Frankenstein (1931)

Let’s take a trip through the Jake Ehrlich archives and go way, way back to the 1930’s. I’ve seen quite a bit of classics from this era such as King Kong, Dracula, The Wizard of Oz, Duck Soup, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Gone with the Wind, and The Adventures of Robin Hood. As someone with a deep and passionate interest in movies (not really surprising when it comes to me), I’m kind of ashamed to admit that it’s taken me this long to watch the original Frankenstein. In honor of October, I’ve been going through Halloween and Halloween themed movies as part of my tradition. Now I get to add this film to the list of classics that I’ve seen. Sure, it’s dated as hell but I can’t really fault something that came out in the 30’s. If I made a big deal about this like I do with certain things, I wouldn’t be able to just sit back and enjoy the experience. Besides, when I have the opportunity to watch something from this decade, it always feels like I’m stepping into a time machine and experiencing what a true Hollywood classic is. I have more to add to this cinematic classic, so let’s enter the lab where horror history was made.

     I may not have seen this movie until now but I am familiar with the story. Colin Clive stars as Dr. Henry Frankenstein, a brilliant but obsessed scientist (more obsessed than me) who defies nature by bringing life to the dead. His experiment’s shocking success gives rise to one of cinema’s most iconic creations – and a chilling exploration of ambition gone too far. I can name a few classic moments from this film and even if you haven’t seen the movie, who could ever forget the classic “It’s alive” line? To be honest, I’m not sure how much more I can say about a movie that is only 70 minutes long without spoiling too much but I always enjoy a good challenge when it comes to something like this. One thing’s for certain though, Colin Clive delivers a pretty good performance as the scientist, as does Boris Karloff as the monster. From the moment I saw Karloff enter the picture, I got instant chills when I saw the iconic classic look of this horror giant. The sounds and movements that Karloff demonstrated were exactly how I pictured this character would look and sound. Another thing I love about films from this time period, are the sets and dresses. I enjoy how an older film looks when it comes these things and it makes me wonder what it must have been like on the set. I know there were hard times during this age of Hollywood but I’m very fascinated by this sort of history. Not only that, the sets and costumes look so good that not only do I feel like I’m watching a classic 30’s film, I also feel like I’m going way back in time to the 18^th century. These are the sort of things I love about movies.

     This was a pretty satisfying experience despite the short running time. This is the kind of movie that anybody who’s into classic horror would definitely get a kick out of. Even if I wanted to spoil more about this film to anyone who hasn’t seen it, I’m sure anyone who is already familiar with this story could probably guess what happens. That said, I would have to give this movie an 8 out of 10. If you’re a fan of classics, horror, or if you want to see the first full-length on-screen debut of Mary Shelley’s iconic characters, I highly recommend watching it. Still electrifying after all these years.