Frankenstein is Still our Favorite Monster After all these Years

Frankenstein, the Horror and the Legacy

Mary Shelley’s novel of the macabre undertakings of Victor Frankenstein and his confrontation with scientific disaster, a green monster of peculiar origins, has undergone many incarnations over the years. Since the original release of the novel in 1818 during the Romantic Period, Shelley’s dark tale has become the standard tale of things that go bump in the night, inspiring plays, musicals, films, and of course cartoons. It goes without saying that horror as a genre could not possibly exist without this landmark novel.

Shelley, being the ambitious writer that she was, would’ve been pleased to know that her work had been dedicated to posterity, but she might not have anticipated that her principal work would be given the animated treatment, that such a serious figure as Frankenstein’s monster could be rendered as an animated dog.

What would Shelley have thought of The Bride of Frankenstein? Would she have cast Boris Karloff as the monster in the early film version? These are questions we’ll never have the answer to, so we must unfortunately leave them up to conjecture.

One thing that’s not up for debate is the fact that Frankenstein is still as creepy and “alive” as ever. Just watch the original trailer, and you’ll be in the mood to shriek in no time. Don’t worry, on the internet, no one can hear you scream.

[Video] Frankenstein (1931)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RW7bLMraKg

Halloween is a special time of year, and undoubtedly, many people this year will be donning Frankenstein’s garb, dragging their feet and grunting for candy with their arms stretched out before them. Still others will be watching reruns of the classic (1931) film, and a few may be enjoying a tub of buttery, salty popcorn while screening Tim Burton’s Frankenweenie. No matter how you choose to celebrate the many faces of Frankenstein, don’t get too freaked out. It’s just a movie…right?

[Video] The Art of Frankenweenie

Perhaps, even Shelley would have gotten a laugh out of Young Frankenstein (1974), a film I remember watching as a young boy, thinking to myself, “Is this supposed to be scary?” It was frightfully funny to say the least. But much milder than the novel no doubt.

[Video] Young Frankenstein (1974) 

It seems Frankenstein has left an indelible mark on our culture, beginning as high art and finding its way into the pop-culture mainstream. Frankenstein has even gained currency as a word modifier, like Frankenfruit. Even as Hurricane Sandy roars in the East, many have dubbed the deadly storm a Frankenstorm. It seems that this lurking green monster has found himself a mainstay in our culture, and you can bet he’ll remain our favorite monster for years to come.