Frankenstein (1931) | |
| Director(s) | James Whale |
| Producer(s) | E.M. Asher (associate), Carl Laemmle Jr. |
| Top Genres | Horror, Science Fiction |
| Top Topics | Book-Based, Mad Scientists, Monster, Pre-Code Cinema |
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Frankenstein Overview:
Frankenstein (1931) was a Horror - Science Fiction Film directed by James Whale and produced by Carl Laemmle Jr. and E.M. Asher.
The film was based on the novel Frankenstein (aka The Modern Prometheus) written by Mary Shelley published in 1818.
SYNOPSIS
The monster that mocked the sanctity of God's creation and brought ruin to his mad-scientist master firmly established a fertile movie genre and saved a studio in the bargain. Though the definitive monster movie, it succeeds purely because of the glimmer of humanity that Karloff allows us to see through the stitching and bolts, and the pathos of a barely human consciousness trapped in a hideous body. The versions available since the late '80s have restored the famously brutal sequence of the monster's encounter with a little girl at a lake shore. The laserdisc offers trailers, photos, and study sequences.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
.Frankenstein was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1991.
BlogHub Articles:
FRANKENSTEIN (2025)
By Dan Day, Jr. on Jan 18, 2026 From The Hitless Wonder Movie BlogI don't have Netflix, but this new adaptation of Mary Shelley's story was shown at the Browning Cinema on the campus of the University of Notre Dame this weekend. Writer-director Guillermo del Toro's take on the famous tale is extravagantly made, but it lacks a certain.....spark??Del Toro goes overb... Read full article
10 Classic Frankenstein Movies Worth Watching
By Jennifer Garlen on Oct 24, 2024 From Virtual ViragoThis fall I taught a lifetime learning class about the history and cinematic legacy of Frankenstein, so of course I've had the iconic tale of gods and monsters on my mind throughout the Halloween season. One of the reasons for the story's enduring success is its adaptability; like Shakespearean play... Read full article
From the Archives: Son of Frankenstein (1939)
By The Metzinger Sisters on Oct 5, 2024 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film LoversBoris Karloff as the famous "Monster" from the Frankenstein films (in this photo, The Son of Frankenstein). The make-up for all of the early Frankenstein movies was done by Jack Pierce, whom you could read more about in our previous articles here. From the Archives is our latest series of posts wher... Read full article
Abbott and Costello Films: Naughty Nineties, Time of Their Lives, A&C Meet Frankenstein
By 4 Star Film Fan on Jan 6, 2023 From 4 Star FilmsThe next genre Abbott and Costello took on in The Naughty Nineties was the show boat-style musical. Henry Travers fits as a kindly old ship captain who promises family-friendly entertainment headlined by his daughter and a very familiar leading man (Bud Abbott).??Costello crops up in a local band po... Read full article
Rating The Universal Frankenstein Films
By Dan Day, Jr. on Oct 8, 2022 From The Hitless Wonder Movie BlogIn May of this year I wrote a couple blog posts ranking the Frankenstein & Dracula films produced by Hammer Films. Now I'm going to rank the Frankenstein & Dracula films produced by Universal, specifically the ones made during the studio's classic monster period (1931-1948). Looking back on ... Read full article
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Quotes from
[Raises a glass of wine to offer a toast]
Baron Frankenstein: Well, as I said before, here I say again, Here's... Here's to a son... to the House of Frankenstein.
Maid: Indeed, Sir. You too, Sir.
Henry Frankenstein: Quite a good scene, isn't it? One man, crazy - three very sane spectators!
Henry Frankenstein: [after screaming is heard] It's Elizabeth!
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Facts about
Some of the sets had originally been constructed for Paul Leni's The Cat and the Canary which Universal had produced four years earlier.
The screenplay originally called for Henry Frankenstein to die from his fall from the burning mill. When Universal decided for a happy ending (see "Alternate versions"), Colin Clive was in England, so his stand-in was used for the far shot of him recuperating in his bed, with his fiancée at his side.
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