bride of frankenstein - Monsters from the Vault

Heck, I was even hoping
it would be the first Universal classic horror film
to be released on Blu-ray
by the studio. Instead, the
Bride was left jilted at the
altar by its maker.
Fortunately for our
readers, MFTV decided to
give the Bride its due and
place it in the spotlight
as this issue’s featured
article. I asked some of our
regular contributors to offer their thoughts on what
many consider to be James
Whale’s masterpiece. So
sit back and enjoy as Monsters from the Vault escorts
the glowing Bride down
the aisle for her big moment, and then flip back
to the cover and enjoy her
beauty (thanks to the very
talented Daniel Horne)!
–Jim Clatterbaugh
BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN:
A 75th Anniversary Appreciation
Ever since I began publishing Monsters
from the Vault in 1995, one question I’m
repeatedly asked is, “What’s your favorite
horror film?” Many people might have to
take some time to reflect on the question
before offering an answer, but for me it’s a no4
MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #28
brainer: Bride of Frankenstein! From the time
I first saw the film as a child in the 1960s to
the present day, my answer has always been
the same. Even at a young age, I could see
the brilliance in the film. From its perfect cast
(and their wonderful performances) to the
many memorable scenes (my favorites are the
crypt scene with Pretorius and the Monster,
the Monster’s visit with the blind hermit, and
the touching finale), I was hooked. It’s also
the first film that had me feeling sorry for the
Monster and his loneliness and desire for a
mate. I even found myself crying during the
finale when I watched it at a young age.
The Monster was an outcast, just like
many of us Monster Kids were
when we lived and breathed
everything monsters in the
1960s and ’70s. I, for one, could
relate to his pain and his desire
to be accepted. I find myself
returning to this film more than
any other from the Golden Age
of Horror and usually watch it
two or three times a year. Unfortunately, Universal doesn’t
feel the same about it, as they
let its 75th anniversary pass
with no fanfare. There was no
Universal Legacy Series 75th
Anniversary Edition DVD
(as Frankenstein and Dracula
received on their 75th anniversary), or even a Universal Legacy Series Special Edition like
The Mummy and The Wolf Man
received. (Even though Universal skipped their anniversaries,
they at least offered new DVDs
to tie in with the third Stephen
Sommers Mummy film, and
the remake of The Wolf Man.)
Glass cylinders hum
and glow, electricity jumps
between metal rods, a
bank of conductors spark,
a circular generator shoots
electricity around its perimeter, and rows of
contacts emit small explosions and plumes
of white smoke. Inside an ancient stone
watchtower, the makeshift laboratory seems
to come alive with sparks, light, and smoke
while a steady thump, thump, thump—like
the beat of a cosmic heart—pounds underneath the crackling and booming of the machinery and the violent storm raging outside.
With this six-minute sequence (beginning
when Henry Frankenstein and Dr. Pretorius
remove the sheet covering the bandaged female body, and ending with Pretorius’s feyly
proud pronouncement upon revealing the
creature in all her grotesque glory), director
James Whale creates one of the most exciting
sequences from the Golden Age of Horror by
calling down the bolts from Heaven to bring
life to the Bride of Frankenstein.
Universal planned The Return of Frankenstein, a sequel to their 1931 blockbuster,
as early as the summer of 1933, with James
Whale to direct and Boris Karloff (naturally)
to star. Whale, however, resisted the idea,
telling his friend R.C. Sherriff, “I squeezed
the idea dry on the original picture, and
never want to work on it again.” Whale
avoided the dreaded sequel assignment
by helming The Invisible Man (scripted by
Sherriff) instead. After further delays to the
Frankenstein project due to Universal’s fiscal difficulties (the studio saw red in 1933 to
the tune of over one million dollars), Whale
finally capitulated. The director then sat
down with John Balderston to shape and
refine playwright William Hurlbut’s initial
draft into the Swiftian screenplay that became Bride of Frankenstein.
Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) and Henry Frankenstein
(Colin Clive) collaborate on a blasphemy known as the
Bride. (Courtesy of Photofest)
WINTER 2011
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