Review of Bride of Frankenstein (1935) by Tim S — 30 Mar 2012

The Bride of Frankenstein reunites James Whale, Colin Clive and Boris Karloff for a sequel that often overshadows its predecessor in popularity, especially when Halloween rolls around. The problem that I have with it is that it kind of ruins the first film in a way, which is a problem most sequels seem to have.

The monster being dead at the end of the first film only to be alive in the second one makes the impact of that film less satisfying. Karloff himself was also unhappy with the direction it took at times, citing that it was silly for the monster to be talking so much.

The other problem that I have is that there's this enormous build-up for the final scene of seeing The Bride, only to be blown up in an explosion not long after. It's anti-climactic and doesn't give the film any real power.

However, the scenes with the blind hermit, the visual effects and the overall style are very good and add to the story a bit more. It's just a shame that it puts a bit of a tarnish on the original after seeing it.