Curse of Frankenstein was their first color horror film, and, alongside Horror of Dracula, helped establish Hammer as a horror force worth reckoning with. Peter Cushing — in his first lead film role! — stars as young Baron Frankenstein, a wealthy (and mildly sociopathic) young Swiss scientist who’s decided to play God; Christopher Lee appears as the Creature, who proves more difficult to control than Frankenstein anticipated. The film had far more brutality and gore than its gothic, atmospheric Universal counterpart; it hit UK theaters with an “X” rating. But that didn’t deter fans — it cost about $270,000 to film, and earned $8 million at the box office. Cushing would play the Baron for Hammer five more times.