2018 marks the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley's seminal novel Frankenstein; or the Modern Prometheus, one of the most important Gothic novels ever made. As much as I hate to admit it, I've never actually read Shelley's original novel (might make that my New Years resolution) so I'm not exactly qualified to talk about the literature and its influence. However, I feel like I should commemorate Shelley's work in some way, the only way I really could, by looking at its cinematic influence. Not only has Frankenstein spawned a plethora of adaptations on both the big screen and small, its mythology and ideas have also inspired an even wider number of films, which most of the time pay it homage. The following are my ten favourite films based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, ranging from straightforward adaptations, to films that put their own spin on the mythology as well. Read on, if you dare.
10. Frankenhooker (Frank Henenlotter, 1990)
From the mind behind Basket Case came a bizarre tale inspired by Mary Shelley's novel that followed medical school dropout Jeffrey Franken (James Lorinz) attempting to resurrect his deceased wife (Patty Mullen) using the body parts of prostitutes. Now from that premise alone you may think that Frankenhooker is a trashy B-movie, and you'd be right, but as we all know that is definitely not always a bad thing. The film takes a more comedic approach to Frankenstein mythos, taking ideas from the novel and setting them against the backdrop of the sleazy alleyways of New York City. It's a far cry from Shelley's novel, but it works, and it never takes itself too seriously because it knows exactly what it is. Patty Mullen is particularly hilarious as Elizabeth aka Frankenhooker, gurning her way around New York while delivering every line of dialogue with a unique sense of comedic bliss, it's a shame she never got up to any acting after this. Beneath all of its wackiness and exploding prostitutes however, Frankenhooker has some surpisingly touching moments and makes some subtle social commentary on the legalisation of prostitution. Overall, it's an extremely entertaining B-movie from Henenlotter that manages to blend horror and comedy together superbly. It's definitely a different sort of Frankenstein story to what we're used to, but that's the beauty of it.
9. Frankenstein Created Woman (Terence Fisher, 1967)
The fourth Frankenstein film from Hammer Film Productions sees Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) delve into the strange world of metaphysics and the human soul. After one of his lab assistants is wrongfully executed, Frankenstein transfers his soul into the body of the recently deceased Christina (Susan Denberg), reanimating her, and sending her off on a vengeful killing spree. Once again Peter Cushing takes on the role of Baron Frankenstein, playing him as a brilliant, yet arrogant scientist who is willing to do whatever it takes for the sake of his experiments. Then of course, there is the female creature played by Susan Denberg, who uses her beauty and feminine charms to seduce and kill her subsequent victims. While Christina is under the influence of her ex-lovers soul, manipulating her into murder, it's a fitting revenge tale for them both as she too was tormented by the hoodlums who she sets out to kill. It's certainly a unique take on the Frankenstein mythos as it focuses on concepts such as the soul and its relationship to the body, as opposed to simply science. It's an interesting direction to take the story, and while it's not the best of Hammer's Frankenstein films, it's definitely one of the more unique ones. Cushing is brilliant, Denberg is deadly, and overall, Frankenstein Created Woman is a memorable, and highly distinctive gothic revenge tale.
8. Frankenweenie (Tim Burton, 2012)
While Tim Burton's career is not what it used to be, Frankenweenie acts as an underrated gem in his recent filmography. Based on his original short film of the same name, this charming stop-motion flick follows a young boy named Victor Frankenstein (Charlie Tahan) who resurrects his dog sparky after he is killed in a car accident. This is one of the ultimate love letters to classic monster movies, paying homage to Frankenstein itself, along with the likes of Godzilla and The Creature From the Black Lagoon as well. There's even a character whose appearance and voice is almost identical to that of Boris Karloff. As expected from a Burton film, Frankenweenie is visually stunning, with the gothic sets soaked in gorgeous black-and-white, giving it the aesthetic of an old Universal creature feature. Much like Universal's Frankenstein, the film contains as much heart as it does horror as well. The central concept of a boys relationship with his dog is something that many can relate to, and the lengths that Victor goes to in order to reunite with his dear Sparky is quiet compelling. This is the perfect film to introduce younger children to the world of monster movies, particularly the Frankenstein story. If you love classic horror and you love dogs, then Frankenweenie may just be the perfect film for you.
