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Frankenstein

A review by Brooks Rich

I love the old Universal monster movies. They were one of my first exposures to the horror genre and I will probably cover a good portion of them as the blog moves forward. I'm starting with the one that has always been my favorite. I imagine everyone has seen James Whale's 1931 masterpiece Frankenstein. Right? By today's standards it's probably not scary to a lot of people, but in 1931 it terrified audiences. It was also highly controversial. Remember… Dr. Frankenstein is playing God, creating life. The prologue of the film not only introduces the film, it also warns audiences that Dr. Frankenstein is going to play God and that the film might scare them. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJU7jd7EVdI

Even now, this is an extraordinary film.  It is truly hauntingt. Frankenstein is stunningly photographed and is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful black and white films of all time. There are images in this film that are still extremely powerful. For example, this shot of Frankenstein reaching up when he sees light for the first time. It's beautiful.




Frankenstein answers an age old question. Where do monsters come from? Dr. Frankenstein is the archetypal mad scientist. All those mad doctors in the '50s science fiction films can be traced back to the good doctor in this film. It might seem odd to have this as a usual watch during the Halloween season, but it always puts me in the mood. All of the Universal monster movies do. If you've forgotten how good this film is or for some odd reason have never seen it, please give it a watch. And remember, “It's alive, it's alive!”



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