Victor Frankenstein

You know this story. The crack of lightning. A mad genius. An unholy creation. The world, of course, remembers the monster, not the man. But sometimes, when you look closely... there's more to a tale. Sometimes the monster is the man. I've been with the circus for as long as I can remember. Circuses like to think of themselves as families. But, of course, each one has its clown. Oh! I didn't have a name back then. I was just "the hunchback". Or "freak", if you were being kind. But the truth is, I didn't hate them for it. It's hard to judge cruelty when you've never known kindness. Besides, I always had someone to look up to. When I wasn't performing, I served as the company's doctor. I became fascinated by the science of medicine. Particularly of human anatomy. I wanted to understand everything about... ...this internal universe that makes us who we are. The brains, lungs, bones, muscles. The heart. I don't know why the science of life captured my imagination. I think it just helped me escape. My God! You really think you're smart, don't you, eh? Huh? A real intellectual. What an embarrassment that must be! Oi! You're on! Little did I know that on a chilly London evening... ...I was about to meet the man who would change my life forever. Ladies and gentlemen! Witness now the death-defying feats of our very own bird in the sky... The beautiful Lorelei! Lorelei! Lorelei! Lorelei! Oh, Lorelei! She can't breathe! Previous injuries? Uh, she broke her arm a year ago and her collarbone sometime before that. Oh! Oh, my God. Collarbone is rebroken, shoulder's dislocated, causing pressure on the lungs. She can't breathe. What do we do? Nothing, I'm afraid. Don't have the tools to reset the bone. Do you have a pocket watch? Give it to me. I'm not giving you... Do this now or she dies! Come on! Wait. That dislocation is forcing the sternum to rest at an untenable angle, yes? Yes. Ready? Set? Three, two, one... Yes! There we are. You saved me. Breathe. Thank you. That was incredible. Why are you wearing that silly makeup? Well, I'm a clown. You're not a clown, you're a physician... ...who just performed a dry surgery in less than a minute with nothing to prepare. Well, I'm a clown physician. Don't panic, ladies and gentlemen! All part of the act! You're being wasted here. I'm with the circus, sir. You're going to leave the bloody circus. What's going on? You're a doctor, then? On my better days. Chiswick Cross Hospital is just up the road. I can lead your men there now. Get her out of here sharpish! Go out the back way. Don't want her upsetting the clientele. Where are they taking that poor creature? Sir! Please, may I know your name? Ladies and gentlemen! The Human Cannonball! Please, no! You sneaky rat! You want to leave? I own you! I've had enough of these books! You belong to the circus! Burn them! Please, Master Barnaby, it's my only thing. No! No! Get out of there! Let that be a lesson to you! Get in there! You are going nowhere! Do you know what's happened to Lorelei? Romanticizing, are we? She's probably gonna die, you know that. These city doctors and their dirty hospitals. Ow! What are you doing? High powered magnet. Should work. Usually does. Hold on, sir. You don't know what he'll do to me. Don't I? I can't just leave. Of course you can. No, sir, they own me! You are better than this. You can be better. I can get you out, but you'll have to trust me, understand? Oi! Choose now or remain here for the rest of your days. Get away from that cage! You hear me?! - Open it! - Oi! Get him! He's property of the circus! Now, the thing is... He's robbed us! The hunchback! He's attacked me and robbed the circus! Get him! Get after him! Don't touch him! Go! Got you. What do we do? What do we do now? Oh, shit. How do we get out of here? You know this place, damn it! How do we... Where are they? Whoa! I'm not in the circus. What? Yes, very good. Come along! I've never been out of the circus before, sir. Eyes open, door shut. Coat off. Coat off. We're going to slip into something a little more comfortable. What's that for? Next order of business. No. What are you gonna do to me? Absolutely nothing. Don't worry about it. Look. This is going to hurt just a little bit. What are you doing to me? Listen to me! You are not... ...a hunchback. Not a real one, anyway. No. You have an abscess... causing a fluid pocket, a rather... ...large fluid sac. It hurts! Yes, I imagine it does. You'd be surprised how often I hear that. Oh, looking at the size of this beauty, I'd say it's gone untreated for, oh... ...18 years, but... ...the good news is, I'm convinced that if we can drain it... ...in three... ...two... ...one. And pulling out. Garde a l'eau! Right. That's the easy part done. Easy part? You're all right! And up... we... go. Now, your muscles... ...your bones... ...your entire skeletal system... ...will be struggling to reset themselves... ...to return you to your former