Filmmaker Rodney Ascher is an odd duck. He exploded onto the scene five years with his film-centric, fan theory-filled documentary Room 237 and he has ceased to surprise since. His feature follow-up, the 2015 sleep paralysis documentary The Nightmare, is just as great. What sets Ascher’s films apart is that his approach to his subjects are often as intriguing as the subject matter itself, offering up a unique experience for the viewer each time out.
His latest work, Director’s Commentary: Terror of Frankenstein, veers full-on into fiction for the first time, after dabbling in dramatic recreations in his last project. The film is exactly what it says: a commentary laid over the 1977 film Terror of Frankenstein. While viewers watch the actual film, the discussion track commenting on the film acts as a radio play offering up a fictional account of the film’s production.
It’s an odd idea, but given how lurid a backstory Ascher and company have fashioned for this offbeat work, it never fails to entice. It is a twisted tale of murder and madness; one that often matches the Frankenstein story itself as it unfolds. The result is a metatextual commentary on not only film production and how insane such environments can be, but also on monster movies as well.
I’m not sure if I will ever have the desire to revisit this piece of filmmaking. I certainly won’t have the drive to do so as strongly as I do with the wild Shining shenanigans of Room 237. I would recommend it to fans of Ascher’s work. Here is a man who always keeps his audience on their toes each time he produces a new work and Director’s Commentary: Terror of Frankenstein is no different.
