“The Curse of Frankenstein” (フランケンシュタインの逆襲), Original Japanese First-Release Movie Poster 1957, Ultra-Rare Variant, Professionally Linen-Backed, B2 Size (51 × 73 cm) - Gallery

A remarkable original 1957 Japanese B2 issued by Towa for the first Japanese theatrical release of Hammer Films’ landmark The Curse of Frankenstein. Directed by Terence Fisher and starring Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein, Christopher Lee as the Creature, Hazel Court, and Robert Urquhart, the film inaugurated Hammer’s celebrated cycle of colour Gothic horror.

This is the exceptionally elusive giant-hand photomontage variant, dominated by Christopher Lee’s disfigured Creature rendered in lurid blue-green, crimson, and acid yellow. The monumental reaching hand, dripping scarlet title lettering, laboratory imagery, and sensational Japanese copy make this an extraordinary piece of early Hammer advertising—a holy-grail acquisition for a collection of Japanese horror posters.

The poster is in near mint condition following professional linen backing by Fourth Cone Restoration in Los Angeles. It was already in fantastic condition before conservation, requiring only minimal work to fill the very minor fold lines. Its exceptional preservation, powerful imagery, and rich colour make this a particularly compelling example of an exceptionally rare design.

Date & Japanese Theatrical Release

The Curse of Frankenstein received its first Japanese theatrical release on 13 July 1957, distributed by Towa under the title フランケンシュタインの逆襲—approximately “Frankenstein Strikes Back.” This poster was printed for that original campaign and is not a later revival issue.

The Japanese B2 format measures approximately 51 × 73 cm / 20 × 28.7 in, providing a dramatic scale for the Creature’s enormous face and foreshortened hand. These dimensions refer to the original poster; the linen backing extends beyond the paper.

The Film & Its Place in Horror History

The Curse of Frankenstein established the Gothic style that would become synonymous with Hammer. It was Hammer’s first horror film photographed in colour, using Eastmancolor to give its blood, surgical detail, and elaborate period settings a startling immediacy. Its international success helped establish the studio as a defining force in horror cinema.

Written by Jimmy Sangster, drawing on Mary Shelley’s novel, the film shifts the dramatic emphasis towards Baron Victor Frankenstein’s obsessive ambition. Awaiting execution, Frankenstein recounts his experiments: the assembly of a body from human remains, the creation’s violent awakening, and the consequences of his refusal to abandon his work.

Peter Cushing’s cold, intellectually driven Baron and Christopher Lee’s scarred, physically imposing Creature established two of Hammer’s defining screen presences. Their performances give the film its enduring tension: the scientist’s outward refinement conceals a ruthlessness every bit as disturbing as his creation.

Rarity & the Japanese Campaign

Original Japanese B2 posters for this title are scarce in any design. A Towa first-release B2 realised US$6,000 at Heritage Auctions in April 2022, providing a notable auction benchmark for Japanese material from this foundational Hammer production.

More than one B2 composition was produced for the Japanese campaign. The present giant-hand variant, with its enormous tinted Creature portrait, scarlet dripping title, and laboratory montage, is exceptionally elusive.

Its appeal extends beyond the importance of the film. The composition transforms familiar publicity imagery into something distinctly unsettling: the Creature’s face and hand overwhelm the sheet, while the smaller scenes and credits seem compressed beneath them. It is both a major Hammer collectible and a striking work of Japanese horror-poster design.

This example comes from a long-established private Japanese movie-memorabilia collection. Its outstanding condition before linen backing, together with the minimal intervention required, adds considerably to its appeal.

Towa and Hammer — Period Branding

The original diamond-shaped TOWA emblem appears at lower left. The accompanying yellow distributor line reads:

「東和映画 提供・英ハンマー・プロ超特作」

“Presented by Towa Film—a super-special production from Britain’s Hammer Productions.”

The central colour announcement reads:

「総天然色（イーストマンカラー）」
“Full Colour—Eastmancolor.”

Below it, the director is promoted as:

「鬼才 テレンス・フィッシャー監督」
“Directed by the brilliant Terence Fisher.”

The lower credit block names Mary Shelley, screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, cinematographer Jack Asher, art director Ted Marshall, and composer James Bernard. The upper orange billing prominently lists Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Hazel Court, and Robert Urquhart.

These production and distribution markings are integral to the poster’s original Japanese campaign design, with the repeated emphasis on colour reflecting one of the film’s principal selling points.

Design Notes

The Creature at monumental scale: Christopher Lee’s damaged face fills the upper-right section. Blue-green colouring, deep black shadows, and crimson highlights turn the portrait into an expressionistic image of pain and terror. The wide eyes and uneven, scarred features remain the composition’s unsettling focal point.

The giant reaching hand: An enormous claw-like hand projects across the centre and left of the composition, its fingers edged in red against the dark background. The extreme foreshortening creates an unusually aggressive sense of depth—as though the Creature were reaching beyond the paper. A heavy chain curves across the lower centre, reinforcing the impression of confinement and violent physical power.

Laboratory spectacle: At lower right, Baron Frankenstein appears beside coloured glass vessels and laboratory apparatus. These smaller photographic elements connect the monstrous portrait to the experiments that drive the film.

Pursuit and terror: Silhouetted figures occupy the upper-left background, while a secondary face emerges from darkness at lower left. These fragments suggest danger and panic without weakening the dominance of the central Creature.

Bilingual title treatment: The English title THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN appears in dripping acid-yellow lettering, accompanied by IN EASTMANCOLOR in pink. Across the lower third, the enormous Japanese title フランケンシュタインの逆襲 is rendered in jagged, blood-red characters with painted drips.

Top Japanese tagline:

「死刑囚の生首に喰いこむメスの
すり硝子をひっかくような音！この恐怖!!」

“A scalpel bites into the severed head of a condemned prisoner—with a sound like scratching frosted glass! What terror!!”

The sensational language gives the poster an almost audible dimension, inviting the viewer to imagine the scraping sound as well as the surgical horror. Together with the enormous hand and blood-red lettering, it makes the campaign’s intentions unmistakable.

Conservation & Condition Report

Overall condition: Near mint, professionally linen-backed, with minimal restoration to very minor fold lines. The poster presents beautifully, retaining exceptional colour and outstanding display impact.

Condition before conservation: This poster was already in fantastic condition prior to linen backing. The poster was in wonderful shape and required only minimal work to fill the very minor fold lines throughout the sheet.

Professional linen backing: The poster has now been professionally linen-backed by Fourth Cone Restoration in Los Angeles, providing support for the original paper and a beautifully even presentation.

Folds and restoration: The original minor fold lines have received discreet attention during conservation. The near mint condition assessment describes the poster’s present, professionally conserved state.

Colour: The blue-green flesh tones, scarlet Japanese title, orange cast lettering, and acid-yellow English title remain rich and vivid against the deep black background. The contrast between these colours gives the composition exceptional visual force.

Display: The completed poster has a remarkably strong, cohesive appearance. Once framed, it will display exceptionally, allowing the enormous Creature portrait, reaching hand, and dramatic typography to command the space.

For presentation and long-term care, we recommend an experienced conservation framer using archival materials and UV-filtering glazing.

Please review the supplied after-mount photograph carefully, as it shows the exact poster offered following professional linen backing.

This is an original Japanese B2 theatrical poster from the film’s 1957 first-release campaign.
It is not a reproduction or a reprint.
It is nearly 70 years old.
Professionally linen-backed by Fourth Cone Restoration, Los Angeles.
Certificate of Authenticity included.