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Review

Bride of Frankenstein

Director

James Whale

Year

1935

Rating

Reviewed by

Gon C Curiel a.k.a. Groucho

Review date

Wednesday, March 27, 2002

Soon after the end of Frankenstein (1931), the presumably dead monster (Boris Karloff) turns out to be alive and well, and keeps roaming around, scaring people everywhere. Its creator, Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive), decides to start anew with his fiancée, Elizabeth (Valerie Hobson), but guilt haunts him. Matters get worse when weird Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) blackmails Frankenstein to resume his experiments. They join forces to create another man-made person, now a woman (Elsa Lanchester), bride-to-be of the lonely monster.

Riotous, spectacular horror film is incalculably better than its predecessor, deliciously directed by Whale in moody fashion. The score by Franz Waxman haunts as well, consistently appropriate to the situation.

The biggest asset of this film is the development of its characters. While the monster learns to talk, yearns for a friend and demands a bride to Dr. Frankenstein, the latter wants out and suffers very much, as he sees his relationship with Elizabeth jeopardized. Thesiger is hilarious as the wacko, whose inventions are amusing as a contrast to Frankenstein’s monstrous creation.

The prologue starring Mary Shelly (also played by Elsa Lanchester), the blind hermit sequence and the final creation scene are only three of the many highlights this great movie has.

Fun, scary and unforgettable, a must-see.

“She’s alive! Alive!!”

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