This is from the same year as Dracula, and it stars the other big-name horror icon from that era in Boris Karloff. I gotta keep in mind that Frankenstein is the doctor and not the monster because I’m like so many other dumbasses and refer to the monster as Frankenstein. Oh well.
We get a nice warning from a delightful gentleman about this story. It may shock or horrify us. I bet it will. Lots of awesome imagery with the tree, the grim reaper looking thing, digging or filling a grave. This is just creepy and cool. These 2 dudes (Henry Frankenstein and Fritz) are digging up the body that was just buried. They steal the body. They found somebody who was lynched, but the brain is useless, and they need another brain.
At a university, a doctor/professor is showing the class brains and describing stuff. After class, Fritz goes to steal the brain but drops the good one has to steal the abnormal one instead. Well, there’s your problem.
We meet Victor and Elizabeth, and she got a letter from Henry Frankenstein, and his work is more important, and he is busy with his assistant working on an experiment. Victor is gonna talk to Dr. Waldman about this, and he used to be Henry’s teacher. Elizabeth is coming with Victor to see Waldman. Waldman reveals to them that Henry wishes to bring people back to life and he wanted bodies, so he was told his requests were not reciprocated, so he left the university.
At Henry’s lab, we see him and Fritz hooking up the electrodes and it’s during a lightning storm. There’s somebody at the door. You can imagine who. Now see, I was wondering if Fritz was Igor, but this is different than later incarnations of this story, and it’s usually victor and not Henry for the first name of Frankenstein. Anyway, Victor, Waldman, and Elizabeth are there to harass Henry. He reluctantly let them in and leads them up the winding stairs. He insists that they sit down. Waldman is busy fucking around and Fritz gives him the business.
So this body was never alive, it’s pieced together from other bodies from the gallows and such. No not the shitty Gallows film that was totally shitty. He raises the body up to the top and there’s an opening and enough electricity. When it lowers, Henry see that the body’s arm is moving, so we have the famous “It’s alive” scene.
Oh man, you should see this Baron Frankenstein. He is dressed delightfully, plus his huge ass pipe. The Burgomaster comes in and annoys Baron. Burgomaster is inquiring when the wedding will take place between Henry and Elizabeth. Oh man, Burgomaster and Baron are awesome and funny to me.
Waldman is all pacing in Henry’s laboratory, and Henry is like, dude, chill the fudge out. Uh oh, Waldman reveals that the brain stolen was a criminal brain, so only evil can come from it. Waldman says that Henry has created a monster and it will destroy him. Waldman brings up Elizabeth and Baron, and Henry is all cocky. Here comes the monster. He looks great. He has the monster take a seat like he’s Chris Hansen. They open up the roof so the monster can see the sun. Fritz scares the monster with the torch and this causes the monster to flip the fudge out. Waldman suggests that they kill it. Fritz is such a mean ass with the torch and whipping him. Why is Fritz such a dick? They have the monster shackled in the basement. They hear the monster sound pissed. Waldman and Henry go to check, and Fritz has been lynched. Haha. Now the monster is pissed, and Waldman is insistent on killing it. So they hatch a plan, unlock the door, distract him with the torch and lethal inject him. Well, the monster didn’t like that. He just whooped their asses, but he does faint, and Waldman is OK. I guess.
Victor shows up and helps them move the monster before Baron and Elizabeth come in. Baron has a monocle now! They go upstairs and Henry falls down. They carry him to a bed. They need to bring Henry home, and Waldman will take care of the monster. Waldman needs stronger injections and is going to start dissection soon. I bet he won’t. Well, he goes to make a cut, but the monster strangles him. Now the monster is on the loose. Sweet.
Henry tells Elizabeth that it’s nice to be back with her. It’s wedding time. Baron is great. A toast to the house of Frankenstein. Man, it’s a huge festival, the House of Frankenstein is like the House Stark in Game of Thrones.
We see Little Maria being with her pissed off cat, her dad had to do some work. She sees the monster and wants to play with him. She gives him a flower, he seems happy by this. The monster is thrilled by throwing the flowers in the water and watching them float. So he picks her up, tosses her in the water, and like black people, she can’t swim, or so the rumor goes. How did that theory ever come about?
Elizabeth is concerned about Waldman being late. Her wedding train is long. Longer than Peter North. Henry is like, will you just relax? Victor comes in and tells Henry that Waldman has been murdered and spotted in the countryside, and now he’s possibly upstairs. So how does that monster just roam without being spotted? Anyway, he locks Elizabeth in her room and sure enough, the monster comes in through the window, and she is locked in. They finally break in the door and she is passed out from fright. Maria’s poor dad comes into town carrying his dead girl in the middle of the festivities. Poor dude. He has attracted a following, a mob has ensued. He brought her to the Burgomaster. Oh man, angry F’N mob that wants justice.
OK, time to light up torches and get the hounds out and start looking. A bunch of scared womenfolk all cowering. This is great. They are climbing rocks. Oh man. We just saw the monster, he’s hiding. Some dude is down. Henry found the monster, and there’s a brawl. Why didn’t Hulk Hogan ever wrestle Frankenstein, brother? The monster takes Henry to the old windmill. The mod has a log for a battering ram. Nice. The monster is pissed, and Henry is up. Henry tries to escape, but the monster caught him. The monster just gorilla pressed Henry onto a windmill blade, but he’s still alive. Awww, they are burning the windmill down. Nobody is thinking long term. I imagine this windmill is a chore to rebuild. A support beam fell, pinning the monster to the ground as the building goes up in flames.
The maids bring some wine up to Henry, but Baron drinks it instead and cheers to the House of Frankenstein. For the Watch.
End Film
This is my favorite of the 5 that I watched. I didn’t expect it to be, and yet here I am professing my love for it. If you’ve never seen it, go out of your way to watch it. It tells the best story in my opinion, and it looks great. Karloff is awesome, as is Fritz and Henry.
Final rating: 7.5
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