Frankenstein's Army

MPI Media Group today announced that it will open writer-director Richard Raaphorst’s Frankenstein's Army in select cities July 26th.  The highly anticipated film, which recently screened to acclaim at the Tribeca Film Festival, is a co-production of MPI/Dark Sky Films, Los Angeles-based XYZ Films and Pellicola of Amsterdam.

Filmed in Prague, Frankenstein's Army takes place toward the end of World War II, as Russian soldiers push into eastern Germany and stumble across a secret Nazi lab, one that has unearthed and begun experimenting with the journal of one Dr. Viktor Frankenstein. The scientists have used the legendary Frankenstein's work to assemble an army of super-soldiers stitched together from the body parts of their fallen comrades - a desperate Hitler's last ghastly ploy to escape defeat.

The most fitting label for Dutch filmmaker Richard Raaphorst’s feature-length debut is an obvious one: Frankenstein-ian. The movie grafts together Nazisploitation, WWII drama, zombies and robots, steampunk, and the aesthetics of first-person survival horror games. Despite all the genre splicing, the movie is never truly “alive.” 

Frankenstein’s Army is also a found footage movie, and among the most egregious abusers of the device. On top of the usual nagging question of why the cameraman (here making a propaganda film) continues to film as hell breaks loose within inches of the lens, the production values are inauthentic for the period. While booming sound design and score, crisply captured dialogue and handsome cinematography tend to enhance the “traditional” movie, they distract here, undermining the subgenre’s conceit. 

The Tribeca Film Festival, presented by American Express, today announced its feature film selections in the Midnight sections. The 12th edition of the Festival will take place from April 17th to April 28th in New York City.

Dark Sky Films is here to bestow some Halloween gifts upon you in the form of two official stills from Dutch director Richard Raaphorst’s eagerly-anticipated World War II horror/fantasy, Frankenstein's Army.

The first still features “Propellerhead”, a hulking Nazi automaton that uses its spinning rotors to slice a bloody swath through the film’s terrified, lost Russian battalion.  The second grisly official still features the power-hungry Doctor Frankenstein (Hellboy’s Karel Roden) himself, as he dissects an unwilling subject.

The film takes place toward the end of World War II, as Russian soldiers push into eastern Germany and stumble across a secret Nazi lab, one that has unearthed and begun experimenting with the journal of one Dr. Viktor Frankenstein. The scientists have used the legendary Frankenstein's work to assemble an army of super-soldiers stitched together from the body parts of their fallen comrades - a desperate Hitler's last ghastly ploy to escape defeat.

The Facebook page for Dark Sky Films has posted a banner in anticipation of the company's presence at Comic-Con and said banner shows off some new artwork for Here Comes the Devil and Frankenstein's Army.  Hatchet III and Stitches are also included (but we've shared those teaser posters before).

Filmmaker Richard Raaphorst is in post-production on his highly anticipated Frankenstein's Army and he'll be speaking to us and other member of the press about his production at the San Diego Comic-Con this week.  To spread the word about the film, a series of propaganda posters  and Raaphorst used his Twitter account to reveal the first poster.

The image features the film's "zombots" and Viktor Frankenstein, as played by Karl Roden.  Dark Sky Films will release the project in 2013.  Head inside for a look!

Frankenstein's Army takes place toward the end of World War II, as Russian soldiers push into eastern Germany and stumble across a secret Nazi lab, one that has unearthed and begun experimenting with the journal of one Dr. Viktor Frankenstein. The scientists have used the legendary Frankenstein's work to assemble an army of super-soldiers stitched together from the body parts of their fallen comrades - a desperate Hitler's last ghastly ploy to escape defeat.

Cameras are rolling on Frankenstein's Army, and we couldn't be more thrilled to see what Richard Raaphorst has in store for us.  He stunned us with his Worst Case Scenario previews (previews teasing a feature film that never happened), now, we get to see what he can really do.  Distributor Dark Sky tweeted a new photo from the set, head inside for a look.

Karel Roden has been cast as Viktor, the Nazi mad scientist, in Frankenstein's Army, now shooting for director Richard Raaphort, says Variety.

The actor has been seen in Hellboy, in which he played Rasputin, and another Guillermo del Toro film, Blade II, seen as the lawyer Kounen.

The film - set toward the end of World War II - also stars Alexander Mercury, Joshua Sasse, Luke Newberry, Andrei Zayats, Mark Stevenson, Hon Ping Tang, Cristina Catalina, Robert Gwylim and Jan De Lukovicz.

Closing out its first week of principal photography in the ancient village of Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, MPI Media Group and XYZ Films announce the central cast of Frankenstein's Army, an international gathering with European talent hailing from The UK, Russia, and Czech Republic.

The film - set toward the end of World War II - stars Alexander Mercury (The Golden Compass), Joshua Sasse (The Big I Am), Luke Newberry (The Heart of Me), Andrei Zayats (X-Men: First Class), Mark Stevenson (The Last Horror Movie), Hon Ping Tang (The Fifth Element), Cristina Catalina (Eastern Promises), Robert Gwylim (Escape from Sobibor), and Jan De Lukovicz.

An announcement regarding the highly-coveted role of Viktor, a charismatic but wildly megalomaniacal scientist whose experiments with the living dead could turn the tide for Hitler’s Nazi forces, is expected from the production next week.

MPI/Dark Sky Films, LA-based XYZ Films, and Pellicola of Amsterdam announced today that the first day of principal photography on Richard Raaphorst’s long-awaited and highly-anticipated debut feature, Frankenstein's Army, has been completed in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The stunning, ancient location, situated near historic Prague, was also recently used in the 2006 box office hit Casino Royale.

Frankenstein's Army takes place toward the end of World War II, as Russian soldiers push into eastern Germany and stumble across a secret Nazi lab, one that has unearthed and begun experimenting with the journal of one Dr. Viktor Frankenstein. The scientists have used the legendary Frankenstein's work to assemble an army of super-soldiers stitched together from the body parts of their fallen comrades - a desperate Hitler's last ghastly ploy to escape defeat.