‘To a new world of gods and monsters!‘
I wrote in my Frankenstein review about the influence of director James Whale has wielded over the horror film industry. While that influence is undoubted, it is also true that your casual cinema goer will probably find much of Whale’s output to be too stuffy and old-fashioned. Well, Bride of Frankenstein is the moment in which Whale and his talented cast really soar. It’s also pound for pound the best Universal monster movie…
Frankenstein (Boris Karloff) is back! From the dead! Although I suppose he was dead to begin with. Much like Marley in that respect. Bride of Frankenstein picks up where its predecessor left off. While it appeared that both monster and creator (Colin Clive) had been destroyed at the end of the first film, they are both alive and well it turns out. Elsewhere, Frankenstein’s former mentor Doctor Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) arrives to taunt the mad scientist back into the re-animation business – much to the consternation of Frankenstein’s loyal bride, Elizabeth (recast with Valerie Hobson after Mae Clark was unable to reprise her role due to ill health). The monster, meanwhile, sparks up a lovely relationship with a kindly, blind hermit (O.P. Heggie). You may have noticed that we are nearly at the end of this synopsis and yet there has been no mention of the eponymous bride. This is because Elsa Lanchester’s character only appears on screen for about three minutes (although Lanchester does also get to play Mary Shelley in the wonderfully camp prologue).
Whale was initially reluctant to return to Frankenstein but eventually did so under the proviso that he could make it as fun as possible. While it maintains much of the horror (and certainly the pathos) of the film that preceded it, it’s also a lot more entertaining on this second go around. There is, for example, a wonderful scene in which Doctor Pretorius reveals the tiny people he has created and keeps in jars. The monster can talk now (and Karloff delivers all of the dialogue beautifully). It’s all good stuff. Unsurprisingly, it was another massive financial success.
Of the two, Frankenstein is probably the most influential, but Bride is more entertaining and modern – it must go down as one of the most successful horror sequels ever.
