31 Days of Horror: Frankenstein

“Oh, in the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God!”

Filmology Rating: 3.5 out of 4

Here is yet another classic film from 1931, 'Frankenstein.' Deranged scientist, Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive), is on a scientific vendetta of reanimating a corpse of his own creation. While those around Frankenstein advice him not to do so, he brings his monster to life which leads to the monster terrorizing the countryside, confused and tormented. 

Once it was realized that 'Dracula' was to be successful, Carl Laemmle Jr. went to search for another horror novel to make into a film. This time, Mary Shelley's novel of 'Frankenstein' from 1816- probably the most famous horror novel ever. 

This is another incredibly famous horror film. So famous that the character is now a staple in association with the holiday of Halloween. Similar to 'Dracula', people know of some aspects that seeped into pop-culture from this film, but perhaps don't know where they originated from. The famous- "It's alive!"- line of dialogue being the most remembered aspect of this film today. 

What this film does a brilliant job of doing is giving a myriad of pathos to Frankenstein's monster. So much so that the monster becomes the protagonist and you begin to sympathize with it more while other characters, in context of the film, perceive him as the antagonist. The monster in this film was described by James Whale as having the mental age of a ten-year old boy and the emotional age of a fifteen-year old. This gives the monster a very innocent and playful personality which lends to more pathos for the character. It's similar to caring for a dog because the dog is so ignorant.

Henry Frankenstein-as well as everyone else- perceive Frankenstein's creation as a monster. "It" cannot talk so he grunts and that makes people either run away from the monster or take physical action against him. When really, the monster just wants to be loved and he wants to love, but because of his physical appearance, nobody will do so. It's such a touching story.

Boris Karloff is in the makeup and portrays the monster. What's great about his performance is not just the makeup and clothing he's in, but how he presents the character. Due to great direction from James Whale, Karloff understands that this monster needs to be sympathetic for the theme to get across. So Karloff always has such an innocent look in his eyes. That can also be attributed to the great makeup put on him. 

The idea of this is story is the original 'Jurassic Park'- can humans be responsible for creating life? And the answer every time this story is re-told is no.

But the other aspect this film addresses is the fine line between madness and a genius -also addressed in 'Jurassic Park.' Frankenstein is the definition of a "mad scientist", but is he really mad if his experiment worked? But the issue that now comes up is, "You were too concerned over whether or not you could, you never stopped to ask yourself whether or not you should." And the fact that Frankenstein's monster shows more humanity than Henry Frankenstein is a bold statement to make seeing that the monster is technically not human. That leads to another question this film brings up, which is- how people who are different from us should be treated. The horror of this film does not root in scary monster-man running around and hurting people. The horror comes from the idea of how people wrongly treat others who are different. And whenever people try to hurt the monster, he has to protect himself, which leads to him being accused of murder and being further perceived as a monstrous killer. 

The film is also shot incredibly well. 'Dracula' did this as well, but most remember the under-lighting of the monster in 'Frankenstein' most. Which became a staple in the horror genre that stilled exists today. But every scene, especially outdoors, shows nature in such a great way. Seeing that this film was mostly shot on sets, it's appreciative to see the attention to detail in matte paintings or in the placement of trees and rocks. And there's always wind blowing dirt and dust outside. It makes you care for the craft and adds another element of realism when nature is closely mimicked like that. This film also popularized the "mansion/house at the top of a hill" trope that Tim Burton uses in almost every one of his films. 

This film and the sequel, 'Bride of Frankenstein', are also the groundwork for the film 'Shrek' -a lonely ogre that deals with loneliness and people perceiving him as a monster when all he wants is to be loved. The story of 'Frankenstein' and his monster is everywhere in pop-culture, you just need to look closely to find it. 

This film, more so than 'Dracula', is a must see in your lifetime. It has a whimsical charm to it that can attributed to Boris Karloff's performance and has possibly one of the most sympathetic horror characters ever. It's a film that has many interpretations and has stood the test of time brilliantly that also displays the dangers of scientific exploration in the hands of an irresponsible person.

Rating: See It

-Nolan