If Mary Shelley had nailed down the franchise rights to Frankenstein back when she first published the book in 1818, she’d be a very, very rich (and very, very old) woman. Allegedly, more than 400 feature films have included a character based on the monster—starting with 1915’s Life Without Soul (now lost) and running through Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein.
But for my money, the best Frankenstein flick might be one of the oldest: The Bride of Frankenstein.
A 1935 sequel to the landmark 1931 film Frankenstein (both directed by James Whale), The Bride of Frankenstein unexpectedly sees the resurrection of both Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and his monstrous creation (Boris Karloff). And it introduces audiences to an important new character, Dr. Pretorius, who seeks to partner with Frankenstein to fabricate a mate for the monster.
Most critics thinks it surpasses the original (its Rotten Tomatoes score stands at 98%). But the film also comes with some very strong Christian themes.
I sit down with Bob Hoose, who reviewed the movie for us, to talk about The Bride of Frankenstein, from its making to its aesthetics to all of those faith-based elements. Take a look!
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