Frankenstein, the Monster of Hollywood

Frankenstein

Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus was written in 1818 (published anonymously a year later) by Mary Shelley after taking a trip to Switzerland with her husband, Percy Shelley, and Lord Byron. Many have speculated that Percy was the true author since a couple of his works were included in the story.

Though there was an 1830s edition of the novel, I'll only be using the 1818 edition since that's what we've read in class. Additionally, there have been many edits and changes that I find non-sensical and take away from the story Shelley wanted to tell. 

Frankenstein

Directed by and produced by J. Searle Dawley, Thomas Edison, and the Edison Manufacturing Company

This short silent film was one of the first monster films created and the source material for a 13-minute-long feature.

Not much more to say about this one since filmmaking was still niche!

Il Mostro di Frankenstein

Directed by Eugenio Testa

Translating to "The Monster of Frankenstein", this film was an Italian adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein novel following Dr. Frankenstein and the Creature. Unfortunately, there is no way of viewing this video on YouTube or any streaming service as the film is considered lost. The available videos are only stills of the film itself.

Frankenstein vs. Universal Studios vs. Copyright

Although the story of Frankenstein is still in the public domain, the monster is not under copyright protection. After the 1931 film of the same name, Universal Studios re-copyrighted Frankenstein's monster since the novel didn't give the Creature an official appearance. Where do you think the green skin, bolt-necked, stitches and flat-top head come from? Yep, Universal Studios themselves. Unfortunately, they found loopholes in suing other studios if their design looked too familiar to theirs such as Hammer's Frankenstein movie series and Monster High's Frankie Stein. 

Frankenstein

Directed by James Whale, Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures

The film that started it all...The merchandising...the spin-offs...the derailment of Mary Shelley's novel!

This movie gave us Frankenstein Monster's iconic look and the "It's Alive" scene that's still referenced and parodied to the present day! People have regarded this film to be the "Westernized/American version" of the Creature in Shelley's work, making the Creature itself more like a mindless monster rather than a being of intelligence. And for some reason, Victor's name has been changed to Henry. Don't know why they changed it but they did.

FUN FACT: The movie was also based on a play by the same name in 1927 by Peggy Webling and John L. Balderston

The Bride of Frankenstein

Directed by James Whale, Produced and distributed by Universal Pictures

The beginning is based on the Switzerland hiking trip that Lord Byron, Percy Shelley, and Mary Shelley take as they write ghost stories to each other. Mary reveals that both Victor (who's now Baron Henry Frankenstein) and the Creature (he's now good-spirited) survived the angry mob, drastically changing the ending to the original novel. "Henry" is now under the apprenticeship of Dr. Pretorius, who encourages him to create life once more and creates a bride for the Creature. Speaking of, the Monster is still on the run due to miscommunications.

FUN FACT: One of the producers of the 1927 Frankenstein play, John L. Bladerston, becomes a writer for this movie.

Son of Frankenstein

Directed by Rowland V. Lee, Produced and Distributed by Universal Pictures Co.

Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, son of Henry Frankenstein, relocates with his wife Elsa and their son Peter to the family's castle. Wolf wants to uphold his father's reputation but is constantly haunted by his father's monster and the destruction brought to the village. To clear Henry's wrongdoings, Wolf finds the Monster at the blacksmith's and rehabilitates it back to health; however, the Creature goes on a killing spree via the blacksmith's commands.

House of Frankenstein

Directed by Eric Kenton, Produced and Distributed by Universal Pictures Company,

Starring Boris Karloff, Glenn Strange, John Carradine, Lou Chaney Jr.

The evil and deranged Dr. Nienmann, along with his hunchback assistant Daniel, seek revenge on certain individuals that threw the duo in prison. To ensure his revenge is swift and complete, he recruits Dr. Henry Frankenstein's Monster (Glenn Strange), Count Dracula (John Carradine), and the Wolf Man (Lou Chaney Jr.) to enact bloody murder on said individuals. However, Dr. Neinmann is blinded by his pride and lust for revenge; this becomes his downfall.

FUN FACT: This film was based on Curt Siodmak's The Devil's Brood (1944), who also did the screenwriting for the film.

