Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

This week for our Letterboxd List review we stick with horror and look at the Top 250 Horror and number 51 on that list with… Bride of Frankenstein (1935).

Title: Bride of Frankenstein

Director: James Whale

Runtime: 1 hour 15 minutes

Released: April 19, 1935

Available on: Criterion Channel and Peacock

Picking up from where Frankenstein left off, we see that both Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and the Monster (Boris Karloff) have survived. While Dr. Frankenstein is trying to move on with his life, the Monster finds himself wandering the countryside, desperately searching for companionship. Each interaction reminds him just how alienated his existence feels.

Meanwhile, Dr. Frankenstein hasn’t been the only one experimenting with bringing a creation to life. Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) is fascinated by the idea and winds up visiting Dr. Frankenstein. During the visit, Pretorius pressures Frankenstein into giving it another go, this time creating a female companion for the Monster.

While Frankenstein is initially hesitant to participate, things change when Pretorius goes to the extreme and kidnaps Frankenstein’s wife. In fact, he used the Monster for his own nefarious bidding in kidnapping her.

Now with both doctors hard at work, the companion for the Monster is looking more and more like a reality. However, we’ve seen what can happen with one monster. What will unfold with two of them roaming freely?

I knew Bride of Frankenstein (1935) picked up where the original left off, but the sharp left turn in tone still surprised me. While the original had a much more serious tone throughout, we see a campy comedic twist here in the sequel. By no means is it a slapstick comedy, but it does its best to try and squeeze in comedy where it can. Pretorius layering in the campiness in his performance was arguably a bit too much. While the comedy is effective, personally, I was hoping for a more serious outing.

That being said, Bride of Frankenstein (1935) still offered up plenty that I quite enjoyed. For example, being able to further explore the Monster’s journey into self-discovery. We get to see Karloff portray him in a way that shines a spotlight on the fragile humanity of the monster. And for what it’s worth, despite only being on screen for maybe 4 minutes all total, at the very end of the film, Elsa Lanchester delivers an unforgettable performance.

The film revisits many of the same themes from the original, such as loneliness, alienation, and playing God. Honestly, the film doesn’t cover much new ground or explore the themes more deeply, but I still enjoyed how it addressed them while blending in comedic elements.

The true standouts for me were the cinematography and use of lighting/shadows. Does it all hold up almost 90 years later? Eh. But you have to be able to appreciate what Bride of Frankenstein (1935) was able to accomplish and pull-off given the technical abilities of the time.

If, by chance, you have not seen Bride of Frankenstein (1935), I wouldn’t recommend dropping everything to go and watch it. However, it is the perfect time of year to cross it off your watchlist.

So, if you have seen Bride of Frankenstein (1935), I want to hear about it. Let me hear your thoughts in the comments below or by reaching out to me on social media.

As always, you can keep up with everything else I’ve been watching over on my Letterboxd page.