Happy Halloween, everyone! Considering the popularity of the holiday, it’s weird to have a lack of Halloween-themed movies to turn to throughout the month. Or, at least, options that don’t feature a crazed maniac stalking horny teenagers at some cabin by the lake. There are plenty of options out there that are appropriate for the month of October, but many of them are really old—like going on 100 years old.
Yeah, that’s right – I’m talking about the classic monster movies that dominated cinemas decades ago. The ones feature Frankenstein, the Wolf Man, and the original Dracula. Now, since we’re already midway through October, time is scarce. So, I’ve compiled a few lists of classic monster movies to check out if you’re looking for old-timey Hollywood thrills.
This time, we’re looking at the top five best Frankenstein movies.
5) Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
Before Marvel turned Hollywood into one giant TV show with far too many interconnected pieces, Universal crafted its own MonsterVerse and brought together popular characters for a series of gimmicky but entertaining creature features. This approach quickly flew off the rails, mainly when Abbott and Costello popped up, but the initial pairing of Frankenstein and the Wolf Man was a royal rumble on par with Freddy vs. Jason.
As a kid, I enjoyed these cheesy horror flicks and remember the excitement I felt when Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) stumbles across Frankenstein’s monster (Bela Lugosi) frozen in ice. It was like seeing King Kong battle Godzilla, Batman versus Superman, or the Avengers assemble! Of course, their tussle is relegated to a brief spat in the film’s closing moments, but it’s still an iconic moment, provided you’ve taken the time to watch the previous 20 or so films that precede it.
4) Son of Frankenstein (1939)
Boris Karloff only appeared in three movies as Frankenstein’s Monster: Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), and Son of Frankenstein (1939). Luckily, he left town before the MonsterVerse devolved into camp, ensuring his legacy as the famed Monster remained untarnished. In his last stint, he appears alongside Basil Rathbone and Bela Lugosi in a rather intense thriller that holds up remarkably well.
In this film, Frankenstein’s son, Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, takes up his father’s old ways and raises the Monster once more with the help of Ygor. Son of Frankenstein is handsomely produced and perfectly paced, featuring terrific production values and strong acting, particularly by scene-stealer Lugosi. The movie also delivers a few shocking twists and remains one of the more violent entries in Universal’s monster catalog.
It’s worth noting that Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein poked fun at many elements from Son of Frankenstein, making it essential viewing to catch all the clever callbacks in that film.
3) Young Frankenstein (1974)
This might be seen as a bit of a cheat, as Mel Brooks’ classic comedy, Young Frankenstein, isn’t exactly an old-school monster flick. However, Brooks mimics the look and feel of Universal’s monsters so well that you’d be forgiven for believing it was shot in the same period. Taking its cues from Son of Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein follows Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, brilliantly portrayed by Gene Wilder, in his endeavors to continue his father’s work and bring the dead back to life. Eventually, he teams up with Igor, played by Marty Feldman, and Inga, portrayed by Teri Garr, and conjures an all-new Monster, played by Peter Boyle, with twice the strength and half the brains of the original.
Brooks clearly admires the films he pokes fun at, as every detail, from the overtly dramatic acting to the lavish sets, is mimicked to perfection. That’s part of the joke. Coupled with Wilder’s manic performance, Young Frankenstein stands as perhaps the most accessible film about the Monster for those unwilling to take Universal’s classic pictures with a straight face.
2) Frankenstein (1931)
James Whale’s Frankenstein is a smart, creepy, and unsettling adaptation that takes Mary Shelley’s novel and reimagines it into something completely unique. While Shelley’s work was far more cerebral, Whale’s vision of Frankenstein and his Monster is more simplified and softens the philosophical and moral dilemmas featured in the novel. For better or worse, Frankenstein chills more than it enlightens but remains an iconic piece of cinema, nonetheless.
Boris Karloff plays the Monster with eerie precision, while Colin Clive goes for broke as the titular Frankenstein, prone to mad outbursts in his lab – “It’s alive!” – and shrinking from his mistakes. Make no mistake, this film looks and sounds like a picture from the early 30s, warts and all. If you can look past the dated production values, you’ll find a solid horror flick with depth and visual splendor. The scene where the Monster tosses the girl into the lake always freaks me out.
1) Bride of Frankenstein (1934)
The best of the old-school Frankenstein pictures, this belated sequel furthers the mythos by delving into themes of loneliness, otherness, and the human desire for companionship. Interestingly, the titular Bride, portrayed by Elsa Lanchester, only appears in the closing scene but left such an indelible mark that her look and performance became as iconic as Karloff’s Monster. Ultimately, Bride of Frankenstein is more thought-provoking than its predecessor and features Karloff’s best performance in the Monster role.
The film is also lavishly produced and directed, boasting incredible sets and a wonderfully haunting score by Franz Waxman. Bride of Frankenstein also introduced a more refined sense of dark humor and satire into the series, not as much as later entries, but enough to induce a few chuckles. Combined with its horror and romantic elements, Bride of Frankenstein remains a powerful gothic love story and the best of the classic Frankenstein movies.
