Henry Frankenstein is a doctor who is trying to discover a way to make the dead walk. He succeeds and creates a monster that has to deal with living again.Written by
Josh Pasnak <chainsaw@intouch.bc.ca>
The tale of a monster who looked like a man...conceived in madness...built with love! It will chill you, thrill you, fascinate you! You hate it...fear it...pity it! It Staggers the imagination! (Print Ad- The Saratogian, ((Saratoga Springs, NY)) 15 February 1932) See more »
Bela Lugosi inadvertently paved the way for Boris Karloff's fame: if Lugosi hadn't turned down the role of the monster, Karloff might have forever remained relinquished to obscure villain bit parts, as he had been confined to doing for the ten years since arriving in Hollywood. See more »
Goofs
Early in the film, Henry is holding the monsters hand and telling Fritz there's nothing to be afraid of. If you look at the body, you can see a dress shoe on the body's foot. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Edward Van Sloan:
How do you do? Mr. Carl Laemmle feels it would be a little unkind to present this picture without just a word of friendly warning. We're about to unfold the story of Frankenstein, a man of science who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God. It is one of the strangest tales ever told. It deals with the two great mysteries of creation: life and death. I think it will thrill you. It may shock you. It might even horrify you. So if any of you feel that you...
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Crazy Credits
The opening credits say "Based upon the composition by John L. Balderston", without elaborating on what "Based upon the composition" really means, especially in this case, where there is already one original writer (Mrs. Percy B. Shelley) credited, along with a playwright, two screenwriters, and one scenario editor. See more »
Alternate Versions
The above cut was made in 1937 by the request of the Hays Office when Universal applied for certification to re-release the picture. The Hays Office also requested the elimination of dialogue in which the name of "God" is used, and the shortening of the scene in which Fritz torments the Monster with fire. See more »
Though not as spectacular as one would expect of such a classic, this loose interpretation of Mary Shelley's oft-told tale delivers. The familiar story focuses on Dr. Victor Frankenstein, the reclusive, stereotypical mad scientist obsessed with creating new life from stitched-together corpses. But something goes terribly wrong when the brain he uses turns out to be that of a criminal. The film starts out slow but redeems itself with time, particularly the windmill climax scene that by 1931 standards is nothing short of stellar. In one of filmdom's all-time great performances, Boris Karloff plays the monster as a sort of tragic figure unable to comprehend right from wrong, and the audience is left feeling more sympathetic than frightened by him.
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Though not as spectacular as one would expect of such a classic, this loose interpretation of Mary Shelley's oft-told tale delivers. The familiar story focuses on Dr. Victor Frankenstein, the reclusive, stereotypical mad scientist obsessed with creating new life from stitched-together corpses. But something goes terribly wrong when the brain he uses turns out to be that of a criminal. The film starts out slow but redeems itself with time, particularly the windmill climax scene that by 1931 standards is nothing short of stellar. In one of filmdom's all-time great performances, Boris Karloff plays the monster as a sort of tragic figure unable to comprehend right from wrong, and the audience is left feeling more sympathetic than frightened by him.