Monday, November 20, 2006

Frankenstein turns 75



On this date, in 1931, Universal's "Frankenstein" debuted. Directed by James Whale, the movie was a huge hit, securing Universal's exploration of horror as a viable cinematic genre which began with "Dracula" earlier the same year. It's star, Boris Karloff became a horror icon, and the monster make-up by Jack Pierce is one of the most well-known visual icons of the 20th Century. It spawned five sequels (six if you include "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein"), and it's look, especially the laboratory set created by Kenneth Strickfadden influenced horror movies for decades after.

If you haven't watched this movie in a while, today's the perfect excuse to do so.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I'm still amazed how well this film holds up. It's still one of the more disturbing and actually creepy horror films to this day. I love this film.