Gothic

Director Ken Russell applies his trademark excess to this surreal, experimental examination of the creative dementia which shaped Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein. The story is embellished from events which allegedly took place at the Swiss villa of Lord Byron (Gabriel Byrne) on the night ...more

Gothic is not a movie for everyone -- a qualification that can be applied to almost any Ken Russell film -- but those who respond to it will respond very strongly indeed. The good news is that even those for whom Gothic is not really their cup of tea should at the very least find it engrossing, if perhaps too gross for their tastes. Compared to some of his 1970s excesses (Lisztomania comes immediately to mind), Gothic is relatively restrained. There are still plenty of moments to cause ...more