Celebrating Frankenstein Friday with 110+ Years of Monstrous Portrayals

Pop quiz! Who’s eight feet tall and speaks French like one of the Three Musketeers? If you answered “Frankenstein’s Monster,” you must have read Mary Shelley’s book. Good for you! (And if you haven’t read the original book version of Frankenstein: Give it a shot! It holds up well despite its age). 

But, let’s be real. When we think of Frankenstein, we aren’t thinking of Shelley’s literary creation. The monster we know was brought to life on the movie screen. That’s been his home for generations of Frankie fans.

The first Frankenstein monster movie was made in 1910 by Thomas Edison.

I watched it a couple of years ago. Being first doesn’t always mean being the best. At least it’s short.

Pretty imaginative take on the monster’s appearance, but the film is of historical interest only.

Let’s skip ahead twenty-one years to the birth of the “real” Frankenstein.

That would be Universal Studios’ Frankenstein with Boris Karloff as the monster and Colin Clive as the mad doctor who creates him. This is the movie that gave the world the monster that’s as recognizable to horror fans as Santa Claus is to the general public.

Jack Pierce is the makeup person who transformed Boris Karloff into an archetype symbol for the word “monster.” Good job, Jack!

The square-shaped head, the scars, the neck bolts, the heavy eyelids — classic and iconic. Boris Karloff, in this movie and the sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein, gave the best performances of his career. Same goes for Colin Clive as Doctor Frankenstein.

The rest of the Universal Frankenstein movie sequels cemented the monster’s “look.” (See my description above).

I’ll probably write a post sometime going into detail about my favorite movies in the classic Universal Monsters series. I’ll just say here the whole bunch are a lot of fun. Entertaining, not too scary, and fairly short run times. Good flicks to watch with monster-curious kids.

I want to single out one of these sequels for a special mention. Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943).

Not only is Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman entertaining, its back story is interesting as well.

Bela Lugosi became famous for playing Dracula in 1931. He was even tapped to play Frankenstein in Universal’s next horror movie project that same year. However, Lugosi assumed he was going to play Doctor Frankenstein. When he learned he was to play the monster, he balked. He didn’t want to play a character who had no dialog. So, the Studio went with Boris Karloff, and the rest is history. (Boris became even more famous than Bela because of it. Ouch!)

Twelve years later, Lugosi said yes to being Frankenstein’s monster.

Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943) is the sequel to two movies: the first Wolfman movie from 1941 and the fourth Frankenstein movie, The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942).

In The Ghost of Frankenstein, Bela Lugosi plays Ygor, the Monster’s evil companion. At the end of the movie, Ygor’s brain is transplanted into the Monster’s head.

Now Ygor has a new, powerful body, but wait! Different blood types mean the Monster’s eyes won’t send images to the new Ygor brain. The Ygor-Frankenstein Monster is blind! The movie ends with the blind monster throwing a hissy-fit about it.

When Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman was filmed, this was an important part of the story. It made sense that the Monster now looks vaguely like Ygor, and he staggers about with his arms thrust out in front of him. He’s blind as a (vampire) bat. The Monster also had dialog scenes where he talks about his plans for world conquest once he regains his sight.

The movie was previewed for test audiences before its release, and they howled with laughter at the parts where the Monster is talking with Bela “Dracula” Lugosi’s voice. So, the Studio just cut all those parts out of the movie. Also eliminating all references to the Monster being blind.

What was left was Lugosi walking like people expect a robot or mechanical man to walk. Weirdly, this became the signature shuffle for Frankenstein’s Monster for years to come. Stiff gait, arms out. Bela’s inadvertent contribution to the Frankenstein Monster’s mystique. 

When you watch Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman — and you really should — think about how Bela is playing a blind monster, and his performance is really pretty good!

The Universal Frankenstein series ended with Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, in 1948.

My personal favorite! This was the end of an era, Frankenstein-wise. The 1950’s monsters were going to lean into the atomic age, science fiction type creatures. There were exceptions, but horror tended to come from radiation or outer space.

Until 1957.

Hammer Films was a small studio in England that had been making movies since the 1930’s. They made some very good science fiction films in the 1950’s like X, the Unknown, and the Quatermass series.

It was in 1957 that Hammer decided to do their version of Frankenstein. They got Peter Cushing to play Doctor Frankenstein and Christopher Lee to play the “Creature.”

The movie — The Curse of Frankenstein — was in color, the blood was bright red, and Frankenstein lived again! Hammer became the go-to source for re-imagined takes on all the old Universal monster movies.

Hammer Films’ Frankenstein series continued until 1974.

About as long as the original Universal series lasted. The big difference was the Hammer movies focused on Peter Cushing as the star, and not the monster. Each movie saw Doctor Frankenstein creating a new creature. Frankenstein was strictly the Doctor’s name, and not synonymous with his monster.

I have a soft spot in my heart and head for this series. I started seeing them when I was just about to leave elementary school. I’d seen all the Universal Frankenstein movies. I needed something new. Frankenstein movies that were in color? Color me there!