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Directed by Charles Barton and Walter Lantz (uncredited), Produced by Universal-International Pictures Co., Inc., Distributed by Universal Pictures

Starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Bela Lugosi, Lon Chanley Jr., Glenn Strange

Comedic duo Abbott and Lou Costello star in their first horror/comedy film! After mishandling the crates for a horror museum, Wilbur (Lou Costello) and Chick (Bud Abbott) must personally deliver the crates back to the location. However, little do they know, they stumble upon Dracula's castle...in Florida. Where Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi), the Wolf Man (Lon Chanley Jr.), and Frankenstein's Monster (Glenn Strange) reside. The Count needs a brain for Frankenstein's Monster...Wilbur's brain.

FUN FACT: Walter Lantz, the creator of Woody Woodpecker, did the animation segments for this film. However, he went uncredited because he didn't work at Universal during its production; his cartoons were under United Artists, and he did the segments before its official release.

I Was A Teenage Frankenstein

Directed by Hebert L. Strock, Produced by Santa Rose Productions, Distributed by American International Pictures (USA) & Anglo-Amalgamated (UK)

I Was a Teenage Frankenstein takes the story of Frankenstein and turns the monster into a teenager despite not knowing the age or appearance of the Creature in the novel. Dr. Frankenstein creates another monster from the body parts of a car accident victim, but similar to the novel, this monster goes on a killing spree. This film also has no association with I Was A Teenage Werewolf, released the same year. 

FUN FACTS: + The film is in black-and-white until its ending when it is now in color.

                     + The actor who plays the doctor in this film also played another doctor in I Was A Teenage Werewolf (1944)

The Curse of Frankenstein

Directed by Terence Fisher, Produced by Hammer Film Productions, Distributed by Warner Bros.

Starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee

(1 of 7 in Hammer's Frankenstein Movie Series)

Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) is a brilliant scientist willing to stop at nothing in his quest to reanimate a deceased body. After alienating his longtime friend and partner, Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart), with his extreme methods, Frankenstein assembles a hideous creature (Christopher Lee) out of dead body parts and succeeds in bringing it to life. But the monster is not as obedient or docile as Frankenstein expected, and it runs amok, resulting in murder and mayhem.

NOT-SO-FUN-FACT: This series was one of many properties hit with Universial's copyright of Frankenstein's monster design. Due to this, Hammer had to completely overhaul the Creature's design: Pale skin, blind in one eye, and stitches on different parts of the face, giving him a more realistic appearance.

The Revenge of Frankenstein

Directed by Terence Fisher, Produced by Hammer Film Productions, Distributed by Colombia Pictures

(2 of 7 in Hammer's Frankenstein Movie Series)

After escaping prison and going under the alias of Dr. Stein, Baron Frankenstein, and a dwarf named Fritz, celebrate his escape and retreat to a small village in Carlsbruck, Germany. While there, he teams up with another German doctor and creates another from the villagers' body parts and Friz's brain, but the Creature would turn into a raging cannibal and must be destroyed.

Frankenstein 1970

Directed by Howard Koch, Produced by Aubrey Schenck Productions, and Distributed by Allied Artists Pictures Corporation

Starring Boris Karloff

Baron Victor von Frankenstein, now in the post-World War II era, continues his work as a scientist despite the tortures he's endured at the hands of the Nazis. Germany has surrendered and is beyond scarce financially. Knowing this, Victor agrees to let a TV filming crew tour his castle, which allows him to acquire an atomic reactor to create a living organism before World War II.

FUN FACT: When this film was released theatrically, Frankenstein 1970 was a double feature to another film called Queen of Outer Space.

The Evil of Frankenstein

Directed by Freddie Francis, Produced by Hammer Film Productions, Distributed by Rank Film Distributors 

(3 of 7 in Hammer's Frankenstein Movie Series)

Dr. Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) returns destitute to his home village to recommence his experimental research into the reanimation of dead tissue and stumbles upon his old monster suspended in ice. Though he revives the creature, Frankenstein must seek the help of hypnotist Zoltan (Peter Woodthorpe) to repair its mind. Zoltan then assumes control of the monster, using him to wreak havoc. But when Frankenstein tries to regain power over his creation, he becomes Zoltan's next target. Honestly, it's just the plot to Son of Frankenstein but British.

Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles

Created/produced by Hanna-Barbera 

Frankenstein Jr. and the Impossibles was an animated TV show that aired on CBS on September 10, 1966, until its unfortunate end in 1968 with the rise of censorship and parents complaining about violence in children's cartoons. The show only lasted for two seasons with 18 episodes in total.

Frankenstein Jr. is a crime-fighting robot created by Buzz Conroy, and The Impossibles were also crime fighters but in the form of a Beatles-esque band.

