Frankenstein's Army

Frankenstein's Army

Starring Karel Roden, Alexander Mercury, Robert Gwilym, Joshua Sasse

Directed by Richard Raaphorst

A small Russian platoon is infiltrating the German countryside in search of a missing Russian army, when they come into contact with something far more terrifying than they could image.

Victor Frankenstein (Karel Roden), the direct descendant of the original Frankenstein, has brought back to life dead corpses, but made them even "better" by fusing them with robotic parts, including propellers, drills, saws and other devices to help the Nazis win the war.  He unleashes their fury on the unsuspecting Russian troop, with extremely gruesome and terrifying consequences.

"Frankenstein's Army" follows the long line of recent horror films that delve into the supernatural aspect of the Nazi regime (including "War of the Dead," "Outpost," "Outpost II" and "Nazis at the Center of the Earth").  This is a found footage film, where the filmmaker for the Russians travel with them to capture everything that happens.  This is major flaw of the film, as it would've been a lot better if it was filmed normally.  Instead we miss out on a lot of the action, and there's no backstory to the creatures.

The thing that makes the film great is the ingenious creation of the creatures.  One looks like a praying mantis with a drill for a nose.  Another has the head of a propeller.  They're so unique and creative in the most horrifying ways.  There's one scene where the cameraman is running from them, but at each turn a different one appears and shocks him, as well as the audience.  The ending is also extremely gruesome and mortifying, showing how Frankenstein creates a new monster.  

All in all, it could've been better if they ditched the found footage concept, but other than that it's a real thrill ride and terrifying to boot.

My Rating: B