Review of Bride of Frankenstein (1935) by Charlie P — 29 Mar 2018

After The Monster (Boris Karloff) is presumed dead in the windmill fire, Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) vows to make a fresh start in life with his new wife Elizabeth. (Valerie Hobson) But when Henry's former mentor, Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) and the Monster himself kidnap Elizabeth, the only way Henry can save her is to grant his former creation one wish, a Bride (Elsa Lanchester) of his own...

Taking unadapted elements from Mary Shelley's novel that revolve around the subplot of the Monster wanting a bride could have ended up being an unfocused mess, due to the newly enforced Hays Code passing restrictions on the Horror genre at the time. But returning director James Whale and screenwriter William Hurlbut manage to craft a excellent sequel, with it's more complicated and emotional themes revolving around the Monster's struggle for acceptance and a friend is perfectly represented in the scene in which the Monster befriends the blind hermit. (O.P Heggie).

Karloff himself, despite being against the idea of the Monster talking, gives one of the best performances in his career as a more intelligent Monster, while despite not being on screen for a majority of the film, Elsa Lanchester kills it in her three minutes of screentime as the cat-like Bride.

Overall, Bride of Frankenstein, alongside having the most large and impressive visual effects and cinematography produced by Universal at the time, deserves it's status as James Whale's magnum opus, thanks to it's willingness to get people emotional and invested into a Monster's search for humanity in a cruel world and it's huge cinematic scope.