Even though the title promises that Frankenstein Jr. and Buzz would be the titular main characters, this was unfortunately not the case. After the massive success of Scooby-Doo a year later, Hanna-Barbera would go on to create their very own Scooby-Doo clones that would maximize their other cartoons. During this time, Hanna-Barbera Amination Studios was running out of money FAST, and their other IPs were being forgotten. So what did they do? They took new and existing IPs and made them into one big show, called "collections". This practice was very common during the 1960s to the mid to late 1980s to pour the revenue back into Hanna-Barbera Studios.

However, Frankenstein Jr. would interact with The Impossibles through a single-issue comic that was published by Gold Key in 1966.

Frankenstein Created Woman

Directed by Terence Fisher, Produced by Hammer Film Productions, Distributed by Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK) & 20th Century Fox (USA)

(4 of 7 in Hammer's Frankenstein Movie Series) 

After being reanimated, Baron Frankenstein transfers the soul of an executed young man into the body of his lover, prompting her to kill the men who wronged them. Again, they recycled the plot from The Bride of Frankenstein...but British.

Mad Monster Party?

Directed by Jules Bass, Produced by Rankin/Bass Productions,

Starring Boris Karloff, Allen Swift, Gale Garnett

Dr. Frankenstein throws a retirement party and invites the monster to find an heir to the "World Organization of Monsters", and a nuclear weapon that could destroy the entire world. Due to this revelation, the monsters rebel against Dr. Frankenstein and threaten to murder his nephew. 

FUN FACT: Count Dracula, Dr. Jekyll, and Mr. Hyde were allowed to appear in the film because they're still in the public domain.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed

Directed by Terence Fisher, Produced by Hammer Film Productions, Distributed by Warner-Pathé Distributors (UK) & Warner Bros.-Seven Arts (USA)

(5 of 7 in Hammer's Frankenstein Movie Series)

The infamous doctor Baron (ooooh, he's a doctor in this universe now) transplants his dead associate's brain into the body of a murdered mental patient. The bloody results end in carnage as Frankenstein is brought to life.

It's certainly a movie. He becomes the Creature (kinda) before being killed.

The Horror of Frankenstein

Directed by Jimmy Sangster, Produced by Hammer Film Productions, Distributed by MGM-EMI Distributors (UK) & Continental Films (USA)

(6 of 7 in Hammer's Frankenstein Movie Series)

This tongue-in-cheek chiller is about a ruthlessly sadistic student who will stop at nothing to perfect his shocking scientific experiments. Young Victor Frankenstein murders his father to inherit his title and fortune and drops out of school to concentrate on his unholy attempts to resurrect more dead creatures. Hasn't Victor learned his lesson by now? I guess not.

Franken Berry Cereal

Franken Berry was created in March of 1971 as a part of General Mills' launch of Monster Cereals. Along with Count Chocula, Boo Berry, and Fruit Brute, these iconic monsters are still remembered fondly by many across the country even though they’re only available around the Halloween season. As of 2024, the Monster Cereals brand will celebrate over 50 years of Halloween goodness of breakfast!

Commercial (sorry for the low quality): 70s Count Chocula and Franken Berry Commercial

The Mad Mad Mad Monsters

Directed by Jules Bass and Authur Rankin Jr., Produced by Rankin/Bass Productions & Mushi Production (outsourced for animation)

The Mad Mad Mad Monsters was a short TV film adaptation of Mad Monster Party? that aired on ABC's Saturday Superstar Movie for the Halloween season. Dr. Henry Von Frankenstein creates a bride for his monster for them to wed on Friday the 13th at the Transylvania Astoria Hotel.

FUN FACT: Most (if not all) of the original cast from that film appear in this TV special. It's also free to watch on YouTube!

Blackenstein/Black Frankenstein

Directed by William A. Levey, Produced by Frisco Productions Limited, Distributed by Prestige Pictures

Eddie is a Vietnam war veteran who loses both his arms and his legs when he steps on a land mine. A brilliant surgeon can attach new limbs, but his assistant switches the DNA injections, transforming him into a huge hulking monster.

FUN FACT: This film is an example of blaxploitation, a genre of films from the 1970s that largely featured Black actors and were aimed at Black audiences. Sounds cool, right? Well, the director is white. Do what you will with that information.

Young Frankenstein

Directed by Mel Brooks, Produced by Gruskoff/Venture Films, Crossbow Productions, Inc., Jouer Limited, Distributed by 20th Century Fox

Starring Gene Wilder

An American grandson of the infamous scientist, struggling to prove that his grandfather was not as insane as people believe, is invited to Transylvania, where he discovers the process that reanimates a dead body.

Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell

Directed by Terence Fisher, Produced by Hammer Film Productions, Distributed by AVCO Embassy Pictures (UK) & Paramount Pictures (USA)

(7 of 7 in Hammer's Frankenstein Movie Series)

As the final movie in Hammer's Frankenstein Movie Series, Baron Victor Frankenstein continues his macabre experiments as the surgeon of an insane asylum, but his new creation is intent on revenge.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Directed by Jim Sharman, Produced by Michael White Productions, Distributed by 20th Century Fox

A newly engaged couple has a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter. This film is also a musical..yay. 

FUN FACT: I'm not particularly fond of musicals, period because they can get ear-grating. They're also annoying 95% of the time, but this film is the only exception.

Frankenweenie

Directed by Tim Burton, Produced by Walt Disney Pictures, Distributed by Buena Vista Distribution

Frankenweenie is a horror, science fiction, comedy featurette that pays homage to Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The basic synopsis is that a young boy named Victor, brings his dog, Sparky, back to life after getting struck by a car.

A NOT-SO-FUN FACT: Tim Burton was fired by Disney after the film was complete. Burton and Disney had creative differences regarding the contact in the short, which was considered too scary for kids. As lighthearted as the film was, their older animated films from the '70s such as The Black Cauldron were perfectly safe for kids---The Nightmare Before Christmas anyone? To end on a positive note, 30 years later, Disney would rehire Burton to re-direct Frankenweenie (2012).

Dragon Ball - Red Ribbon Army Saga

In the middle of the Red Ribbon Army Saga, Goku befriends Android 8, a friendly robot with a Frankenstein's monster-like appearance, and aids Goku throughout his journey. Android 8 was initially a human before dying and was recreated as an android by Dr. Gero and Dr. Flappe under General White.

Android 8 makes a few more appearances throughout Dragon Ball:

+ In the Majin Buu Saga in Dragon Ball Z, Android 8 makes a surprise cameo during Goku's creation of the Spirit Bomb against Kid Buu

+ Briefly seen in episode 40 of Dragon Ball GT during the Baby Saga before his village is destroyed

+ Only shows up in a brief flashback in Dragon Ball Super

Gravedale High - Night of the Living Dad

Gravedale High, starring Rick Moranis, was an animated TV show produced by Hanna-Barbera and aired on NBC in 1990 with only one season and thirteen episodes. 

In Episode 11 "Night of the Living Dad", Gravedale High is having an open house/showcase/talent show for the parents of the monsters. However, Frankentyke is ashamed of his father because he's human (presumably Victor Frankenstein?). With the help of his friend, Gill, Franktentyke decides to create his father for the open house event.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

Directed by Kenneth Branagh and distributed by Sony Pictures and Tri-Star, staring Robert De Niro, Helena Botham Carter

As Viktor Frankenstein (Kenneth Branagh) is slowly dying, he shares his story with a sea captain on the creation of his monster (Robert De Niro) and how much destruction he's brought onto the world. Wanting to escape from the Creature, Viktor runs off with his fiancee (Helena Botham Carter); however, the Creature stalks and tracks Viktor to employ his revenge on the scientist.

FUN FACT: This film is considered to be the most faithful to Mary Shelley's 1818 novel!

Runaway Brain

Directed by Chris Bailey and produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation 

In this short 7-minute-long feature, Mickey forgets to buy Minnie an anniversary present, so he promises her a trip to Hawaii to make up for it. Unfortunately, Mickey's broke!  So he's hired as a lab assistant for Dr. Frankenollie, who needs a new brain donor for his monster. After the successful transplant, Dr. Frankenollie's monster's brain is now in Mickey's body (and the other way around) and goes on a rampage through town, kidnapping Minnie as well.

FUN FACT: This short was played before the theatrical masterpiece, A Goofy Movie (1995)!

Buffy the Vampire Salyer - Some Assembly Required

In Season 2, Episode 2 "Some Assembly Required", Buffy falls into an empty grave after waiting for a vampire to rise. Fearing the alarming rate of these empty tombs and missing female body parts, Buffy and the gang investigate. It is then later discovered that two science club nerds, Chris and Eric, were graverobbing the site to create the "perfect girlfriend" for Daryl, a dead football jock and Chris's brother.

Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein

Directed by Kathy Castillo and distributed by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment

This is the "prequel" of the Alvin and the Chipmunks Monster Movies. Alvin, Simon, and Theodore attend a "world-famous", movie-themed amusement park where they run into Dr. Frankenstein, who's portrayed as the stereotypical mad scientist trope, and his monster (voiced by Frank Welker). After spending time with Frankenstein's monster, they grow to enjoy his company, looking past his appearance.

Igor

Directed by Tony Leondis, Produced by Exodus Film Group, Distributed by The Weinstein Company (INT.) and MGM (USA),

Starring John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Christain Salter, Eddy Izzard

Igor is about, well, Igor! After his master, Dr. Glickenstein (John Cleese) dies in an explosion due to inserting a high-wattage light bulb, Igor (John Cusack) along with his friends, Brain (Sean Hayes) and Scamper (Steve Buscemi), create a living being for their kingdom's annual evil science fair/competition in hopes for Igor become the evilest scientist hunchback in all of Malaria. 

This movie takes the cliche hunchback/minion, as well as the mad scientist trope, that was originally adopted from the 1931 Frankenstein movie that wasn't featured in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel. However, I do enjoy the twist this movie takes despite the mostly negative reviews this movie has accumulated.

Monster High - Frankie Stein

Owned by Mattel, Created by Garrett Sanders

Monster High is a doll line owned by Mattel that was first launched in 2010. The franchise became an overnight success with all audiences that it garnered its first TV movie, Monster High: The New Ghoul in School, on Nickelodeon in the same year, marking the beginning of a generation for the franchise (Gen 1). Unfortunately, Monster High would be the center of controversy for a while because of the gothic designs, deeming them as too demonic by religious watch groups. Mattel responded to the controversy by rebooting the series in 2016 with softer and friendlier designs for each ghoul (Gen 2), which was met with negative reception and even more controversy. Since then, there have been more than 17 TV/direct-to-video movies, including two live-action films released in 2022 and 2023 respectively, and being rebooted once more in 2022 on Nickelodeon, again (Gen 3).

Frankie Stein (pictured) is the daughter/child of Frankenstein's monster and the granddaughter/grandkid of Victor Frankenstein. They were the main MAIN character for the first two generations of MH with green skin, stitches, and bolts on each side of their neck before switching to light blue for the 2022 TV series due to Universial's copyright of the original design for the monster. As of Gen 3 Frankie, they have been "reimagined" as a non-binary for LGBTQ+ representation in children's programs and media altogether—That’s also why I’m switching between she/her and they/them. Talking about this can get a bit confusing. As I stated multiple times, Mattel had to change Gen 3 Frankie's skin color from the iconic lime green to ghoulish blue because of Universial's copyright law.

Frankenweenie

Directed and produced by Tim Burton, Distributed by Walt Disney Pictures/Studio Motion Pictures 

This is a remake of the 1984 short film but now utilizes stop-motion animation and has added a few new story beats that, I feel, were hit or miss.

FUN FACT: + Tim Burton was brought back on to re-direct Frankenweenie 2012 and was given more creative liberties to make the original featurette into a feature-length film. It makes you wonder why Disney fired him in the first place.

                   + Frankenweeine (2012) is one of the very few "rare diamonds in the rough" of turning a live-action film into an animated adaptation AS A MOVIE! It's usually the other way around:

1.) Animated --> Live-action adaptation as a SHOW

2.) The "Straight to VHS (or streaming in this era)" treatment 

The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster

Directed by Bronami J. Story, Produced by Crypt TV, Distributed by RLJE Films

Vicaria is a brilliant teenager who believes death is a disease that can be cured. After the brutal murder of her brother, she embarks on a dangerous journey to bring him back to life.

Lisa Frankenstein

Directed by Zelda Williams, distributed by Universal Pictures and Focus Features

Lisa Swallows is a teenage outcast who enjoys the macabre and goth subculture, unlike her peers at her high school. After unfortunate circumstances (getting SA'd at a party, her father marrying a narcissist, and having to deal with her step-sister), Lisa decides to reanimate a Victorian corpse and declares her love for him as the two lovers begin dating and enjoying each other's company.

The reviews were pretty mixed but I enjoyed the film! The 80s aesthetics was a weird choice sure, but I'm all here for it!

Public Domain

As of 2027, Frankenstein, along with Count Dracula, will finally be available in the public domain after being copyrighted by Universal Studios in 1931, yay!

Remember back in the Mad Monster Party? entry, I had mentioned that Count Dracula was still in the public domain. He still is, but his Universal APPEARANCE is still under copyright.