ground-sniffing... ...Luddite-bearing posture of the last... ...18 years. So, for the time being, my friend, you shall have to wear this rather... ...wonderful back brace I constructed for Gordon. Who? I'm standing up! That's rather obvious. I haven't overestimated your intelligence, have I? It's just I'm not in the circus and now I'm standing up. Yeah, you said that. Right! Library and study are over there. Kitchen's over there. I'm standing up. Your bedroom's on the right. There's a water heater and soap in there. I suggest you use it to do something about your... ...hair. I'll be in the basement for the rest of the evening, as I have school... ...in the morning. Make yourself at home, don't touch anything. Oh! By the way, I had, have a flatmate. Goes by the name of Igor Straussman. Man's a morphine addict. Idiot. Complete liar. Thankfully for us, he's almost... ...never home. So, should anyone question your presence here, you are to say that you are he. I'm Igor? Very good. "Hello, my name is Igor." Let's see. A dangerous hunchback is detained for the safety of the public... ...with a determined and equally dangerous accomplice. They proceed to the circus owner's trailer, where they rob the safe of its contents. They make their violent escape, culminating... ...in the murder of an innocent man, and vanishing... ...into thin air. A fair summing up, Alistair? Yes, Inspector. Escape, robbery, murder. Just as Mr. Barnaby said. Now here's what I think happened, Alistair. A human being with a spinal deformity is locked up against his will. Perhaps a common feature of his treatment here. A stranger releases him... ...using a magnet and tickler... ...as any fool can. They make their escape urgently, as they must... ...for the circus is against them. They flee. A chase. A man dies. Manslaughter in self-defense at most, I would say. "Wanted for murder." Have it copied. I thought you said it wasn't... I did. Something tells me our circus freak... may be only the beginning. Good morning! Igor: At school till six. Clothes in the wardrobe. Money and key in the tin by the door. Be home for dinner. F. Chiswick Hospital. Doctor? This way, gentlemen. We have amputation to perform. You. What, me? Yeah. She needs camphor inhalations twice a day, uh, extract of allium... ...a quarter ounce of arsenic and three of Filcher's Oil, but more if you can get it. I can't do that. You can. And then when she wakes, tell her... ...a friend will be back. Six months ago, a man tried to buy parts of recently deceased animals... ...at the London Zoological Gardens. He was turned away. Two weeks later, there was a forced entry. Animal limbs amputated and stolen. A month later, a similar pattern of events at the Veterinary Academy. Sounds gruesome, but what... I confiscated that from the crime scene at the circus. Open it. Sir... ...this is disgusting. It belonged to a lioness recently deceased. But it was found near our murder victim at the circus... ...and it didn't walk there of its own accord. You think there's a connection? I think our other man at the circus fits the same description as this... ...animal thief. But who would do that? Huh? What motive? Something reeks here. It reeks of an evil, sinful mischief. And now that man walks the streets of this city. Back in the mud so soon? Yes, I see. Absolutely savage depiction of me, I'm afraid. Got the hair all wrong, and the nose, too. I'm new to this criminal life, but I never thought the authorities would attack my vanity. They think I'm a murderer! I've been called much worse things in my time. Besides... they're not looking for you... ...are they? They're looking for a piteous, nameless hunchback. And Igor, I would like you to look at yourself. Igor, that creature no longer exists. Dinner. This is excellent. So... what brought you to the circus in the first place? Cutlery. What? Use it. Oh. Sorry. Wipe your hands. Animals. Parts. I am a student at the Royal College of Medicine. The curriculum is straightforward, the exams easy, the professors... Oh! The professors are men of limited ability and even more limited horizon. Why did you rescue me? You, my friend, were an unexpected gift. It's not every day I come across a man, albeit one suffering from such grotesque deformity... ...who is so clearly talented, observant, and resourceful... ...and in possession of the most gifted pair of hands I have ever seen. My interest in you does not stem from charity. Follow me. Before I met you, I was to approach Mr. Barnaby about acquiring some of your deceased animals. To what end? Study? No, not as you would think of it. I am of the strong belief that death can be made a temporary condition. That's impossible. Improbable, yes. Impossible, no. Life is temporary. Why should death be any different? I have absolutely no time for false modesty. So it is without pride or shame that I declare my discovery an act of... ...genius. Those eyes... ...they're over three months old. And the liquid