The idea of the movies following the Doctor and not the monster threw me off at first. But I had to admit then and now, Peter Cushing was the perfect Doctor Frankenstein.

And I’ll also admit that all of his monsters were pretty awful. Nobody would want to see any of his creations reappear in a sequel. Woof! Some of the cheesiest looking Frankenstein monsters ever.

Still, I recommend this series. Most of the movies are decent. I think Frankenstein Created Woman is kind of boring, but I’ve sat through a whole lot worse.

The Universal Frankenstein series has aged more gracefully than the Hammer series, but both are worth seeing. Contrast and compare!

A couple of other Frankensteins from the 1950s bear mentioning:

I Was a Teenage Frankenstein was the follow-up movie to American International Pictures successful I Was a Teenage Werewolf.

The teenage Frankenstein has a very, very different take on the monster’s appearance. He looks like a teenage body builder from the feet to the shoulders… and a bug-eyed, fright-wigged mess from the neck up!

This face is so over the top, it has almost become a symbol for cheesy monsters. The famous Shock Monster Halloween mask looks like it was inspired by Teenage Frankenstein. Or did Shock Monster come first? Whichever.

Teen Frankie also appears in How to Make a Monster, co-starring the teenage werewolf and a crazed makeup artist.

Neither movie is great, but both are kind of fun if you’re in a charitable mood. The I Was a Teenage Werewolf movie is actually good, but that’s a story for a different article.

Frankenstein 1970 came out in 1958, and stars Boris Karloff. It sounds promising, but it’s pretty bad.

Karloff is the mad doctor in this one. His creature looks like a mummy wearing a hat box over its head. The movie is slow, and looks cheap. Combining Frankenstein and Karloff didn’t mean magic every time.     

The 1960’s introduced us to a new kind of Frankenstein. His name was Herman Munster.

The Munsters ran for two TV seasons beginning in 1964, and has been with us ever since. Herman Munster was obviously the classic Universal version of Frankenstein, but he was a sitcom Dad goofball.

This show spawned a theatrical movie, Munster, Go Home!, toys, model kits, and Don Post Studios Halloween masks. Also, TV movie revivals and new TV series over the past fifty years.

The latest being Rob Zombie’s take on the concept. (Dan Roebuck is great as Grandpa Munster, by the way!) The Frankenstein Munster endures…

The 1970’s showcased Frankenstein on the small screen in a two-part movie, Frankenstein: The True Story.

It wasn’t much closer to Shelly’s book than other movies, but it was enjoyable. The monster starts out as a total win for Doctor Frankenstein. His creation is smart, good looking, and good-natured.

But the creation process isn’t stable, and the nice creature starts to rot.

It’s sad watching the Doctor’s triumph devolve into a monster. The movie has high production values and an impressive cast. I recommend it.

Dracula vs. Frankenstein is a train wreck of a movie…

…but it gets my vote for having the ugliest Frankenstein monster. I think he’s even more fugly than the teenage Frankenstein. The whole movie is awful looking, but this monster is a standout. I’m not saying I like it, but it does make an impression.

The other notable Frankenstein from the 70’s is the comedy classic, Young Frankenstein.

This was a surprise gift to all the Monster Kids who had grown up watching the Universal Frankenstein movies. I think it’s Mel Brooks’ best movie. If you haven’t seen it yet, you’re in for a treat.

The 1980’s had a couple of Frankenstein monsters I remember.

The first is The Monster Squad (1987). This movie is a fun homage to the old Universal Studios monster mashups from the 1940’s, like House of Frankenstein.

It has fanboy Monster Kids versus real Monsters. Count Dracula leads all the classic monsters — Wolfman, Mummy, Creature, vampire brides, and Frankenstein — against the kid heroes.

Frankenstein joins with the kids to fight against Dracula and (spoiler alert!) he saves the day.

The Monster Squad isn’t perfect, but I like it a lot. Great Stan Winston Studios monster makeups on all the monsters. Frankenstein looks especially good, and may be the most sympathetic version of the monster since Bride of Frankenstein.

This is a pretty good movie for watching with younger fans, around eight years and up. Give it a try!

The other Frankenstein monster was in the movie, The Bride (1985). This was a “re-imagining” of The Bride of Frankenstein.

Rock star Sting plays Doctor Frankenstein, and the main thrust of the story focuses on him playing My Fair Lady with his female creation. I found the subplot of the movie more interesting. That storyline followed his first creation, the traditional-style monster, in his travels around the country.

I liked that his horrible Frankenstein scars healed as the movie progressed, and by the end credits he didn’t look too bad. Gives a guy hope!  

As the decades roll on, as decades do, I’ve been less able to keep up with all the Frankenstein movies that have been released. Since the invention of the VCR and direct-to-video movies, and now streaming, it’s become overwhelming for me.

I know I’ve skipped some movies from earlier decades in my article thus far, but now I’ll be skipping a whole LOT of them. There’s only so much I can take! If there’s a favorite recent Frankie film that you think I need to see, let me know. I’d truly appreciate the recommendation!

The 1990’s only had two Frankenstein monster movies that stood out to me, and they were Frankenstein Unbound (1990) and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994).

