1931 film directed by James Whale

Frankenstein_poster_1931.jpg
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and the Birth of Frankenstein
Frankenstein
The Curse of Frankenstein
Victor Frankenstein
Frankenstein is a 1931 American horror film directed by James Whale and produced by Carl Laemmle Jr.. It is adapted from the 1927 play Frankenstein: An Adventure in the Macabre by Peggy … Wikipedia
Ratings
7.7 / 10.0
IMDb
86.9K votes
87%
Rotten Tomatoes
5K votes
91.0
Metacritic
15 votes
Factsheet
Directed by James Whale
Adaptation by John L. Balderston
Factsheet
Directed by James Whale
Adaptation by John L. Balderston
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Frankenstein_(1931_film)
Frankenstein (1931 film) - Wikipedia
4 days ago - Frankenstein stars Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein, an obsessed scientist who digs up corpses with his assistant to assemble a living being from body parts. The resulting creature, often known as Frankenstein's monster, is portrayed by Boris Karloff. The makeup for the monster was provided ...
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Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Boris_Karloff
Boris Karloff - Wikipedia
1 day ago - William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), known professionally as Boris Karloff (/ˈkɑːrlɒf/), was a British actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film Frankenstein (1931), his 82nd film, established him as a horror icon, and he reprised the role ...
Discussions

Boris Karloff was able to effortlessly display so many emotions as the Frankenstein Monster! A true masterclass in acting.
Boris Karloff's mastery of the art of pantomime is on full display here and was carried forth in the '35 sequel Bride of Frankenstein. The Monster is the victim.....victim of a creator who abandons him, and a society who rejects him at every turn (with the exception of Little Maria, and the blind hermit in Bride) for being "the other." More on reddit.com
🌐 r/UniversalMonsters
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January 8, 2025
My Thoughts On Frankenstein (1931)…
I finally got around to watching Frankenstein a couple years ago, and was VERY surprised at how well it holds up. Even though I knew the entire story through parody and references, it still held my attention the entire way through. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/movies
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April 7, 2022
The Universal faces of Frankenstein's Monster. Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi and Glenn Strange.
No disrespect to the actors, but appearance wise it’s Karloff > Strange > Chaney > Lugosi for me. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/UniversalMonsters
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August 10, 2024
Boris Karloff Marilyn Harris Frankenstein (1931)
Am I the only one who prefers the hard jump-cut of the censored version over the actual footage of him throwing Maria into the water? I'm no fan of censorship (especially the dopey Hays Code), but there's something especially tragic to me about that scene ending with him smiling and reaching. More on reddit.com
🌐 r/UniversalMonsters
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January 14, 2025
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IMDb
imdb.com › title › tt0021884
Frankenstein (1931) ⭐ 7.7 | Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Frankenstein: Directed by James Whale. With Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff, John Boles. Dr Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with assembling a living being from parts of several exhumed corpses.
Release date   Nov 21, 1931
Duration   01:10:00
Director   James Whale
Rating: 7.7/10 ​ - ​ 86.9K votes
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Rotten Tomatoes
rottentomatoes.com › m › 1007818-frankenstein
Frankenstein | Rotten Tomatoes
Still unnerving to this day, Frankenstein adroitly explores the fine line between genius and madness, and features Boris Karloff's legendary, frightening performance as the monster.
Release date   Nov 21, 1931
Director   James Whale
Rating: 87/100 ​ - ​ 5K votes
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Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › entertainment & pop culture › actors
Boris Karloff | Biography, Movies, TV Shows, & Facts | Britannica
3 days ago - Boris Karloff (born November 23, ... who became internationally famous for his sympathetic and chilling portrayal of the monster in the classic horror film Frankenstein (1931)....
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Internet Archive
archive.org › videos
Frankenstein 1931 colorized (Colin Clive, Boris Karloff) : Universal Pictures : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
October 30, 2023 - Frankenstein is named Victor) Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein Mae Clarke as Elizabeth John Boles as Victor Moritz Boris Karloff as The Monster Edward Van Sloan as Doctor Waldman Frederick Kerr as Baron Frankenstein Dwight Frye as Fritz I colorized ...
Find elsewhere
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Letterboxd
letterboxd.com › film › frankenstein-1931
Frankenstein (1931)
Much of it is based on its design, with the high Gothic metaphysical ideas clashing with the ignorant medievalist mindset. Knowledge vs. safety. Boris Karloff's performance, iconic from the first smash-cut to his undead scowl after turning towards the camera (and the audience), is so harrowing.
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Amazon
amazon.com › Frankenstein-Blu-ray-Boris-Karloff › dp › B00DNUSFWE
Amazon.com: Frankenstein [Blu-ray] : Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, John Boles, Mae Clarke, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye, Frederic Kerr, Carl Laemmle, Jr., James Whale: Movies & TV
An unforgettable masterpiece, the original Frankenstein stars Boris Karloff as the screen's most tragic and iconic monster in what many consider to be the greatest horror film ever made.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/universalmonsters › boris karloff was able to effortlessly display so many emotions as the frankenstein monster! a true masterclass in acting.
r/UniversalMonsters on Reddit: Boris Karloff was able to effortlessly display so many emotions as the Frankenstein Monster! A true masterclass in acting.
January 8, 2025 - Karloff is, always has been and always will be the Olivier of macabre cinema. He’s one reason why I have the Monster tattooed on my inner bicep. ... It appears effortless but in no possible way was it. He was a great actor. ... Skull Stompers by Erick Frankenstein.
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/movies › my thoughts on frankenstein (1931)…
r/movies on Reddit: My Thoughts On Frankenstein (1931)…
April 7, 2022 -