is an electrically conductive jelly of my own device. Serves a double function: To preserve and to... Well, just wait and see. It's all a matter of conversion, you see? The conversion of pure electrical energy into the biological variety... ...that flows through the human body. Hence, the construction of this device: The Lazarus Fork. I have found that by passing that current through a... ...specially blended variety of sulfates and metals... You've mastered the conversion? Yes. Well, show me. Ready? There. Do you see? They live. What do you think? It is impressive. But you have made a mess of the nerves. I beg your pardon? The oculomotor nerves. You haven't connected them properly. That's why they don't move evenly. You. There he is! That's the man. That's the man I'm after. Thank you for asking. You're welcome. Now, I shall bring you your assignments piecemeal. You will complete them in a timely fashion, whereon I shall apply them to a larger... ...whole of my own device. Questions? Uh, this larger whole... ...is not of your concern. Well, but if I... Igor, I... All this is now yours. Every book. Every piece of reference material. Apparatus. Desk. Room. Your laboratory, if you like. As my assistant, you shall be at the very heart... ...of a scientific enterprise that will change the world. Now, will you help me? Yeah. Fix that. Ah. Thank you. Mmm-hmm. Keep working on it. The hospital made arrangements for Lorelei. She now had a benefactor. I was pleased she had recovered and had someone to look after her, but... ...as the weeks went by, I missed her. And I wondered if her life had changed as much as mine. Uh... Victor? Mmm-hmm? This letter for Master Straussman. We are going out on the town. Oh! Here we are. I have a tenured membership at the club, thanks to my father's... ...status as a charter member. Bought the velvet for the seats. Your father... Is what they call a great man. Esteemed doctor, member of the Royal College of Physicians, and... ...pioneer in the field of cardio-physiology. I should be honored to meet him someday. Uh, perhaps not. Look, here's the club! Master Victor, I'm not sure I'm suited for this. Pish! Just keep your back straight, your words clean, and do your damnedest not to embarrass me. Babies grown in vats! Victor, do you think this is really the appropriate place to talk about this? Help me! I am just trying to inform these two wonderful young ladies that... ...fertilization needn't take place inside the female body. Sperm! Sperms! Can sperm move? They can. Thank you. Why can't it move independently towards the egg in, say, a... ...bucket? Where does the mother fit in? Exactly! You're off educating yourself! By the time we need you, we're... ...sucking the fertilized egg up into a funnel and then we shuck it up your... Igor? Excuse me? Sorry, I thought I recognized you. Well, you might do. I don't remember your name. Well, I never had one. It's you. It's me. Well, yeah, a bit different. You saved my life. My life. Boring! Friend of yours? That's Baron Bomine. He recruited me to be in his cabaret... ...and his consort in public. Right. He, uh... prefers the company of men. Oh. I have a name now. I am Igor. What? It's perfect. This woman seems to think that the human brain is pink. In fact, it is grey. That's Victor Frankenstein. - Grey like this oyster. - I'm done. He's the man who rescued me. And he helped save you. Is he always like that? No. He's very clever, and he is kind. He just finds ordinary people very... ...ordinary. Victor, how did you... Who are you? You're the fallen angel. Plummeted from any other great heights lately? Maybe you should try this one. It's only, oh... ...all of 30 feet. You've had worse. I'm afraid the only thing plummeting here is my opinion of you, Mr. Frankenschteen. Frankenstein. All right, Victor. Igor, um... Igor speaks very highly of you. Would you like to join us? Now, of course, I can't tell you everything, but suffice it to say... ...Igor and I stand upon the cusp of... ...creating life out of death. Mr. Frankenstein... Victor. Please. I find your promise more than a little unsettling. Ooh. Superstitious, are we? No. Are you not afraid to challenge the natural order? Igor, speak up. What do you think? Once, I would have agreed with you, Lorelei, but think about it. Twenty years ago, electric lights would have been thought of as magic. Your injuries in the circus would have been fatal. Every day science and technology changes the way we live our lives. Look at me. Well said, that man. Life and death are different. "Life and death!" I dream of a world where hope replaces fear. A world where a murdered man can stand in court to face his murderer. Where a crippled soldier, shrapnel in his spine... ...can be killed, healed, then brought back to life to walk again. Don't you see? The possibilities are... ...endless! Life is beautiful! But unfortunately it is finite. Now, tell me what that says. "Death." Thank you very