| “ | We belong dead. | „ |
| ~ Frankenstein's Monster to his undead bride. |
Frankenstein's monster is a major antagonist in the Universal Monsters franchise. He first appeared in the 1931 film adaptation of Mary Shelley's classic horror novel Frankenstein.
He was the creation of Henry Frankenstein, an artificial being stitched together from various human corpses and brought to life by lightning. Despite only wanting to be loved and fit into society, he eventually became hostile and violent due to the mistreatment he suffered.
Portrayals[]
- In the first three films, he was portrayed by the late Boris Karloff, who also played Imhotep and Gustav Niemann in the same franchise, Fu Manchu in The Mask of Fu Manchu, Hjalmar Poelzig in The Black Cat, John Gray in The Body Snatcher, and the Grinch in How the Grinch Stole Christmas!.
- In The Ghost of Frankenstein, he was played by the late Lon Chaney Jr., who also played Larry Talbot in the same franchise and Groton in Dracula vs. Frankenstein.
- In Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, he was portrayed by the late Bela Lugosi, who also played Count Dracula and Ygor in the same franchise.
- In the final three films, he was portrayed by the late Glenn Strange.
Biography[]
Boris Karloff as Frankenstein's Monster - Publicity Still (Bride of Frankenstein, 1935).
This version of the monster had his body sewn together by Henry Frankenstein from pieces of dead bodies and brought to life using electricity. However, Frankenstein's assistant Fritz retrieved an abnormal "criminal" brain instead of a normal one making the creature more hostile and less intelligent. In the first two films, the Monster turns to violence only after being abused by Fritz and rejected by others. In the third film, Son of Frankenstein however, the Monster lost the powers of speech he had gained in the previous entry, and had gained a companion named Ygor.
Ygor used the Monster as a tool in his plan of revenge against the eight villagers who voted for his execution, which was botched. This plan was thwarted by Wolf von Frankenstein. In the next film, Ygor manipulated Wolf's brother Ludwig into placing his brain into the Monster's body. However, Ygor's blood type did not match that of the Monster, and he went blind. The Monster was intended to speak in Ygor's voice in Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, but studio executives, who did not like the effect, cut all of the Monster's lines. For the rest of the series, the Monster was depicted as a shambling and mute idiot by former stuntman Glenn Strange. The Monster met its apparent death in Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein, when the dock he is standing on is set on fire.
Personality[]
The monster was a rather dim although friendly and quiet docile individual however he quickly became violent, destructive and cruel due to the treatment he was subjected to by society.
Appearance[]
This version of the creature was a huge, hulking man with green skin with visible stitches adorning it all over, a large, flat forehead, a bolted neck, a black flat top hairstyle and wore a rather ragged ill fitting evening suit.
Gallery[]
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Universal Monsters - Frankenstein
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Trivia[]
- This version of the creature is easily the most recognisable and famous from all across pop culture and is considered to be one of the most famous villains of all time.
External Links[]
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Book Movies TV See Also | ||
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Main Icons Others Knightmare | Jason Voorhees | Meaty Meetz | Sabretooth | Sam Meetz | Sweet Licks | Terra Queen | The Phantom of the Opera | Tiny | Undertaker | Velociraptors | Michael Myers | ||
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Who Done It? Abbott and Costello in Hollywood Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Abbott and Costello Go to Mars Abbott and Costello Meet the Keystone Kops Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy | ||
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