Roger Corman’s last movie as a director was Frankenstein Unbound (1990). The monster was interesting looking, with weird eyes and really big neck muscles.

The movie is okay. It has good actors, but I never found it very involving. The movies Corman made in the fifties were more fun.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was hyped as a big deal at the time. It’s a good-looking film, with good actors. Robert De Niro plays the monster. I think his performance is good, but I don’t like the monster makeup. I don’t think it’s frightening. It looks like he’s recovering from a car crash or some other accident.

I think the movie is worth seeing, but it isn’t one of my favorites.

The early 2000’s brought me a personal fave in Frankenstein movies.

I even got to see it on my birthday! The movie is Van Helsing (2004). This is one of the most entertaining, overstuffed turkeys I’ve seen in ages.

Universal Studios tried to resurrect all their classic monsters in one movie, and failed in spectacular fashion. This isn’t a very good movie, but there is much for an aging monster kid to enjoy.

Everything in Van Helsing is cranked up to eleven, including the Frankenstein monster. I loved how his head flips open and shows his brain when he gets punched. If you have a taste for expensive, stinky cheese, this is the movie for you.

The last couple of Frankenstein movies that come to mind are I, Frankenstein; Victor Frankenstein; and Lisa Frankenstein.

I, Frankenstein (2014) had the creature as the semi superhero of the movie, with very minimal makeup. He looks like Aaron Eckhart with a couple of G.I. Joe scars.

He helps some Gargoyles settle a war that they’ve been waging for years, and blah blah blah. Good actors, good effects, and I was forgetting it minutes after the credits rolled.

Victor Frankenstein (2015) traces the team up of Doctor Frankenstein and his trusty assistant, Igor.

It’s kind of fun seeing their back story, and they do manage to create a better than usual monster.

The problem for me was the monster comes to life, rampages, and is dispatched all within the last few minutes of the movie. I’d have preferred more monster, less Igor.

Lisa Frankenstein was more of a teen zombie goth comedy, although she does sew some parts onto her resurrected boyfriend. Cute, but not a real Frankenstein movie.

I’ve just talked about a lot of movies, and omitted twice that many. Write in with the ones YOU like that I skipped mentioning! I love to learn.

The Frankenstein monster is a huge super star in motion pictures. But he’s a monster off screen as well.

Let’s talk Frankenstein merchandise!

Frankenstein is represented on nearly everything imaginable. From cold cereal like Franken Berry to action figures. For over sixty years, you can’t go into a store in October and not see the Frankenstein’s monster.

The movie studios released their collections of horror films to television in the late 1950’s, and the first generation of Monster Kids was created. I was one of those kids.

Growing up, Frankenstein was always nearby. Toys, models, trading cards, and Halloween masks. He seemed to be everywhere. You would have a hard time finding a school-age boy who didn’t have a Frankenstein model on his bedroom shelf.

My first Frankenstein toy was in a bag of monsters made by Palmer Plastics.

He was about the size scale of the green army men figures. It was crude, bright yellow, and I thought it was great. My very own Frankenstein, and in a non-threatening size! I still have it, and I still like it. (That’s him in the pic above!)

I have lots of Frankenstein toys; and if you’re reading this, you probably do, too.

One of my favorites is a model from the Billiken company in Japan.

It’s about 12 inches tall, and a terrific likeness of Karloff in the first movie. My wife Cathy and I had some fun with painting ours:

Nearly gave some monster fan purists fits, but we liked imagining Frankie on holiday. What do YOU think?

In 1974, I began a “summer job” that morphed into my career.

I went to work at Don Post Studios, making monsters. Monster masks, and hands, and sometimes entire monsters. I got to be a real-life Doctor Frankenstein! (Only with fake monsters. No real body parts or blood were used in production).

I started out as a painter, and my favorite mask to paint was the Boris Karloff Frankenstein.

Pat Newman sculpted the Karloff (above) and the Glenn Strange Frankenstein (below) masks, and she did beautiful work on both. I loved trying to make Frankie look his unnatural best.

I’ve recently retired, but I’ll always have fond memories of working the night shift, airbrush in hand, surrounded by Frankensteins. What Monster Kid wouldn’t love that?

Universal Studios has held a copyright on the Jack Pierce Frankenstein makeup style for over ninety years. Anyone who wanted to make a Frankenstein that had a flat head, scars, and neck bolts had to get Universal’s blessing and pony up some cash.

That copyright is due to expire in 2027, and the Frankenstein monster we all recognize will finally be in the public domain and belong to EVERYONE.

I’m hoping to see some new movies starring a Frankenstein that actually looks like Frankenstein.

So, with that to look forward to, let’s take a moment to say thanks to Mary Shelley for what she gave us over two hundred years ago.

And thanks to all the artists, creators, and surrogate Doctor Frankensteins who have kept Shelley’s monster going strong for all these years.

Here’s to the undying monster. Here’s to Frankenstein!

Images for this post were purchased via MovieStillsDB and CineMaterial, screencapped via owned DVDs, created by Lauren Spear, or provided by Robert Tharp.