1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Bride of Frankenstein

#97- Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Starring: Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Ernest Thesiger
Directed by: James Whale


Plot Summary: Dr. Henry Frankenstein's monstrous creation is still alive and is looking for refuge and acceptance from society. At the same time, Dr. Frankenstein has also survived their encounter at the windmill and is now focusing on his fiancee Elizabeth, believing that his creation perished in the fire. A new mad scientist, Dr. Pretorius, has arrived and wants Henry to help him create a mate for The Monster. Not wanting to repeat his mistakes, Henry refuses only for Pretorius to unveil that The Monster is alive, and has learned many new tricks. With Elizabeth's life threatened by The Monster, Henry has no choice but to create another life.


When I reviewed Frankenstein last year, I had felt like I dropped the ball on not following up on it with a review of its sequel, Bride of Frankenstein. I think now would be an appropriate enough time to share my thoughts on it. When discussed, Bride of Frankenstein is normally referred to as not only one of the greatest horror sequels of all time, but is often thought of as better than the first film. I don't think I'd go as far as to say that it's better than Frankenstein, but I will say its on par with the first film, and that it is a one of the better horror sequels I've seen. However, like the first film, I did enjoy Bride of Frankenstein, but I do have some issues with it that can't be ignored.

Boris Karloff returns as The Monster, his most iconic role. Karloff is given a lot more to do in this film, such as actually speaking. Thanks to a very famous scene where he interacts with a blind man, The Monster is able to feel a part of society, which is his main objective. Karloff knows how to play to The Monster's sympathy, allowing the audience to really feel bad for him when the villagers won't accept him. His motivations for wanting a mate and the lengths he goes to ensure he gets what he wants are not considered evil by the audience, but rather we can empathize with The Monster and know that he is beyond desperate to feel like everyone else. The scenes where Karloff can draw empathy from the viewers are some of the more memorable moments of the film, and even a tad unconventional of what you'd expect from the "traditional" Universal monster movies of the era.

One of my biggest disappointments with the film is that I felt there was a lack of development in Dr. Henry Frankenstein, played by Colin Clive. With new characters and story arcs introduced, I could understand James Whale putting some of his characters off to the wayside, but not the MAIN CHARACTER from his first film. Clive is good with what he is given, but I felt there could have been more for him to do. This film focuses more on a redemptive quality to Frankenstein, as he's only forced to create another monster when the life of his love Elizabeth, played by Valerie Hobson, is threatened. It is easier to relate and sympathize with Frankenstein here thanks, as we know he does not WANT to create another monster, as he's learned from the events of the previous film.

The Bride of Frankenstein is played by Elsa Lanchester. The Bride...has no character development. She is a plot device, not a character, and she is only on screen for the last five minutes of the film. She screams, hisses, and has a funny, yet iconic, hairdo. Moving on...

Dr. Pretorius, played by Ernest Thesiger, is my favorite part of this film. He takes over as the mad doctor role and really ends up stealing the whole show. Thesiger really knows how to play Pretorius as being intelligent, yet dementedly insane at the same time. He just has many character quips that he has where the audience would look and say "whoa, that's different." There's a particularly famous scene where Pretorius is sitting in a crypt to eat and ends up toasting a SKULL, then The Monster shows up and Pretorius just says "Good Evening." You can tell through a scene like that that Pretorius is difficult to scare and has a bizarre fascination with all things spooky.

When it comes to the horror genre, sequels are normally regarded as cheap rehashings of their original films. However, Bride of Frankenstein is a rare exception where the film not only tries to pick up right where the first one ended, but also attempts to raise the stakes, give us new characters that are able to leave a lasting impression, and develop themes and moments that allow the viewer to sit back and really think about what they've seen. It even has its own reputation as a significant film in the horror canon, not just a sequel to a significant film. It is widely considered to be better than Frankenstein, but I think I'd go in the middle and say it does a great job of living up to the standard set by its predecessor.


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

While I wouldn't say it's better than the first film, Bride of Frankenstein does offer a lot of good aspects fans of horror can appreciate, including the introduction of Dr. Pretorius and further development of The Monster's human aspects. If you enjoyed Frankenstein, I recommend checking out Bride of Frankenstein to see a horror sequel that lives up to its predecessor.

Comment below to share your thoughts on the movie or to discuss a topic that I left out of my review

Bride of Frankenstein and movie images are copyrighted by Universal Pictures