Frankenstein (1931) - Whale's iconic, dark horror classic

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An eerie, feature-filled, handcrafted poster for James Whale's Frankenstein, which is beautiful and distinctly from a bygone era

The people around Dr. Frankenstein worry about him, but his greatest experiment is almost done; he is daring to reanimate life!

Frankenstein, directed by great English filmmaker James Whale (Show Boat (1936)), has a complex list of authorship: Based most directly on the same-titled 1818 novel by Mary Shelley (Mathilda (1819)), it also is inspired by the same-titled play by Peggy Webling (Verses to Men (1920, novel)) and a composition by John L. Balderston (Gaslight (1944, screenplay)). It is written by Garrett Fort (Private Scandal (1934)) and Francis Edward Faragoh (Too Young to Marry (1931)), with uncredited contributions by John Russell (Dangerous Money (1924)) and Robert Florey (A Study in Scarlet (1933)) and editing writer's work by Richard Schayer (Apache Rifles (1964, story)).
The film is fascinating right off the bat; its staging is accomplished, featuring unforgettable photography (by cinematographers Arthur Edeson (The Fighting O'Flynn (1949)) and Paul Ivano (The Lawless Years (1959-61))), production design and iconographic makeup.
The acting is seamless; in particular Boris Karloff (The Mummy (1932)) as the kind monster and Colin Clive (Jane Eyre (1934)) as its tormented creator stand out, but also Frederick Kerr (The Lifeguardsman (1916)) as Frankenstein Sr., who is hilarious and breathes life into the film's luminous character.
Frankenstein is ripe with heavy themes; life, death, the sanctity of life, - and God. I only grasp without luck for some music in this distinguished classic, as well as for a bit longer running time, - since the story and execution could no doubt support it.

Related posts:

James Whale: The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - The magnificent and mysterious monster bride  
More Frankenstein: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) - Universal's first monster bash is low on frights but entertains

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 262k $
Box office: 1.4 mil. $ (1932, rentals, likely just North America)
= Uncertain, but at least a big hit (returned in excess of 5.34 times its cost)
[Frankenstein was released 21 November (USA) and runs 71 minutes. Following the success of Dracula (1931), Universal were eager to make more lucrative horror pictures, and Whale was reportedly offered his choice of 30 adaptations, of which he chose Frankenstein. Shooting took place in California, including Los Angeles, and mainly in Universal's studio, from August - October 1931. The film was subject to censorship; the drowning girl scene was cut in half in some regions, and blasphemy objections were also levied against the film. It has been restored to its full length since. The film's full box office gross is not known for sure; one dubious Internet outlet lists it at 12 mil. $, (without anything to back it up.) Frankenstein returned in Bride of Frankenstein (1935), also by Whale and with Karloff. Whale returned first with The Impatient Maiden (1932). Mae Clarke (Broken Arrow (1957, TV-series)) returned in Three Wise Girls (1932), John Boles (Road to Happiness (1941)) in Good Sport (1931), Karloff in Tonight or Never (1931) and Clive in The Stronger Sex (1931). Frankenstein is certified fresh at 100 % with an 8.67/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Frankenstein?

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943) - Universal's first monster bash is low on frights but entertains

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This exciting poster in splashy colors for Roy William Neill's Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man promises monstrous action and a scantily clad blond

The Wolf Man is awoken to life by graverobbers and flees from England to the village of Vasaria, where Dr. Frankenstein's notes are supposed to help him finally die. - But instead Frankenstein's horrific monster is also reawoken! 

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is written by Curt Siodmak (Riders to the Stars (1954)) and directed by Roy William Neill (Hoots Mon (1940)). It is the 5th film in the Frankenstein franchise and the first sequel to George Waggner's great The Wolf Man (1941). It is the first of Universal's 'monster mash' horrors in which established characters meet each other.
The film isn't scary to me: The bizarro monsters were eerie on their own, but when their universes are welded together, the result is almost comical.
Siodmak's script saves the film, along with Lon Chaney Jr.'s (Dracula vs. Frankenstein (1971)) portrayal of the Wolf Man, Lawrence Talbot. Siodmak establishes an adventure-like pace in the rather short feature and works in themes of anxiety of insanity and village lynch mob mentality. SPOILER An exploded dam ends up washing the monsters away in a tidal wave of Biblical proportions.