much. I cannot argue with that. There it is, in black and white. But with a little applied science... ...what do I give you now? "Life." That's what I'm trying to do. Perhaps I spoke too soon. You shouldn't see that girl again. What? Why? Well, she's very nice. Uneducated, superstitious. Distraction from our work. She's kind to me. Tonight was not about meaningless frivolity. It was a celebration of our work together. I think it is high time... you met our monster. Don't tarry! Come, come, come! Come on! What is that? Gordon. What? Gordon! You made this? No, no, no. We... made this. Lungs, heart, spine, brain... ...all your work. All... ...impossible without you, in fact. Victor... You promised me this was all about life. It's about more than that. Hands off. Three... two... ...one. Come on, come on, come on. Shh! Look. It's alive. Yes, it's... alive. It's alive? Victor... how? Can't quite move yet. Charge lasts barely an hour, and the bottom half is predominantly a rude mockup. You have created life out of nothing! Do you realize how significant this is? Oh, I have an inkling. You are to accompany me to the college tomorrow. I've announced that I'll be making a presentation of my private work. I'm coming to the college with you? As your assistant? Igor, try not to be quite so dim. From this day forth... ...you are to be my partner. Letter for you, Miss Lorelei. Letter? From who? Dear Lorelei: We've had a breakthrough. Please come to the Royal College of Medicine, Hall H, this evening at 8 PM. Igor. Big presentation in Hall H. Presentation in Hall H. Big presentation, Hall H! Igor, around to the right. Since the beginning of modern medicine... ...there has been an assumption... ...regarding the status of mortality... ...that being that death... ...is an unavoidable... ...event, the inevitability of which we should... ...take for granted. I will show... ...today that life is not some... ...grace bestowed upon us by... ...some outdated notion of an all-powerful... Get on with it. Yes, of course. I'm not accustomed to public speaking. Igor, would you prime the dynamo for me, please? Yes, master. I would like to show you, uh, show all seven of you... ...and, of course, the young lady... Come on, come on! I have a coach waiting. Uh... I give to you... life... ...by my own... creation. Cattle market. I have built this homunculus from various body parts... ...I got from... the London Zoo. They've had a terrible time with the upkeep of their exotic animals, all to my benefit. He's mainly chimpanzee... ...but with the aid of my esteemed associate, Igor Straussman, we've managed to interlace... ...multiple individuals, multiple species as a matter of fact. Igor, is it ready? They're staring at me. Thank you. Do come to the front. Get a closer look. Don't be shy. He won't bite. Now, by the miracle of electricity... ...I give you in three, two, one... ...life. God! I've seen enough. No! Don't go! Igor, shock him again. Harder. Three, two, one... now! Frankenstein, you've surpassed... ...all expectations, even by your own expansive mythos of strangeness and perversion. This is spectacular. It's delightful! Just an exquisite show of... ...depraved lunacy. Igor. Full charge. Ready? Igor? Ready. Now! Oh, look, there she goes, Victor. Bing, bang... boom. What have you got next? Perhaps a midget hidden inside your rotting meat sculpture's stomach... ...ready to pop out with a bouquet of ro... Do you see? It's all right. Gordon... Gordon... Igor! Lorelei, stay back! Lorelei, are you all right? Igor! I'm fine. Don't let him escape. Gordon! Stop! Ahh! No, no! Don't go out there! Victor! Calm down, Gordon. Get him off me! Gordon? Victor! Ahh! Igor, what have you done to him? Victor! Help me, not him! Victor, we have to kill it! Do it, Victor! It was out of control! We made progress today! It was homicidal! I had no way of knowing that Gordon... Am I to understand that you built that? Yes! I apologize. I misjudged you. Your flaws, though they're... ...glaring and massive, are merely social... ...not intellectual. I find your work astonishing... ...and to be perfectly frank... ...brilliant. Brilliant! Quite beyond my own ability to comprehend. Could you create another one? I could, and a whole lot more beside. But that would take considerable resource. As you are aware, I do come from the third richest family in England. As a result, I can provide you with whatever it is you so require. In that case, yes. And when you say... "more"? A man. A thinking, intelligent being. Can we discuss this? I like this ambition. You were right, Igor. The beast was dangerous... ...but now we have the opportunity to show the value of our work. You and I, Igor... we shall create a man after our own... ...image. Think of it. An intelligent... ...civilized... ...man. I'll want another demonstration. I want to know whether you can take direction. Follow orders, so to speak. Is that a problem? Victor, we cannot. No. Excellent! Expect