Kiwi Kingston appears as Frankenstein’s Creature in this imposing black-and-white photograph from The Evil of Frankenstein (1964), dramatically photographed from below while gripping a long metal stake. The low camera angle exaggerates Kingston’s towering physical presence, while harsh illumination catches the Creature’s scarred, patchwork face against the surrounding darkness. His heavy dark costume, massive shoulders and raised weapon create an exceptionally forceful character portrait, concentrating almost entirely on the size, makeup and physical menace of Hammer’s 1964 Frankenstein monster.

The image is particularly striking because very little competes with the Creature himself. Architectural detail is visible behind him, but Kingston fills most of the frame, and the upward viewpoint makes his head and shoulders appear even more formidable. The metal stake gives the portrait a direct connection to the film’s violent climax rather than functioning merely as a generic monster prop.

Released in 1964, The Evil of Frankenstein was directed by Freddie Francis for Hammer Film Productions and stars Peter Cushing as Baron Victor Frankenstein, Kiwi Kingston as the Creature, Peter Woodthorpe as Zoltan, Sandor Elès as Hans and Katy Wild as Rena. Anthony Hinds produced the film and wrote the screenplay under his familiar pseudonym John Elder. It was the third entry in Hammer’s Frankenstein series, following The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958).

The story finds Frankenstein returning to Karlstaad and discovering his earlier Creature preserved in ice. Although he succeeds in reviving the body, its mind remains unresponsive, leading him to enlist the hypnotist Zoltan. Zoltan gains control of the Creature and exploits that power for robbery and revenge, eventually ordering it to kill Frankenstein.

During the confrontation, the Creature attacks Frankenstein with the metal stake seen here, but Frankenstein drives it back with fire. When Zoltan attempts to regain control, the Creature turns on him and kills him with the same weapon. The stake therefore belongs to one of the film’s most important confrontations and gives this photograph unusually specific narrative significance.

The Creature’s appearance also makes The Evil of Frankenstein distinctive within Hammer history. Unlike the earlier Hammer Frankenstein films, this production benefited from an agreement with Universal Pictures that permitted the filmmakers to evoke the famous monster imagery associated with Universal’s 1931 Frankenstein. MoMA specifically notes that the agreement allowed Hammer’s Creature to resemble the classic Universal design more closely.

Makeup artist Roy Ashton developed numerous concepts for Kingston’s Creature. The Science Museum Group preserves Ashton’s original sketches and sculptural studies, documenting his work on the character and his conscious reference to the earlier Universal Frankenstein tradition.

Kingston’s unusual casting added significantly to the Creature’s physical impact. A New Zealand professional wrestler as well as an actor, he brought an imposing stature and heavy, deliberate movement to the role, giving Hammer a Frankenstein monster visually distinct from Christopher Lee’s Creature in The Curse of Frankenstein.

Carefully restored from historic photographic source material and professionally lab-developed, this museum-quality photograph is presented uncropped, preserving the complete image area contained in the source. Meticulous restoration recovers facial makeup, costume texture, metal-stake detail, architectural definition, shadow separation and photographic clarity while retaining the dramatic character of the original black-and-white image.

For collectors of Kiwi Kingston, The Evil of Frankenstein and Hammer Horror, this is a commanding Creature portrait—Kingston towering above the camera with the metal stake from the film’s climactic confrontation, preserving the distinctive combination of Hammer Gothic horror and classic Universal Frankenstein influence that makes the 1964 production unique.