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Movies / On DVD / Frankenstein
Frankenstein

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Frankenstein (1931)

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Reviews Counted:37

Fresh:37

Rotten:0

Average Rating:8.5/10

Consensus: Still unnerving to this day, Frankenstein adroitly explores the fine line between genius and madness, and features Boris Karloff's legendary, frightening performance as the monster.

Runtime: 71 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: FRANKENSTEIN is James Whale's first stylish, expressionist film (INVISIBLE MAN, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN) to grace the Universal horror cycle of the 1930s and 1940s (DRACULA, THE MUMMY). Scientist... FRANKENSTEIN is James Whale's first stylish, expressionist film (INVISIBLE MAN, BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN) to grace the Universal horror cycle of the 1930s and 1940s (DRACULA, THE MUMMY). Scientist Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and his hunchbacked assistant, Fritz (Dwight Frye), embark on an unholy mission by stealing a body from a graveyard and a human brain from a medical college. Unbeknownst to Frankenstein, however, Fritz takes a violent and murderous abnormal brain. Henry's strange letters about his experiments worry his fiancée, Elizabeth (Mae Clark), and friends Victor (John Boles) and Dr. Waldman (Edward Van Sloan). They arrive at Frankenstein's laboratory to find the spectacular scene of creation under way--and Frankenstein intoxicated with his own godlike power. FRANKENSTEIN is in many ways the original horror classic, virtually creating the genre itself, leading to numerous sequels and myriad imitators. Whale's ability to give humanity to the Monster is one of the film's most stunning successes. [More]

Starring: Colin Clive, Boris Karloff, Mae Clarke, John Boles

Starring: Colin Clive, Boris Karloff, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Edward Van Sloan, Frederick Kerr, Dwight Frye, Lionel Belmore, Marilyn Harris, Michael Mark, Arletta Duncan, Pauline Moore, Francis Ford

Director: James Whale

Director: James Whale
Screenwriter: Francis Edward Faragoh, Garrett Fort
Producer: Carl Laemmle
Composer: Bernhard Kaun

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Frankenstein

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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Beautiful photography, a heartbreaking story, and iconic moments from beginnning to end. Absolutely unmissable.

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
09/24/07
Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A masterpiece of vintage horror. Entertaining, creepy and stylish.

Full Review Source: Channel 4 Film | comment Comment
09/24/07
Channel 4 Film
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The film is unique in Whale's work in that the horror is played absolutely straight, and it has a weird fairytale beauty not matched until Cocteau made La Belle et la Bête.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
02/13/04
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

If it isn't the best American horror film of the 1930s, that's only because the extremely gifted director James Whale wasn't done with the franchise quite yet.

Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
10/13/09
Tim Brayton
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

From the standpoint of the story, cast, direction and photography the picture is sure to rate with the greatest in picturedom.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
10/18/08
Boxoffice Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

[Whale] did it in the Grand Guignol manner, with as many queer sounds, dark corners, false faces and cellar stairs as could possibly be inserted.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
10/07/08
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Maximum of stimulating shock is there, but the thing is handled with subtle change of pace and shift of tempo that keeps attention absorbed to a high voltage climax.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
09/24/07
Alfred Rushford Greason
Alfred Rushford Greason
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Utterly sublime. Karloff--the master!

comment Comment
09/10/07
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

comment Comment
07/29/07
Neil Cohen
Neil Cohen
Echo Magazine

Frankenstein's psychological inquiries remain both striking and potent, its morality-lined narrative brimming with existential hurdles on both ends of the scale.

Full Review Source: Projection Booth | comment Comment
07/03/07
Rob Humanick
Rob Humanick
Projection Booth

One of the most deservedly famous and chilling horror films of all time.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
06/05/07
Don Druker
Don Druker
Chicago Reader

A classic.

Full Review Source: sbs.is | comment Comment
05/27/07
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
Stefan Birgir Stefansson
sbs.is

Now a classic part of scream culture.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
09/02/06
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

...crude but famously iconic version of Shelley's novel, which featured Karloff under 50 pounds of makeup, costume and platform boots the Spice Girls could only dream of.

Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
10/21/05
Thomas Delapa
Thomas Delapa
Boulder Weekly

No review available.

comment Comment
10/10/05
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

The monster may seem campy today, but there are still occasional subtleties.

Full Review Source: Not Coming to a Theater Near You | comment Comment
10/06/05
Leo Goldsmith
Leo Goldsmith
Not Coming to a Theater Near You

The high tide of Universal horror. Hail Karloff.

comment Comment
08/26/05
John Wirt
John Wirt
Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

No review available.

comment Comment
06/12/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

Without question the film's defining moment comes from the actual revelation of the legendary monster itself.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
06/04/05
Frank Wilkins
Frank Wilkins
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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all

Latest News for Frankenstein

November 29, 2009: James Whale: Still Passing Strange Opens in new window
He was never entirely comfortable with his success as a director of horror films, but in spite of his ambivalence, James Whale made some true classics of the genre -- and a... More...

October 26, 2007: Guillermo del Toro Talks Upcoming Projects
Between Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, both versions of The Orphanage, and his various rumored projects, Guillermo del Toro has become something of a mainstay here at RT News -- so... More...

July 24, 2006: Comic-Con 2006: New "Hulk" Sequel to Be an "Abomination"
OK, we already knew that Abomination would be the new "Hulk" villain, and we just recently got word that "Transporter 2" director Louis Leterrier would be... More...

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