Frankenstein Turns 95: How James Whale and Boris Karloff Made a Monster the World Still Remembers

Film still: Universal Studios, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Universal's Frankenstein reached audiences in November 1931, and this month it is 95 years old. It was directed by James Whale, with Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein and Boris Karloff as the creature. It is based on Mary Shelley's novel, though it is closer to the stage versions that came before it.

Photo: Universal Studios, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Karloff is the heart of it. The film's opening credits famously list the monster with a question mark, and he went on to be the face of the character for generations. What I love is how much feeling he gets across without any speech. The scene by the lake with the little girl is hard to watch even now.

Poster: Karoly Grosz, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The look matters too. Jack Pierce created the makeup, with the flat head and the neck bolts that became shorthand for the monster. The laboratory sets, with their tall machines and flashing equipment, shaped how people imagine mad science on screen to this day.

Photo: unknown photographer, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Whale also gave it a sense of humour and a sense of pity that I think is why the film lasts. The creature is not simply a villain. He is frightened, confused and treated cruelly. It is a horror film that asks you to feel sorry for the monster, and that was a real choice at the time.

Photo: unknown photographer, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Have you watched it recently? If you want a Halloween-season rewatch, start here and then follow it with Bride of Frankenstein. Which do you prefer?