to hear from me soon. You did not create this technology and yet you presume to tell me how to use it. You should know your place! Your ignorance of the ways of the world cannot hinder the furtherment of my experimentation. But surely you see you have no control. Surely you have forgotten what I did for you at the circus! This is my destiny. It is your destiny. And that man represents our only ally on this planet. And if he wants us to make him an entire zoo of homunculi, that is exactly what we will do... ...if it ensures the furtherment of our research. Am I making myself clear? Am I making myself clear?! Yes, Victor! I own you! You belong to the circus! Good morning. Can I help you? Detective Inspector Turpin, Scotland Yard. I want to speak with a Mr. Frankenstein. I'm afraid that's not convenient at the moment, sir. May I know your business? Do you miss the circus? I'm not sure what you mean, sir. Get me Frankenstein. I've informed the college I would happily pay for the damage. Just a bit of broken glass. An animal was involved apparently. There was indeed. Mr. Straussman and I are currently involved in the study of... ...chimpanzees. It's quite... quite fascinating, actually. We have discovered that by using emotional cues... ...we can teach them primitive belief systems. Of course, it's only because they are not yet capable of higher logical thought. Where is the creature now? Dead. Poor thing. Had to be put down, didn't it? Why would the police be interested in such a trifle? There may be a connection with a murder investigation of ours. Murder investigation? Igor, this is a murder investigation! Am I to understand we have to summon the chimpanzee's lawyer? Mr. Frankenstein, I warn you that there are consequences for obstructing police work. I should like to see records of your experiments for the past twelve months. If you cannot cooperate, then, by God, I'll conduct a thorough search of these premises. "By God," you say? Inspector, I must inform you... ...that you are currently in the home of rational, free-thinking men. To violate it or my research would require a proper legal warrant. And God has no authority here. Tread lightly, sir. You may insult me, but you impugn the Lord at your peril. I should remind you that life is a sacred creation. Are you a police officer or a theologian? Let me tell you something for nothing. Life... I'll say this very slowly... is merely... ...the application and outcome of applied chemistry. And did you or did you not apply such chemistry at the Royal College of Medicine two days ago? Igor, when was the last time you went to confession? The good friar has come to see whether we have sinned. "He that covereth his sin shall not prosper." I'll ask you again. And I will ask you again, sir: Why are you so interested, nay, infatuated with this case? Surely there are more interesting mysteries to be solved in London. Or... ...is it precisely because this experiment, which you imagine took place... ...may very well discredit your own primitive belief system? Uncover what you will about me, Inspector. Men like you have always stood in the way of progress and invariably been left in its wake. My creation...! Be careful, Mr. Frankenstein. You toy with wrathful forces. And there's no mercy in nature. Good day. I'll be back with a warrant. That thing in the school, Igor... ...I looked into its eyes and there was nothing there. There is a difference between using your machines... ...to restore a life wrongly lost and... ...to create something that was never supposed to exist. Victor must understand that. Look... ...I never thought I'd leave the circus. I thought I'd be in there till I died. And Victor... ...has given me all this. And all he asked is that I believe in him. I understand that, Igor. What I'm saying is... ...don't let yourself be bullied by anyone ever again. Victor says he's your friend. But if you believe Victor is on a wrong path, then you must make a stand. I have to go. Victor, if you truly respect me as a scientist... If you truly respect me as your friend... ...you must listen to my concerns. Igor. Sir. What's it been? Three years? You look slimmer. I'm sorry, sir, I don't... Is Victor here? Yes, sir. Very well. Where have you been? Not wise to be out on the town when there's a manhunt on. Get off his heart! Father. Get up. Leave. Father, I'm so excited that you've come. Your timing is impeccable. I've had such breakthroughs with my... I don't care. I don't care about your poorly researched theories or your disastrous experiments. Not poorly researched, I've told you... Victor, silence. Yesterday I received a telegram... ...informing me that you are to go before the board of directors at the college. They say you neglect your schoolwork. They intend to expel you. No, they can't! Can't they? The work I am doing is far more important... ...than anything they are conducting at that damn school. You're a fool, Victor. You always have been. If only you could have been more like Henry. But you... You just bring shame to the name Frankenstein. I will ensure that the name of Frankenstein is never forgotten! You've done it again, Victor. Only this time it's your own life you've ruined. So, what's this, then? Finnegan's project. My man. He was going to be the modern Prometheus. