If it isn't the best American horror film of the 1930s, that's only because the extremely gifted director James Whale wasn't done with the franchise quite yet.
Frankenstein (1931)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:37
Fresh:37
Rotten:0
Average Rating:8.5/10
Consensus: Still unnerving to this day, Frankenstein adroitly explores the fine line between genius and madness, and features Boris Karloff's legendary, frightening performance as the monster.
Runtime: 71 mins
Genre: Horror/Suspense
US Box Office: $0
Synopsis: FRANKENSTEIN is James Whale's first stylish, expressionist film (INVISIBLE MAN, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN) to grace the Universal horror cycle of the 1930s and 1940s (DRACULA, THE MUMMY). Scientist... FRANKENSTEIN is James Whale's first stylish, expressionist film (INVISIBLE MAN, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN) to grace the Universal horror cycle of the 1930s and 1940s (DRACULA, THE MUMMY). Scientist Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and his hunchbacked assistant, Fritz (Dwight Frye), embark on an unholy mission by stealing a body from a graveyard and a human brain from a medical college. Unbeknownst to Frankenstein, however, Fritz takes a violent and murderous abnormal brain. Henry's strange letters about his experiments worry his fiancée, Elizabeth (Mae Clark), and friends Victor (John Boles) and Dr. Waldman (Edward Van Sloan). They arrive at Frankenstein's laboratory to find the spectacular scene of creation under way--and Frankenstein intoxicated with his own godlike power. FRANKENSTEIN is in many ways the original horror classic, virtually creating the genre itself, leading to numerous sequels and myriad imitators. Whale's ability to give humanity to the Monster is one of the film's most stunning successes. [More]
Starring: Colin Clive, Boris Karloff, Mae Clarke, John Boles
Starring: Colin Clive, Boris Karloff, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Edward Van Sloan, Frederick Kerr, Dwight Frye, Lionel Belmore, Marilyn Harris, Michael Mark, Arletta Duncan, Pauline Moore, Francis Ford
Director: James Whale
Director: James Whale
Screenwriter: Francis Edward Faragoh, Garrett Fort
Producer: Carl Laemmle
Composer: Bernhard Kaun
Reviews for Frankenstein
From the standpoint of the story, cast, direction and photography the picture is sure to rate with the greatest in picturedom.
[Whale] did it in the Grand Guignol manner, with as many queer sounds, dark corners, false faces and cellar stairs as could possibly be inserted.
Maximum of stimulating shock is there, but the thing is handled with subtle change of pace and shift of tempo that keeps attention absorbed to a high voltage climax.
Beautiful photography, a heartbreaking story, and iconic moments from beginnning to end. Absolutely unmissable.
Frankenstein's psychological inquiries remain both striking and potent, its morality-lined narrative brimming with existential hurdles on both ends of the scale.
One of the most deservedly famous and chilling horror films of all time.
The film is unique in Whale's work in that the horror is played absolutely straight, and it has a weird fairytale beauty not matched until Cocteau made La Belle et la Bête.
...crude but famously iconic version of Shelley's novel, which featured Karloff under 50 pounds of makeup, costume and platform boots the Spice Girls could only dream of.
The monster may seem campy today, but there are still occasional subtleties.
Without question the film's defining moment comes from the actual revelation of the legendary monster itself.
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