Listen to 13 minutes of Hans J. Salter's score for the film here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertain - but likely a box office success
[Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was released 5 March (USA) and runs 74 minutes. Siodmak came up with the concept, because he needed a new car. Bela Lugosi had turned down playing the monster in the original Frankenstein (1931), thinking it unfit for his sudden stardom after Dracula (1931). He took the job to portray the monster 12 years later here after having played the monster's twisted companion Ygor in Son of Frankenstein (1939) and The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), in which Ygor's brain is implanted into the monster. Shooting took place at Universal in Los Angeles. Siodmak's script had the monster talking, but test audiences reacted poorly to Lugosi's talking Frankenstein, and so this element was cut. Details on the cost and box office performance of the film are not available online, - but based on the continued stream of similar titles from Universal and the general drought of horror titles in period, the film was likely theatrically successful. Both the Frankenstein monster and the Wolf Man returned in House of Frankenstein (1944). Neill returned with Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943). Ilona Massey returned in Holiday in Mexico (1946), Patrick Knowles in Hit the Ice (1943) and Lon Chaney Jr. in What We Are Fighting For (1943, short) and Frontier Badmen (1943). Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is rotten at 25 % with a 5/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man?

Beyond Re-Animator (2003) or, Once a Re-Animator, Always a Re-Animator!

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+ Gore Movie of the Year + Best Horror Comedy of the Year + Best Spanish Movie of the Year

Co-star Jeffrey Combs looks less than trustworthy inspecting green fluid inside of a syringe on this poster for Brian Yuzna's Beyond Re-Animator

Inside the prison where the mad, re-animating doctor Herbert West is incarcerated, a new doctor and a young, blond journalist now arrive, - and a new bloody chaos breaks out!

 
Beyond Re-Animator is written by José Manuel Gómez (Happy House (2000, TV-series)), with Miguel Tejada-Flores (Solar Attack (2006, TV movie)) contributing story elements and co-writer/co-producer/director Brian Yuzna (Self-Portrait in Brains (1978)) contributing uncredited work. It is the second sequel to Stuart Gordon's Re-Animator (1985).

With a liberating, adventurous and childish, cartoonish narrative, a long row of gags that almost all succeed, and not least a cast of actors who all go all-in, Beyond Re-Animator succeeds in being a good crazy, gory horror comedy.
Though most are Spanish actors later dubbed into English, Yuzna directs his cast well, getting all as one to play over-wrung caricatures in lieu of real characters. The consistency is admirable.
Beyond Re-Animator is ideal as unpretentious late-night entertainment, although its style is also a bit esoteric and nerdy, mostly intended for its limited horror fan-base audience. SPOILER An example of this boyish guffaw humor would be the scene in which the prison warden behaves like a rat, while his bitten off penis (!) fights (!!) a real rat (!!!).
Jeffrey Combs (From Beyond (1986)) is back in the title lead that he also played in the cult hit original and the first sequel, Bride of Re-Animator (1990). Unlike the first two, American films, this one was shot in Spain.
Beyond Re-Animator is the best of Yuzna's films that I have seen so far. It is outrageous horror fun for the inaugurated few.

Related posts:

Brian Yuzna: 2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II] 

2003 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

The Dentist 2 (1998) or, Open Wide ... Again!

Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989) - Shrinking kids movie is less fun than you thought it was (story contributor)

From Beyond (1986) - Gordon's wild and imaginative second Lovecraft adaptation (co-writer)

 

Watch a trailer for the film here

Cost: 3 mil. $
Box office: In excess of 302k $

= Box office disaster (projected return of 0.13 times its cost)

[Beyond Re-Animator premiered 21 March (Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival) and runs 95 minutes. Shooting took place in Spain, including in Barcelona. The film opened at #9 in Spain, its peak there, where it grossed 302k $, the only recorded gross at Box Office Mojo. It was released in a few other markets, and was screened at various festivals. In North America, it premiered at the Syfy channel. Yuzna returned with Rottweiler (2004). Combs returned in 4 TV credits prior to his theatrical return in All Souls Day: Dia de los Muertos (2005). Beyond Re-Animator is rotten at 55 % with a 5.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Beyond Re-Animator?