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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 rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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

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

No review available.

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

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

This early sound chiller is still a great film of its genre.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
01/01/00
TV Guide's Movie Guide
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

No review available.

comment Comment
10/18/02
Brian J. Arthurs
Brian J. Arthurs
Beach Reporter (Southern California)

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Now a classic part of scream culture.

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

Utterly sublime. Karloff--the master!

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

This is the one that became the classic and best known Frankenstein picture.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
11/01/02
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

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

No review available.

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

No review available.

comment Comment
07/05/04
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

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

No review available.

comment Comment
01/06/04
Greg Maki
Greg Maki
Star-Democrat (Easton, MD)

Charming, spooky, and magical at once.

comment Comment
03/08/04
Jake Euker
Jake Euker
Filmcritic.com

As much as the later movies diluted the character of the Frankenstein creature, nothing could blunt the impact made by Karloff in the role of the most memorable movie monster of all time.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
01/01/00
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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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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