Welcome to the Second Union 31 Days of Horror event! Every day leading up to Tuesday, October 31st, (starting Sunday, October 1st) we will post a review of one horror film.
Today’s Film: Frankenstein. Enjoy!
Frankenstein is directed by James Whale and stars Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein monster. Continuing my Universal Monsters segment on 31 Days of Horror, we’re taking a look at one of the most iconic and greatest horror films ever made. While all of these films are short compared to the average length of movies nowadays, that doesn’t mean the classics can’t be effective, and Frankenstein is one of the prime examples of how phenomenal the earliest horror films are.
All of the performances in this film are effective and convincing. Every actor really gives it their all, especially Colin Clive. His portrayal of the mad scientist is absolutely perfect, and of course, it goes without saying that Boris Karloff’s performance is one of the best in a horror film ever. He has conveyed more emotion with grunts and movement than modern movie stars could ever convey nowadays. I can’t wait to review The Bride of Frankenstein and talk more about him.
Unlike Dracula, the environments in this film are less of a substance to the film itself. While they can be lacking purpose, the amount of effort put into them is evident and every one is still enjoyable…it just takes away from the experience a bit.
The story itself is amazing, and truly encapsulates the beauty of classic horror films. The most important scene that points out how misunderstood the Monster is, is by far the “flower” scene. Equally beautiful as it is disturbing, this scene depicts the Monster befriending a little girl. She shows him the fun of throwing flowers into the water. However, the fun turns fatal when the creation runs out of flowers and finds something else just as pretty to hurl into the water.
THE VERDICT
A beautiful and memorable film, Frankenstein is not your typical horror movie. However, it gets almost everything right and is close to the best horror films ever made. I’m going to give it an A.
Frankenstein stars Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Boris Karloff, Edward Van Sloan. Directed by James Whale.
