Creature Designers - The Frankenstein Complex

Creature Designers - The Frankenstein Complex is a wonderfully rich film which deserves to be watched dozens of times. Even if you're already very familiar with its subject, you'll learn a great deal from it. It's complemented here by a fantastic selection of extras that makes it a must for fans of special effects and will give it a lot of appeal to those who enjoy documentaries more generally.

given the detail present in the film, it probably won't come as a surprise that the extras have been approached in a similar way. First up is a short piece about the design of the credits that open the film (this is in French with subtitles - everything else is in English). Then there are are extended versions of some of the interviews shown in clips during the main feature, including some intriguing and entertaining material which presumably had to be left out of the final film for time reasons. The highlight, however, is a masterclass given by Guillero Del Toro at a screening of the film which is almost long enough to be shown as a film in its own right. There's an enormous amount to learn here for filmmakers and monster lovers both, and you can also find out the best ways to stab people and what Del Toro would d if he could make a full size giant monster of his own. Generally, the extras on discs like this only end up getting watched once. This one will entertain you against and again.

Highly recommended.