In the wild, blood-soaked tapestry of British horror, Frankenstein Created Woman (1967) stands out not just for its gothic weirdness, but for the unforgettable presence of one woman — Susan Denberg. Before her sudden vanishing from the limelight and descent into tabloid chaos, Denberg was a flash of seductive brilliance in Hammer’s moody universe. Her performance in this film — part vengeance fantasy, part fever dream — remains a cult classic landmark.
And yet, her story off-screen may be even more bizarre than the film’s tangled plot of soul transference and reanimated beauty.
Hammer’s Most Surreal Frankenstein
Directed by Terence Fisher and produced by Hammer Films, Frankenstein Created Woman was the fourth film in Hammer’s Frankenstein cycle. But unlike previous entries that focused on crude science and dismembered body parts, this 1967 installment went deeper — and weirder. Instead of just reviving flesh, Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing, as icy and intense as ever) seeks to capture the human soul at the moment of death and transplant it into another body.
The result? A cocktail of existential horror, gender fluidity, and gory revenge, all stitched together in true Hammer fashion.
At the center of this madness is Christina, a shy, facially scarred young woman in love with Hans, a wrongly accused man executed for a murder he didn’t commit. After both die tragically, Frankenstein resurrects Christina’s body — now physically perfect — and implants Hans’s tortured soul into her. What follows is a haunting revenge spree, with Christina becoming both lover and avenger, beauty and beast.
Enter Susan Denberg: Beauty With a Bite
To play this reanimated femme fatale, Hammer turned to Susan Denberg, a striking Austrian model who had graced the pages of Playboy in 1966 as a centerfold. With icy blue eyes, platinum hair, and angular cheekbones that could cut glass, Denberg was every bit the mid-century blonde bombshell — but with an added air of mystery and melancholy that made her perfect for Hammer’s eerie tone.
In Frankenstein Created Woman, she’s a revelation. Though Denberg’s voice was dubbed in post-production due to her thick accent, her physical performance speaks volumes. As the reanimated Christina, she shifts from innocence to icy fury, from victim to punisher — all while maintaining a quiet allure that practically burns through the screen.
Whether standing ghost-like in a nightgown or seducing her next victim with haunted eyes, Denberg brings the role an unexpected depth. She isn’t just a horror trope — she’s tragic, tormented, and terrifying all at once.
From Stardom to Scandal
But as quickly as Susan Denberg’s star rose, it began to fade. After Frankenstein Created Woman, she seemed poised for greater stardom. Instead, her life took a darker, more infamous turn.
She appeared in a few other productions — including episodes of Star Trek — but by the end of the 1960s, Denberg’s name was less likely to appear in film credits and more likely to show up in tabloids. Reports swirled of drug addiction, wild parties, and brushes with softcore pornography. Some publications even falsely reported her death from an overdose — a grim twist that Denberg herself had to publicly deny.
By the 1970s, she had all but vanished from public life, retreating from Hollywood and returning to Europe. What exactly happened remains the subject of speculation and myth. Some say she sought peace after the whirlwind of fame and scandal. Others believe her mental health struggles and industry exploitation took a lasting toll.
Whatever the truth, Susan Denberg became one of Hollywood’s most haunting what-ifs — a talent who could have been a screen siren of her era, had fate (and the studio system) dealt her a kinder hand.
A Legacy in Fog and Flame
Frankenstein Created Woman is still debated by fans and critics alike — some calling it Hammer’s most philosophical work, others dismissing it as overwrought pulp. But nearly everyone agrees that Susan Denberg’s performance is unforgettable, elevating the film into a strange, seductive masterpiece.
Her character, Christina, isn’t just another horror victim or vixen. She’s a creature stitched together from love, rage, and resurrection, and Denberg makes her unforgettable. In a way, her own life — with its rise, fall, and elusive ending — mirrors that of her most famous role.
Final Curtain
Today, Frankenstein Created Woman enjoys a cult following, often rediscovered by horror enthusiasts and cinephiles hungry for something weirder than the usual gothic fare. And at its center remains Susan Denberg — a woman who shimmered briefly and brightly on the screen, only to disappear like mist through Hammer’s castle gates.
For those who remember her, she’s more than just a Playboy model or horror starlet. She’s the tragic muse of a strange, beautiful film that still refuses to die.
And perhaps that’s the most fitting legacy of all — one final, eternal resurrection.