only a shell, a
thing newborn in a man's body.

We didn't anticipate it.

No, he came out of that
pit a screaming thing.

- Like a newborn child.
- It's a monster!

We hoped that it had died, but
it's still alive, isn't it?

You bring it food. I've seen it.

You know where it is.

- You must tell us.

[dramatic music]

It won't hurt me.

- Is it dying from its wounds?

- No, they've healed.
- Healed?

Ludwig, just as I thought.

Hit by a shotgun blast
should've been instantly fatal.

The life force in
him is far stronger

than in any other
normal human being.

- Then it cannot be
k*lled by normal means.

Baron, we must act.

- As I seem to recall,
you were the one

who said we do nothing.

- I saw no reason to
search for a cause

where things seem to become,
well, this different.

I've been to the
village. He's been seen.

Do you know he k*lled a man
the day after he escaped?

- What? Why didn't you tell me?

- I thought it better not to.

- I don't believe it.

- Oh, you can believe
it, young girl.

He was seen. There aren't
two like him in the world.

- Anna, you have to
tell us where he is.

We have to recapture him.
- What for?

- Because he k*lled
man. He's dangerous.

- I mean, recapture
him for what purpose?

- To study him, to find
where we went wrong.

- I don't believe you.
- Enough!

[footsteps shuffle]
[dramatic music]

[door opens]

You are to remain here
until you tell us.

In the meantime,
we'll search for him.

- He can't be far away.

- Wait, please.
He won't hurt me.

Please! Don't hurt him.

[soft dramatic music]

[flames crackle]
[knock thuds]

Who's there?
- Well,

you've certainly got the
castle in an uproar, George.

- Thomas, my uncle.

- He was in the woods
all day with Ludwig.

They came dragging back
around an hour ago,

not looking very
happy, I can tell you.

What's going on?

- Thomas, you have to
get me out of here.

- There's no key in the lock,

and Frau Herstner's
still in the kitchen.

- Thomas, please listen
to me. I need your help.

They're looking for that
man we saw the other night.

- Man?

- I don't have time to explain.

Please believe me, whatever
he looks like, he is a man.

My uncle and Ludwig are
looking for him right now,

and if they catch him,
they're gonna k*ll him.

[tense music]
[wolf howls]

[footsteps shuffle]

- You?

Monster?

[footsteps shuffle]
[dramatic music]

Where are you?

I have a message from Anna.

Do you understand? Anna.

She sent me here. She
told me to tell you-

- No! Get away from him, boy!

He's a madman. Get back.

[flames whoosh]

Do you remember? Vile.

[flames whoosh]

Pain?

- What are you doing?
- Get out of here, boy.

Back. Back to the castle!

[monster grunts]

[men grunt]

[syringe pops into flesh]

[body thuds]

[body thuds]

- Let's get this thing
back to the castle

and finish with him!

[slow dramatic music]
[crickets chirp]

- Anna.
- Thomas, did you find him?

- Sorry. They
must've followed me.

They caught him. They've taken
him down into the basement.

- Thomas, you have to get me
out of here. You've got to.

- I'll find the key.

[footsteps shuffle]

[footsteps shuffle]

[box opens]
[keys jingle]

[footsteps shuffle]

- Amazing.

Any of these wounds should've
been instantly fatal.

The injection itself
could've k*lled

at least three normal men.

- There's only one sure
way here, Herr Baron.

Raise the pit temperature
to 400 and drop it in.

It'll be incinerated.
No trace will remain.

Herr Baron, we must hurry.

- Yes.

Yes, you're right.
Levers up full power.

[footsteps shuffle]

[machinery clicks]

[lock rattles]

- Thomas, the sound from the
basement. It's getting louder.

- [Thomas] I'm
trying, I'm trying.

[machinery clicks and whirs]

- Herr Baron, quickly,
the last lever.

- Friend.

[slow dramatic music]

- What?

What?
- Friend.

- He speaks.
- Herr Baron.

- I can't do this.
- What?

- He spoke.
- So it is a parrot.

It means nothing. It
must be destroyed!

- I thought it was just a
mindless thing, but he's not.

He speaks. He's a man.

- Man.

- Are you insane?
He's committed m*rder.

We'd be held responsible.

You're willing to risk
the gallows for thing?

- I'll take that chance.

- I won't. I won't be
responsible for such a thing.

- We are responsible.

His crime is ours, and I will
not commit another m*rder.

- You will not?

Then stand aside and let
me do what must be done.

That is what you do best.

[dramatic music]
[Ludwig grunts]

[body thuds]

[body thuds]

- Stay away from me!
Stay away from me!

[Ludwig screams]

[electricity zaps]
[body thuds]

[flames roar]

[lock clicks]

- We've gotta hurry.
We gotta hurry.

[electricity zaps]

- Friend! Uncle Victor!

- Get out!
- No, we'll get you out!

- The machine. It will
destroy itself and the castle.

- Open the door. We'll save you.

- Friend.

- We've gotta go.
We're out of time.

- Go!
- Come on!

[footsteps shuffle]

- I'm sorry, friend. I should've
taken better care of you.

[dramatic music]

[electricity zaps]

[explosions boom]

[flames roar]

[explosions boom]

[flames roar]

[flames roar]

[dramatic scary music]

[soft dramatic music]

[tense dramatic music]

[haunting ethereal choral music]

[dramatic music
with choral voices]