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He's also not nearly big enough. Yes. What? Gordon was fast and strong, sure, but he couldn't sustain any of that. And towards the end, he was having some real trouble breathing. Breathing? Embolisms. Embolisms in his lungs. Yes, of course. How stupid. So much raw energy coursing around his structure. His body couldn't take the charge. Wretched creature would have been dead in ten minutes. If we want to build something that can live and stay alive, we'll need a lot more energy. Tons more. Just stop. What could possibly generate that kind of...? Lightning! Yes, I have... ...just the thing. One of my early designs for the Lazarus Fork... ...incorporated a structure that actually sucked its energy... ...from the atmosphere. It's possible that we can build a larger version that would simulate a static burst... ...similar to that of lightning. No, it's the same problem. We can't just make the body accept that charge. We are incapable of simply making larger organs. What if we gave him two sets of lungs? You know you're brilliant, don't you? Why wouldn't we? He's our man. We can do what we like. Not just two sets of lungs... Two hearts. Yes! Pump all that blood around the larger body. Absolutely. He'd need it. Igor... Earlier, when my father was here... I was reading. I didn't hear a thing. Did he say anything interesting? No, he didn't. Whiskey? Yes. Yes, do that. A larger chest cavity... ...to incorporate four lungs. Two sets on the left and the right. Bigger with the arms! Biceps. Now what do we do? Tilt him. Backwards and forwards. Let that liquid run through the body. Cheers. Here's to him. Flat head. Why? Because I like it, that's why. To his two hearts. Mmm... Is that precious? They've denied us the warrant, Inspector. As the Magistrate said, with no sign of any foul play, nor indeed of any crime... No foul play? Look at the debris at the Royal College. Acid burns, the same. Bloody paw prints on the floor. Something's going on. Something's happening in that basement, I know it. I know it. And it's my job, my duty. It's my moral duty to stop it. But, sir, you have no warrant. Yes, he's insulted you. Yes, he's clever. But we have no evidence. I don't care. I need to find out what's in that basement. Now we can enact my true vision. You and I will take life's raw elements, its base components, and we... ...shall assemble them to our own specification, to our own design. For tonight we begin our model... ...of Prometheus. Um... Tonight... actually, Victor, I was... I've been invited to a ball. A what? A ball. Lorelei's asked me. Lorelei? Yes. No, no, don't speak. Lorelei... I shall stay here and work. I'm sorry, Victor. No need to apologize. You should go off and enjoy yourself. You deserve it. You've earned it. You can go now. Thank you. I don't know what to do. You're already doing it. Frankenstein, open this door! We'll break it down! Open this door now! Scotland Yard! Frankenstein! Open the door! One, two, three. One, two, three. Harder. Frankenstein! Open the door! Victor, we have to leave! Where have you been? With Lorelei. Oh, I see. Wasting your time... ...with pointless courtship... ...while it remains to me to take care of the work in hand! Frankenstein! Open this door! Frankenstein, we're coming in! Get this door down. I've sent for one of Finnegan's men to provide a carriage. I'm trying to overload the conductors. Forget the conductors! We have to get out of here! And let them have my machines? Not bloody likely! Trap door to the sewers... it's the only way out. Try and open it. Pickaxe on the ice closet. What are you waiting for? What is that?! Oh. Uh... Igor Straussman, meet Igor Straussman. What? What did you do to him?! Found him like that a couple months ago. Overdose. A couple of months? You took his eyes! Victor, what is wrong with you? You want to die in prison... ...executed by that maniac? Hunchback! Do you see the truth now? This is the man who took you from the circus. Who would gouge the eyes from a dead friend. Move once more and I'll kill you. Do as you wish. I have no fear of death! Really? I do. I lost my wife... ...to a malign growth. And in my suffering I know about death. That it's an abyss from which no man nor woman can be returned. Would you not rather have her by your side? Would you not have her live again? She is alive. In God's house. And when I, too, fall into that abyss... ...I shall be by her side. Don't you see? You trust in a fiction! And you shall be forgotten. That's right. History will bury you, Frankenstein... ...and no man will remember your