Frankenstein [Priced-down Reissue]

The immortal Boris Karloff stars as “Frankenstein”, a.k.a. “Frankenstein’s Monster”, the role that made him a legend! Dr. Henry Frankenstein sought power and fame. He wished to create a “new man” by assembling body parts from freshly-dead corpses then restoring them anew by exposing his assembled creature to a special ultra-violet ray created in his laboratory. By mistake, the brain of a violent criminal is put into Dr. Frankenstein’s creation. When this “new man” is given life, he is badly treated, (you’ll see why). As such, the violent madman’s brain takes control, and “Frankenstein’s Monster” runs amok, creating mayhem and murder wherever he goes, though truly through no fault of The Monster’s own. That, my friends, is precisely the point of this great “morality play”. The real treat is Karloff’s wordless performance as the hapless, much-misunderstood “Monster”. It was worthy of a Best Actor Academy (Oscar) Award at the time, except that the Academy’s voters didn’t consider horror movies seriously. It’s also worth mention how groundbreaking “Frankenstein” was in its time. Subject: A mad scientist who robs graves. Taboos: On display were very real-looking human brains in glass jars, “corpses” hanging from gallows, or lying on slabs. Before “Frankenstein’s” release in 1931, such things were absolutely never shown onscreen. The ultimate shocker was, of course, The Monster’s appearance, especially in close-up. Created by Universal Studios make-up wizard, Jack Pierce, with input from Karloff himself, this is a look that will remain durable in your nightmares. When The Monster first turns his face to the camera that first time, the camera cuts to a closeup. At that point, generations of moviegoers have received a never-forgotten chill up the spine! I dare you to use your Pause Control at that instant just to stare - and marvel at - The Monster’s face. Karloff’s face and character are a brilliant study in tragedy and misunderstanding played to the zenith of both. It’s not The Monster’s fault that he has a murderer’s brain! He even tries to be kind in playing with a child, but becomes scared and confused when he finds out that she can’t do what her flowers did....