IT’S ALIVE! The Best ‘Frankenstein’ Movies
Tomorrow is Mary Shelley’s birthday, and we’re celebrating Frankenstein Day by taking a look at our favorite Frankenstein-myth movies.
It’s the last week of August, so Halloween has officially started! If you don’t like it, too bad – summer is out and fall is in! Put pumpkin spice on everything and get out the Universal monster movies. If anyone’s birthday should herald the coming of autumn, it’s Mary Shelley’s. Often known as the mother of science fiction, Shelley is a goth girl icon. And we’re ready to celebrate her birthday with our favorite Frankenstein movies.
The Curse of Frankenstein
Cushing is Frankenstein and Lee is the Creature in Hammer’s loose adaptation of Mary Shelley’s tale. Frankenstein tells his life story to a priest as he awaits execution for murdering his maid. He recounts his childhood and how he got started on re-animating the dead, followed by the tale of the Creature we all know – with some Hammer-style upgrades.
This was Hammer’s first color feature, and it spawned several sequels, but none quite as fun as the original.
Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein
This is your classic Abbott & Costella joint with slapstick jokes and a very Looney Tunes kind of vibe. It’s a really good, silly time that everyone in the family can enjoy. Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Jr. reprise their iconic roles as Dracula and the Wolfman, and it’s fun to see their performances tailored to the goofy atmosphere of the film. Frankenstein’s monster is a key figure, too, and Glenn Strange plays a more pliable and subservient version of the Creature.
Frankenhooker
Laugh all you want, but Frankenhooker is a masterpiece. This dark comedy follows Jeffrey, a brilliant inventor whose fiancé is killed in an accident involving one of his own inventions. Jeffrey decides to bring Elizabeth back to life, but her body is basically shredded. So he goes downtown and throws a party with a group of local hookers – and, well, let’s just say he’s in the market for “good parts”. For every chance this movie has grab a laugh at the expense of sex workers and women in general, it goes the opposite direction. It takes some exaggerated stabs at the war on drugs, prostitution laws, and misogyny. Patty Mullen is nothing short of a miracle as the resurrected Elizabeth – there’s a thing she does with her mouth, IYKYK.
Young Frankenstein
Perhaps one of the greatest parody films of all time (and the reason you love “Puttin’ on the Ritz” so much), Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein has it all. A stacked cast, excellent writing, perfect timing, and a deep love for the source material all make Young Frankenstein a frequent rewatch for many fans. Peter Boyl’s portrayal of the clumsy and sensitive monster plays so well against Gene Wilder’s misguided father figure. But ultimately, what makes this movie isn’t wholly the comedy – it’s a retelling of the story that allows for love and compassion to deliver the humanistic ideology that we, just like the monster, are good.
Frankenstein (1931)
Boris Karloff is the G.O.A.T. and we all know it. James Wales’ telling of the classic sci-fi/horror story explores innocence and monstrosity in a whole new dimension. Even if you’ve managed to miss this classic movie, you’ve seen it echoed shot-for-shot in a half a dozen pop culture moments at least. Colin Clive’s voice is the one you hear in your head when you recite Shelley’s classic line “It’s alive!” The film launched generations of adaptations built on the myth of the Creature, and it eloquently serves as a display of human misunderstanding.
The Bride of Frankenstein
Every once in a blue moon, we get a sequel that somehow manages to be better than the first. And for James Wales’ Bride of Frankenstein, the bar was high. But this film is, in my opinion, pure cinematic perfection. Not only is this my favorite Frankenstein movie, this is probably my favorite movie period. Elsa Lanchester is absolutely stunning as Mary Shelley herself and then the Bride. Her blood-curdling scream and jerky, traumatized movements manage to be both elegant and primal at the same time. For literature history nerds, the opening also features Lord Byron and Percy Shelley, and captures what we imagine their night of storytelling might have looked like.
