Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

For this year's Countdown to Halloween, it's all-Universal Monsters, all-the-time, from Dracula (1931) to The Creature Walks Among Us (1956).  Join me daily for a fresh perspective on movies you may not have watched in a long time, if ever.  Today, one of the most popular... Bride of Frankenstein!

Many people consider Universal's Bride of Frankenstein (1935) to be the greatest horror movie ever made.  I'm not one of those people.  That's not to say it's not a classic; it definitely is.  And while the finale is a tour de force for director James Whale, I don't care much for earlier parts of the movie.  In these parts, the subject matter leans heavily toward the magical or mystical rather than the scientific horror of creating human life.

If you think about it, it's not that much of a fantasy to believe Henry Frankenstein could reanimate a man stitched together from parts of dead bodies.  All it takes is a jolt of electricity strong enough to jump-start him.  That's science.  But it's harder to fathom Dr. Pretorius growing a race of miniature people from seeds.  They also have tiny thrones and ballerina costumes.  I'm not sure what that is... magic?

Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) is a former colleague of Frankenstein's (Colin Clive) who appears at his sick bed following the events of Frankenstein (1931).  He has ideas of his own about probing the mysteries of life and death, but needs Frankenstein's help to proceed.  Specifically, he wants to create a female companion for The Monster (Boris Karloff).  Frankenstein is reluctant at first; however, when Pretorius and The Monster join forces, they blackmail him to participate.

While Frankenstein recovers from being tossed from a burning windmill, The Monster has escaped a fiery death and roams the countryside.  It doesn't take long for a mob to assemble and they actually capture him for a brief period of time until he also escapes their chains.  Again wandering on his own, he encounters a blind hermit for what may be the most iconic scene in Frankenstein history.

"I cannot see and you cannot speak," the hermit (O.P. Heggie) says, and when The Monster realizes someone accepts him for what he is, he sheds a single tear.  He's soon speaking, albeit in one-word expressions: bread, drink, smoke, friend = good; alone = bad.  Wood?  Wood = fire, which sends The Monster on the run again.  Hiding in a cemetery tomb, he meets Pretorius, who shares his plan.  Soon, The Monster has two new words: "Woman. Wife."

In subsequent versions of the story, the character of Pretorius doesn't exist.  The fact that he's here makes me wonder if it doesn't lessen the impact of the purpose for creating a mate for The Monster in the first place.  The Monster is basically a pawn for Pretorius's mad idea, instead of the driving force for his own wishes.  Also, holding Elizabeth (Valerie Hobson) hostage doesn't set the stake high enough when Frankenstein was originally so unconcerned about her.

In other words, it's all a little contrived.  However, it gets us to that finale, which is spectacular!  During the creation, the camera angles tilt, the edits speed up, the close-ups of Frankenstein and Pretorius increase.  It's very exciting, intense and suspenseful.  Then there's the reveal: "The bride of Frankenstein," as bells chime on the soundtrack.  In what is perhaps the second most iconic scene in Frankenstein history, she rejects her mate.

"She hate me.  Like others," The Monster realizes, while stumbling dangerously close to laboratory controls.  “Get away from that lever, you’ll blow us to atoms!” cries Pretorius.  In the final moments, The Monster is in control, determining who deserves redemption and who does not, who lives and who dies.  At the end of two movies, it seems The Monster has become the most human of them all.

Tomorrow: Werewolf of London!

The Decade in Horror: The 1930s

"We have a lot of reason to be fearful in the world," Frank Farley, Temple University

One of the common theories used to explain the horror paradox is that people watch horror movies as a way of coping with actual fears or violence.  Since one source of our fears is undoubtedly the world in which we live, I thought it would be interesting to look at the popular horror movies of different decades to see how they reflect the general fears and uncertainties of the times.

The 1930s

As if the stock market crash of 1929, which helped trigger the Great Depression, was not bad enough for the United States, the Dust Bowl also occurred in the first half of the decade, resulting in severe draught, food shortages and a reduction in wages.   Even though radio was the dominant form of media, audiences flocked to movies that were far removed from their everyday realities.  It was in this decade that the movie going public accepted horror as a genre.

Not only were the stories of 1930s horror movies an escape, but also the locations.  Movies like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy and Werewolf of London contained fantastic characters and situations, but they also took place far from the troubled United States.  Most of these movies had a gothic influence and dealt more with science and adventure than the supernatural.

Take the four movies mentioned above and add Freaks, Island of Lost Souls, The Most Dangerous Game, The Old Dark House, White Zombie, King Kong, The Invisible Man and Bride of Frankenstein, and it's undeniable that the 1930s was the golden age of the horror movie.  This was also the decade in which Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi became stars and horror legends as they created iconic representations of literary and mythological monsters.

Four of my favorite horror movies of all time were released in the 1930s: Frankenstein, The Most Dangerous Game, King Kong and Bride of Frankenstein.

It should be noted that most of these movies were made during the first half of the decade.  In 1935, the British Board of Film Censors introduced the "H" (Horrific) rating and was attached to "any films likely to frighten or horrify children under the age of 16 years.  Subsequently, in 1936, Hollywood embraced a strict production code limiting the violence and sexuality that could be portrayed in films.  These policies resulted in virtually no horror films being produced in 1937 and 1938.

Horror movies experienced a resurgence in 1939, the same year that gave us two of the most beloved movies of any genre, Gone with the Wind and The Wizard of Oz.  It seemed that with the classic lines from those movies, "Tomorrow is another day" and "There's no place like home", the Great Depression was winding down and the public was becoming more hopeful.  What would that mean for horror?  Check back tomorrow and we'll find out…

Other 1930s milestones:

1930.  Warner Brothers released the first all-talking, all-color movie, Song of the Flame.

 

1931.  RCA Victor introduced the first long-playing phonograph record; the Empire State Building opened.

 

1932.  Franklin D. Roosevelt elected President of the United States.

 

1933.  Prohibition ended in the United States; in Europe, Hitler rose to power.

 

1937.  The German dirigible Hindenburg exploded in New Jersey; Disney's Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs was released; the Golden Gate Bridge opened.

 

1938.  Radar was invented.

Sources:

From Halloween to Horror Movies, Why We Loveto Be Afraid, Susan Donaldson James, 10-25-11

Hollywood Movie Memories: Horror Films in the1930s

Horror Film History: Horror Films in the1930s