Member-only story
Frankenstein (1931) ~ Film Review
Watching Frankenstein feels like watching the beginning of horror itself. This movie contains possibly the most infamous and misunderstood villain in history. Not all horror monsters need to be diabolical killing machines with no regard for human life. Instead, Frankenstein’s Monster yanks on your heartstrings and beckons to memories of total misunderstanding and ignorance.
We have all been in situations where we were entirely out of our element. We didn’t react by killing people (most of us anyway), but we can understand how scary it is to be in the dark.
It’s a tale as old as time. In a European village, a young and intelligent scientist (Henry Frankenstein) decides that he is too smart for the classroom and instead isolates himself to change the world as we know it. Henry and his assistant, Fritz, gather random body parts and sew together what looks like a human body. They bring the Monster to life with a brain, a heart, and hopefully all the other essential organs. Much like putting a dinosaur in the middle of Times Square, Frankenstein’s Monster doesn’t understand how to function in society. The viewer witnesses the Monster actively learn what can float, how much pressure the human body can take, and the dangers of fire.
Complex emotions are generated from Frankenstein. While I hate that the Monster kills pretty much everything…
