Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that although this horror movie is tame by today's standards, it does deal with issues of life and death and scientific ethics. Also, there are some killings, including a child who is drowned when a monster throws her into a lake. Younger children might be frightened by the monster, themes of grave-robbing, and the laboratory scenes. Still, older kids accustomed to modern-day horror's fast pace and stylized violence may find the film too "old-school" for their tastes.
Families can talk about how horror movies have evolved since this movie was released in 1931. What makes a movie scary? Do contemporary horror films rely too much on gratuitous violence and gore? How does this movie still manage to be scary without resorting to over-the-top content?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Teresa Talerico
A classic monster movie released in 1931, FRANKENSTEIN remains just as eerie today, thanks to the chilling presence of Boris Karloff as the monster. When he first appears on-screen -- a hulking, lumbering, vacant-eyed creature -- the moment is pure black-and-white horror. But Karloff also invites sympathy with his portrayal of a tragic and misunderstood being, one who has the body and strength of an ogre but the mind and innocence of a child.
A funeral scene establishes the movie's gloomy theme of life and death. As family members weep and mourn their loved one, Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and his hunchbacked assistant, Fritz, lurk ominously on the fringes. The pair steals corpses from graves so that Henry can conduct his experiments on creating human life.
Despite pleas from his fiancée, a friend, and a former professor to abandon his strange and dangerous research, an increasingly unhinged Henry persists. The laboratory scene where he brings his creation to life -- "It's alive! It's alive!"-- is one of the best known in cinematic history. Alas, he realizes too late the consequences of playing God (and the danger of trusting your assistant to steal the right brain).
The monster escapes into the countryside, where he meets a little girl, the first person to treat him with real kindness. But the tender moment they share is short-lived and ends disturbingly. Shunned by his creator, tormented by Henry's assistant, and hunted by an angry mob of villagers, the creature responds with confused aggression, even terrorizing Henry's bride on the eve of their wedding. Armed with torches, hounds baying at their heels, the villagers pursue him in revenge and Dr. Frankenstein faces off with his creation.
Sure, the movie occasionally feels dated, and viewers might find some incidents more slapstick than scary. But overall, it holds up admirably after 75-plus years. Meanwhile, those familiar with the more famous scenes will be surprised to discover some comic relief in the character of Henry's father, a crusty old baron. Although the baron's final lines, which end the movie, may seem abrupt by today's standards, they still convey the sad, strange irony of an old man's wish for a grandson and his son's "fathering" of a kind of monster-child.
Based on the novel by Mary Shelley, this classic movie remains the most iconic film adaptation, even though it does stray from Shelley's original plot.
Families who enjoyed this film might also like its sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein, or The Mummy, both starring Karloff. For an excellent comedy that affectionately spoofs both Frankenstein and The Bride, try Young Frankenstein.
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentA man and a woman kiss. |
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ViolenceRelatively mild violence compared with today's horror flicks. However, killings include a child who drowns when a character throws her into a lake, although it's clear that he doesn't intend to hurt her. Her actual death is not shown, though her father carries her body through his village. A man threatens the monster with a torch and whips him while he's chained in a cellar. A doctor is strangled, a man is hanged. A mob of villagers hunts down a monster and chases him into a windmill. They set fire to the windmill, and the monster is shown trapped inside under debris. Various scenes of fighting, scuffling, attempted strangulation. |
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Social BehaviorA scientist recklessly experiments with life and death by artificially bringing to life a man he has fashioned from various body parts. Two characters steal corpses and body parts from graves, the gallows, and a medical college. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoA gravedigger smokes a pipe. A man smokes a cigarette. Characters drink champagne and wine. A sick man is given brandy to drink as a remedy. |
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