name. No, you're wrong. Igor, no! You'll remember me now. Victor! Come on, Igor! Pull! Pull! Frankenstein, we're coming in! Inspector? Finnegan. Finnegan! Where are you? Frankenstein! Igor! What an unexpected surprise. The police have raided my home in search of Igor Straussman. We managed to avoid incarceration, but... ...it's just possible we might have gravely wounded a police officer. Ah. I suppose now you'll have no choice but to leave London. Posthaste. Very good. My family has an estate. The Castle Erskine in Scotland. It's quite... ...rural and secluded. Ideally situated, you might say, for... ...both your needs as scientists and, um... ...well, fugitives. Yes. I'll go and prepare the coach. Very good, thank you! How could you do that to me? Do what? Keep from me that you had killed a man and given me his name! I told you, I did not kill Straussman. You're overreacting. You harvested his eyes! Details. He was a waste of space. This fanfare from you is more than his own family will give him. All right, gentlemen, time is of the essence. Your coach is ready. Come, Igor. We'll talk about this on the way. No. What? What you're doing is wrong. You've gone mad. Come. It's gone too far. We simply do not have the time. I'm not leaving then. Listen to me. You have the chance here to be part of... Of what? Of being lied to by you? Of being hunted by the police and chased by monsters? Well, if you're going to concentrate on the dark side. I'm not leaving. What will you do? Go back to the circus? Resurrect your illustrious career as... It's none of your concern. You're a fool. I created you. You think that just because I put you in a back brace and you cut your hair... ...you can turn your back on me? That you can walk out into the world on your own? See how far you get with your acrobat and your morals and your new life. Just come with me. Fine. I'm done with you. You know... I knew Igor Straussman. He was a real bore. Nouveau riche. Drug addict. So, who are you then? Hmm? Doesn't matter really. Victor's been very forthcoming with his designs. But I still need him for now. You, on the other hand... So, let's see. Your benefactor has departed... ...your home has been ransacked by police... ...your identity revealed as a fraud... ...and you know far too much for me to let you walk away. What I'm getting at, old boy... ...is that you won't be missed. Tie him up and put him in the carriage. You and Victor aren't the only ones with vision. I, too, have a dream of the future. A dream where my family will control this new technology. Hmm? What's that? You don't approve. No, I imagined you and Victor wouldn't like that much. You know, for men obsessed with death, you think yourselves so above violence. Curious. Good-bye, Igor. Straussman wasn't Straussman. The body, the frozen creature, that was Straussman. The young man pretending to be Straussman was the hunchback... ...transformed by Frankenstein. Inspector, this is not... They escaped in the Finnegan family coach. Finnegan attends the Royal College of Medicine. It makes sense. He's in on it, too, maybe funding them. Inspector Turpin, stop... My guess is that he's fled the country by now, more than likely alongside Finnegan... ...who, a little digging shows, has an estate, Castle Erskine in Scotland. We'll find them there. Stop it, Roderick, damn it! No, listen to me! We can catch them now. We can... ...and we will. What do you mean? You're being removed from the case... sir. From the whole force, in fact. Constable Alistair will be taking your place. You are on a medical and mental reprieve. You had no warrant, Roderick. Do you have any idea the lengths I have been to... ...in order to protect you from criminal charges? It was a necessary action. Really? In pursuit of what? High society hunchbacks? Undead monsters? Conspiracies involving one of the richest families in England? Yes, a conspiracy to create life in... ...a direct, defiant action against God. You were the best detective Scotland Yard had, but now it's time for you to rest. You must heal. And when you return, you will see things how they really are. Is that precious? I took possession of this when I was... ten. It was a very cold winter that year. We lived in the country then. It was a happy time. We crept out of my bedroom window because we wanted to play in the snow... ...and so we did. Until we were... ...engulfed by a blizzard. I almost died. Anyway, when... When the snow cleared... ...and dawn finally broke... ...I was alive. I looked into my hand and I was holding this. It serves to remind me. Remind you of what? That God... ...if at all He does exist... ...sent us into this world imperfect. We're weak. We're fragile. And we're destined to die. This reminds me that that is not good enough. Who were you with? Hmm? You said "we". In the blizzard. Did I? Where in God's name do you think you're going? You haven't been out of bed in weeks! You can barely walk! Igor. Igor, don't