#173: The Bride of Frankenstein

Release Date: August 1st, 2025

Format: Theater (Frida Cinema in Santa Ana, CA)

Written by: William Hurlbut

Directed by: James Whale

4 Stars

1935’s The Bride of Frankenstein is a well-made, fun horror romp. In certain ways it serves as the template for an array of horror movies that have since followed that emphasize the thrills more than the chills, that focus more on entertaining the audience than simply scaring them.  

But just because The Bride of Frankenstein is here for a fun time, doesn’t mean it’s going to get lazy with the production value. Check out the enormous built sets! Check out the costuming and makeup! And these performances! Find me performances more committed than Boris Karloff as the monster, or Una O’Connor as the housemaid Minnie, or Ernest Thesiger as the esteemed and mysterious Doctor Pretorious. 

These delightful performances are working from a script from William Hurlbut that perfectly walks a line between silly charade and genuine monster mayhem. 

Sitting in the dark theater at the Frida with Dakota, I was belly laughing at a scene of the monster running around in the woods chasing villagers, and then in the next moment being genuinely touched by a scene of a blind hermit warmly accepting him into his home. 

Under a lesser director’s care, this could be a jarring, disjointed sequence. Thankfully The Bride of Frankenstein was helmed by the British director James Whale, in what is largely considered his masterpiece. 

Well-crafted, earnest, and most importantly, fun, The Bride of Frankenstein is not a movie propped up by its iconography a la Dracula, which is equally iconic, but a bit of a slog when you actually get around to watching it. 

If anything, The Bride’s iconography serves as a gateway into the movie, which not only meets its iconic reputation, but surpasses it. It’s a horror masterpiece, even if you’re laughing half the time.