7. Frankenstein (J. Searle Dawley, 1910)
This 16 minute silent film is in fact the first even onscreen adaptation of Shelley's novel, while it was lost for many years, it has since been rediscovered and restored, and is available to watch on YouTube. The film tells a condensed version of the original story, with Dr. Frankenstein (Augustus Phillips) attempting to create the 'perfect human' only to actually create a terrifying monster (Charles Ogle). Ogle's monster is a lot closer to Shelley's description of him, with his sunken features and long, black hair, he truly is a terrifying piece of work. However, it is not until he finally sees his own reflection that he realises why his creator is so afraid of him, eventually he accepts that he can never be accepted and simply disappears. It set the foundations for future adaptations of the Frankenstein story, especially the idea of the monster simply seeking acceptance and companionship. While only 16 minutes in length, this original adaptation of Frankenstein is effective nonetheless, and acted as a precursor of the better-known adaptations that would come later.
6. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (Charles Barton, 1948)
Comedy duo Bud Abbott and Lou Costello come face to face with Frankenstein's creature (Glenn Strange) and a variety of other monsters in this 1948 comedy classic. The duo portray baggage clerks at a railway station who become tangled in a web of terrors when they receive crates containing the remains of both Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) and Frankenstein's monster. To make matters worse, Larry Talbot aka The Wolfman (Lon Chaney Jr.) is not too far behind. While this is a comedy at heart, it is also perhaps the greatest monster crossover of all time, bringing Lugosi's Dracula, Chaney's Wolfman, and Glenn Strange's monster together for a monster mash of epic proportions. This was Glenn Strange's third time as the monster, portraying him a little more comically than before due to the tone of the film, nevertheless he is still a powerful force to be reckoned with and manages to outlast his fellow monsters right until the end. This was in fact his final onscreen performance as the creature, and the end of Universal's Frankenstein saga, finishing off their iconic creature once and for all. It's only fitting that he would be joined by both Dracula and the Wolf man in his final foray, as well as a cameo from the Invisible Man played by Vincent Price. A fitting farewell to Universal's monster movie era.
5. Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks, 1974)
Bringing Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks together again after the success of Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein acts as both an homage to and parody of Universal's Frankenstein films. The film follows Frederick Frankenstein (Wilder), ahem, 'Fronkensteen', the grandson of the original Doctor who is ashamed of his family name. However, after inheriting his families estate in Transylvania, Frederick soon realises that he cannot escape his families legacy. Young Frankenstein is not only one of the best horror parodies ever made, it's also one of the greatest comedies of all time. Wilder and Brooks' script is hilarious on its own, but combined with incredible performances from the likes of Wilder and Peter Boyle, it becomes something much more. One of the most memorable scenes involves the two of them performing a rendition of 'Puttin' on the ritz', or as the creature might say, 'pudd'nonnariiitz!'. The real highlight however, is Marty Feldman as the Doctor's hunchbacked assistant Igor, who delivers some of the films most iconic lines (what hump?), it's arguably one of his greatest roles. Young Frankenstein is an effective comedy regardless of how familiar you are with Universal's Frankenstein films, but if you are a fan, the film is riddled with easter eggs and homages to those golden age monster movies.
