I think much of what makes up the film’s reputation as a masterpiece is the iconography of boris karloff’s “monster” character. While just iconography for iconography’s sake (many popular movies have “iconic” moments in mediocre films like dirty dancing or something) isn’t something I care about the character here, in performance, costume and makeup design is justifiably memorable
Love the warning before the movie—and sure enough- there is a really horrible scene with the girl drowning and a wonderful tracking shot through the german town party of her getting carried away by her father. Prior to that the tracking shot through the party is excellent when everyone is having fun and then whale pairs it with a very nice transition of karloff’s monster tracking on the loose through the woods.
The “it’s alive” scene by Colin Clive losing it with such uncontrollable glee is the best scene in the movie
The film has a spectacular narrative that is well mounted by whale
Its very straightly played for shock and horror in comparison with bride of Frankenstein which is more of a comedy—again- that young girl death is hard to handle
Odd truncated ending “here’s to the son of the house of Frankenstein” with no ending
Stark and gothic castle décor with all the machinery—triumph of production design
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