This is surprising brutal for a film in the ‘30s, but nonetheless, it somehow is still an engaging and interesting story. Boris Karloff’s performance as the iconic monster is great, the writing is also pretty good, the production design is wonderful, the costume design is well-done, the cinematography is solid, and the story itself is actually pretty emotional. The image of the father walking and holding her dead daughter in his arms throughout the town is disturbing. Overall, it’s a masterclass in simplistic filmmaking and it’s a undeniable classic.

What do you guys think of this classic?

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Nik Dirga
nikdirga.com › 2021 › 11 › 22 › frankenstein-at-90-the-genius-of-boris-karloff
Frankenstein at 90: The genius of Boris Karloff – Nik Dirga
August 11, 2025 - I loved ’em as a kid in the 1980s and lately have been on a jag watching some of these classic black and white flicks for the first time in 25 years or so. What’s amazing is how well many of them still hold up, particularly those starring the man who I’d say was the king of monster movies — the original and best Frankenstein’s Monster, Boris Karloff.
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Wordpress
silverscreenclassicsblog.wordpress.com › 2019 › 10 › 29 › the-frankenstein-monster-boris-karloff-and-his-incredible-portrayal
The Frankenstein Monster: Boris Karloff And His Incredible Portrayal – Silver Screen Classics
October 31, 2019 - Of all the monsters in the pantheon of the ‘children of the night’, perhaps none have had such an impact on the sympathies of an audience as the Frankenstein Monster. Many films have been made where Shelly’s Gothic tale is told or at least appropriated. Yet none have ever been able to match Boris Karloff’s performance as Dr.
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Apple TV
tv.apple.com › apple tv › frankenstein
Frankenstein - Apple TV
Boris Karloff stars in Frankenstein, as the screen's most memorable monster, in what many consider to be the greatest horror film ever made. Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive) dares to tamper with life and death by creating a human monster (Karloff) ...
Release date   Nov 21, 1931
Director   James Whale
Actors   Colin CliveMae ClarkeJohn Boles
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Amazon
amazon.com › Frankenstein-75th-Anniversary-Universal-Legacy › dp › B000GPIPT2
Amazon.com: Frankenstein : Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, John Boles, Mae Clarke, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye, Frederic Kerr, James Whale, Carl Laemmle, Jr., Garrett Fort, Francis Edwards Faragoh: Movies & TV
Boris Karloff is the screen's most tragic and memorable monster in the Frankenstein 75th Anniversary Edition. Tampering with life and death, Dr. Frankenstein pieces together salvaged body parts to create a human monster.
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Legendary -
legendary.com › home › comics › mary shelley’s frankenstein starring boris karloff
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein Starring Boris Karloff - Legendary
September 11, 2024 - Decades before the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Jules Verne, and H.G. Wells, 18-year-old Mary Shelley wrote what many regard as the first work of science fiction when she penned FRANKENSTEIN: or, the MODERN PROMETHEUS, which was published in 1818. Over one hundred years later, in 1931, a hard-working but relatively unknown actor named Boris Karloff was cast to play Frankenstein’s monster in James Whale’s now classic movie adaptation.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
britannica.com › entertainment & pop culture › movies
Frankenstein (1931) | Cast, Characters, Poster, & Summary | Britannica
1 week ago - FrankensteinBoris Karloff as the ... Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The film’s hulking monster, portrayed by Boris Karloff with a flat head and protruding neck bolts, is one of the most recognizable characters in film ...
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Amazon
amazon.com › Frankenstein-James-Whale › dp › B002RXS1NQ
Watch Frankenstein | Prime Video
October 18, 2025 - Boris Karloff is the screen's most memorable creature in the story of Dr. Frankenstein, who tampers with life and death when he pieces together salvaged body parts to create a human monster.
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IMDb
imdb.com › name › nm0000472
Boris Karloff | Actor, Soundtrack
January 7, 2022 - Along with fellow actors Lon Chaney, ... and the actor most closely identified with the general public's image of the Frankenstein Monster from the classic 1818 Mary Shelley novel "Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus"....