4. The Curse of Frankenstein (Terence Fisher, 1957)
Horror took a hiatus of sorts in the 1950's, shifting more towards science fiction stories to fit in with the atom age, but that all changed in 1957 when Hammer released The Curse of Frankenstein. Helmed by screenwriter Jimmy Sangster and director Terence Fisher, two of Hammer's greatest minds, the film re-told the Frankenstein story for an newer audience, now in full colour and with lots of blood. Peter Cushing took on the role of Victor Frankenstein, a more arrogant and sinister figure in comparison to Colin Clive's original portrayal, while Christopher Lee played the monster. The Curse of Frankenstein is a lot more influential than people seem to think, it was the first really bloody horror film that showed wounds and some extent of gore. It also led to a string of other successful Hammer horror films including the likes of Dracula and The Mummy, soon establishing the studio as the next great horror powerhouse. It was quite controversial upon its release, with many critics denouncing it, however it is now looked upon as being one of the greatest adaptations of Shelley's novel, and one of the most influential horror films of the 1950's.
3. Flesh for Frankenstein (Paul Morrissey, 1974)
Also known as Andy Warhol's Frankenstein, this is perhaps the most bizarre entry on the list. The film follows Baron von Frankenstein (Udo Kier) as he attempts to create a perfect race of beings, beginning by making a perfect man and a perfect woman. Packed to the brim with sex, gore, and humour, Flesh for Frankenstein is absolutely bonkers. Udo Kier takes center stage as the deranged Baron and as always, his performance is one to remember. "To know death" he proclaims to his manservant Otto (Arno Juerging), "you have to fuck life.. in the gallbladder!" To call this an exploitation film would be an understatement, but it's exploitation of the highest order. It's an outrageous film that was followed up by another Paul Morrissey/Udo Kier collaboration entitled Blood for Dracula the same year, you can guess what that one's about. This is the most depraved version of Frankenstein that has ever been and tackles a number of controversial subjects including, but not limited to necrophilia. It's definitely not for everyone, but it has a certain type of bizarre charm that has made it a cult classic among horror fans. From Kier's excellent performance, to the brilliant gore effects and Morrissey's own unique directorial vision, Flesh for Frankenstein is the ultimate hybrid of gothic horror and exploitation.
2. Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931)
After the success of Dracula in 1931 Universal studios saw a lot of potential in the world of horror cinema, thus giving birth to Frankenstein that same year. This is by far the most influential Frankenstein film, taking some inspiration from the aforementioned 1910 version while using the resources of Universal studios to create a brand new gothic cinematic spectacle. The old castles, the gigantic laboratories, they would all become staples of Frankenstein films in the years to come, and James Whale's 1931 version is what started it all. As well as that, this marks Boris Karloff's first appearance as the monster, his portrayal and ghastly appearance, courtesy of Jack Pierce, would also become highly influential on future iterations of the monster. It's the big daddy of gothic horror cinema and did for that subgenre what Halloween did for slashers 47 years later. Visually stunning, with a chilling atmosphere and a complex movie monster at the center of it all, Frankenstein inspired a generation of horror cinema and brought the genre into the mainstream. However, in 1935, Karloff and co. would outdo themselves yet again.
1. Bride of Frankenstein (James Whale, 1935)
Before Godfather Part 2 and Aliens, there was Bride of Frankenstein, which still stands as one of the greatest sequels of all time. Picking up where its predecessor left off, the film continues to follow the monster and his creator, Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive), who is pressured into resuming his experiments by his ex-mentor Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger). The film took everything that was great about the first and expanded upon it. Not only did it introduce a number of new characters such as Pretorius and the titular bride (Elsa Lanchester ), but it also added another layer of depth to the monster himself. As he continues to learn and develop, he becomes more detached from society and yearns even more for companionship, ultimately confronting his creator and demanding he build him a mate. Once again James Whale brings his masterful direction to the table to create an ominous gothic masterpiece, once again full of ghoulish imagery and wonderful performances. It's eerie, it's darkly comedic, but overall it's a quite compelling film and I feel it truly embodies what Karloff's monster was all about, the search for acceptance. Bride of Frankenstein is not only the greatest Frankenstein film of all time, but in my opinion it still stands as being one of the greatest horror films ever made.
So those are my top 10 Frankenstein films, what's your favourite? If writing up this list has taught me anything, it's that I badly need to read Shelley's novel as soon as possible, I feel like a fake Frankenstein fanboy otherwise. Until next time folks.
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