1973's "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell" doesn't quite overcome its torturous title, but effectively brings to a close Hammer's entire series, reuniting director Terence Fisher (his final film) and star Peter Cushing, teamed again for the 5th time since inaugurating the Gothic revival with 1957's "The Curse of Frankenstein" (Cushing's third performance in 1964's "The Evil of Frankenstein" was his sole entry for director Freddie Francis). Considering this the 6th time out for the esteemed actor (1970's "The Horror of Frankenstein" offering Ralph Bates as a new, younger Baron), there is no trace of fatigue in his still spry activities, here firmly established as resident physician at a lunatic asylum, successfully orchestrating the Baron's 'demise' through his knowledge of the director's indiscretions. As he had done at the free hospital in 1958's "The Revenge of Frankenstein," the Baron callously sees his patients as potential subjects for his latest creation, quickly reaching fruition by the sudden arrival of Shane Briant's Dr. Simon Helder, a devoted acolyte who was sentenced by the same court that condemned Frankenstein, and for the identical 'crime' of sorcery. A more comely assistant is the mute Sarah (Madeline Smith), known by the inmates as 'The Angel' for her beauty and fastidious devotion. Anthony Hinds contributes his third script (again as John Elder), showing the Baron's burnt hands useless for surgery (a nod to the fiery finale from 1969's "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed"), and yet greater attention to gruesome surgical detail as damaged arteries are repaired, eyes are installed, the brain transplant involving the severing of the spinal cord and various nerve endings. The resulting Creature is played by weight lifting champion David Prowse, previously The Monster in "The Horror of Frankenstein" under a square headed appliance, here donning a hirsute costume of immense size, yet still able to facilitate sympathy through his expressions and body language. Granted the hands of a sculptor (Bernard Lee) and the brain of a mathematical genius who also plays the violin (Charles Lloyd Pack), it's heart wrenching to see the poor Creature crush his once beloved musical instrument in his lack of coordination (so expertly conveyed by Christopher Lee back in 1957). Another nice reprise comes when Frankenstein again uses a magnifying glass for a closer examination of an eye, just as he did in "Curse," and later spoofed by Cushing himself in 1984's "Top Secret!" To say that this latest experiment goes wrong only shows how well Hammer was able to relate the same basic situation from different angles, achieving something new and fresh against all odds, a fitting climax to a series that remains underrated compared to Hammer's Dracula entries, which in unison offered far less screen time for the Count while keeping Frankenstein front and center with the masterful Cushing usually guided by Fisher's steady hand. The drab, gray asylum setting must be considered most apt, the audience as trapped as the inmates in an undeniable air of inescapable melancholy, the final scene showing how little the Baron has truly learned from his numerous failures, to the point of actually agreeing with Helder's assertion that he must be mad: "possibly!"