Frankenstein Conquers the World (1965) Review | Maser Squad & Godzilla Island Archive

Note: The written portion of this article is the 2013 Godzilla Island Archive review, at the bottom you can find our recent Maser Squad video review where both Dan & Frank (Godzilla Island) discussed this film with new views and opinions.

The Plot

The movie opens in Nazi Germany during World War II, where a military officer seizes the Frankenstein Monster’s heart from a laboratory. The organ is handed over to Japan as part of the Nazi–Japanese alliance and shipped to Hiroshima — where it is lost forever during the atomic bombing.

Fifteen years later, reports surface of a mysterious boy living on the outskirts of Hiroshima, killing and eating small animals. Dr. Bowen and his colleagues investigate, discovering the boy is Caucasian, heavily irradiated, yet somehow resistant to the radiation.

Meanwhile, former Navy Officer Kuwai, who once helped transport the Frankenstein heart, witnesses a strange underground monster while working on an oil rig — later revealed to be Baragon.

Back in Hiroshima, the boy’s strength and size increase rapidly. Fearing his power, the scientists confine him in the hospital’s basement. Kuwai arrives and suggests the boy may have grown from the Frankenstein heart he once transported. Bowen sends his assistant, Kuwaji, to Germany to meet Dr. Riesendorf, the scientist who originally studied the heart. Riesendorf explains that Frankenstein’s cells never die and can regenerate from any injury.

Upon Kuwaji’s return, he insists they test the theory by cutting the boy to see if he heals — much to Sueko’s horror. When reporters arrive to photograph the creature, the flashes enrage him, and he tears off his own hand to break free of his chains, escaping in a violent rampage. His severed hand soon regenerates, confirming he truly is Frankenstein’s monster.

Now a giant, Frankenstein lives in the forests, playing and exploring like a child unaware of his strength. But when Baragon rises from beneath the earth and destroys a village, the military blames Frankenstein. Kuwai and Dr. Bowen try to convince authorities that another monster is responsible, but their pleas are ignored.

Eventually, Bowen, Sueko, and Kuwaji head into the mountains to find Frankenstein. Kuwaji secretly plans to kill him with gas grenades but instead encounters Baragon, who attacks. Frankenstein arrives and saves Sueko, leading to a fierce, fiery battle between the two monsters.

Their fight rages through the forest until the ground collapses from the destruction and both monsters are swallowed by the earth — ending in ambiguity and tragedy.

My Thoughts

This movie is an underrated gem in Toho’s kaiju library. I really enjoyed it — especially as a first-time viewer.

The Frankenstein vs. Baragon battle is long, intense, and surprisingly emotional.

The ending leaves things open for a sequel, which famously evolved into The War of the Gargantuas. The connection between the two is clear, and I personally think Frankenstein Conquers the World holds up just as well — maybe even a little better.

A fun bit of trivia: originally, Frankenstein was supposed to fight Oodako, the giant octopus from King Kong vs. Godzilla. The scene was filmed but cut from the final version. It’s a neat “what could’ve been,” though we did eventually see Oodako fight Gaira in The War of the Gargantuas.

This film stands as a unique blend of classic horror and kaiju cinema, combining atomic-age themes with gothic myth in true Ishirō Honda fashion. Highly recommended for Godzilla and Toho fans alike!