go. Don't do this. I have to go. He needs me. You owe him nothing. You're your own man. No. I'm the man he made me. You're wrong. You've always been this person. This brave, brilliant, beautiful person. He gave me a life. I'm sorry, Lorelei, but... ...you must understand, I have to go. He's my friend. Then you will not go alone. Two hearts. Pump all that blood around the larger body. A larger chest cavity to incorporate four lungs. Two sets on the left and the right. You and I, Igor... we shall create a man... ...after our own image. An intelligent... ...civilized... ...man. Stop! - Stop here! - Whoa! Finnegan's men. Wait here. Please take care. What are you doing? Go. Hello? Sorry, we seem to be lost. Thank you! What's this? Hold her here. I'm going to the castle. Sir, there is a storm coming. That man is in allegiance with Satan... and must be stopped! All stations ready! Engineers! Scientists! Eyes to me! The storm is nigh! The storm is nigh! Conditions are perfect! Electrical station ready, sir! Prometheus moving, station one! Stoke the furnace! We need it hotter! Mind the blood pipe! Prepare the blood! Fluid station now! Now. Set? Inserting. In. Tapped. Respiratory station! Prepare the respiratory station! Victor. Igor? I'm so glad you've come. Victor, Finnegan tried to have me killed. I believe he intends to kill you, too, when you've given him what he wants. We can still get out of this, but you must stop this experiment. Father sent you, didn't he? Don't be ridiculous! He'll stop at nothing, and you don't know what he's capable of! I don't care. What? Finnegan's motives mean nothing to me. I will turn the tide of human existence here, tonight. Then this world which has spurned me... ...will forever remember my name! No, if you do what he asks, no one will remember Frankenstein the man. Only the monster! I forgive you, Igor. I forgive you this remarkable lack of foresight. So stay here! Your brother was with you! Henry Frankenstein. He was with you that night. Was he older or younger than you? He was older. You must have looked up to him. Where did you get that? I wouldn't be surprised if it was your idea, though. Was it? To go out into the snow. And he protected you. And he died while you lived. Isn't that what all this is about, Victor? You want to stop other people... ...from having to endure that pain that you felt. No. No? No. It's about so much more than that. Don't you see? To my mind... I took my brother's life that night. I have to redress the balance. I have to create life now. Victor, none of this does that. This only brings more and more and more pain. And whatever path this is that you've gone down, this is not you. You're a good man, Victor. - Igor... - Frankenstein! Frankenstein! Hurry, man! The storm is almost upon us! Victor... ...don't. Victor! Station one ready! Prometheus moving! Electrical station! Electrical station ready, sir! Who'd have thought it, eh? You and I on the threshold of immortality. Prometheus moving! Lazarus station! Damn them all, eh? The naysayers... and the hypocrites. For tonight, Victor, we breathe life... ...into flesh! Balloons released! Lazarus Fork. I will give you life. I will give you... ...life! Prometheus ascending! Station ready, sir! I want full power, on my mark. Now! Converter B standing by. Full power... now! All positions, relays open! This is your moment, Victor! Victor! It's too much power! You know this story. The crack of lightning. A mad genius. An unholy creation. Victor... ...don't! Live! Well, Victor. Sir, I must warn you... ...we are overloading! No! No! Frankenstein! You will burn for what you do here. This isn't science. This is the work of Satan himself. There's no Satan. No God. Only humanity. Only me! May God forgive you, Frankenstein! May God forgive you! Out of the way, Victor! Out of the way! Come to me. I am your brother. Oh, my brother Henry, forgive me. I have wronged you. For this is not life. This is not life! You are not life! Live! Victor! Out of the way, Frankenstein! Live! Live! Live! May God drive out this devil... ...and be driven back to the pits of hell from whence he came. No! Igor, I'm sorry. What are we going to do? What are we going to do now? We will do the only thing we can do. Huh? Shit. No! Igor! Victor... ...get off. Igor! Two hearts! No! Oh, my brother, forgive me! Victor? Dearest Igor: I would have waited for you, but... ...three's a crowd and all that. Besides, I think you've probably had enough of my work. Truth be told, you've probably had enough of me. Our time together is done. Our achievements are in the past... ...and our discoveries will probably never be known. But I will always think of you fondly, and always as my friend. As for myself... ...I have some ideas about where we went wrong this time... ...and one day I may call on you once more. Be ready. For now, your life is your own... ...and I wish you luck with it. You are and will remain my greatest creation. Your friend...