Frankenstein Movie Review (1931)

The classic film that brought the monster to the screen, Frankenstein from 1931, about an inventor who scavenges for human scraps to create a brand new being, still holds up well.

I recently watched the new Frankenstein film (2025) and absolutely loved it. It was magnificent and I could probably talk about it for hours. But since then, it has occurred to me that I’d never seen the original before. I don’t care for creepy movies, and since Frankenstein is billed as “a monster,” I’ve just naturally passed, never giving it much thought. But I’ve since realized, it was time to remedy that error in thinking.

Frankenstein is about Henry Frankenstein, an inventor, who, along with his assistant Fritz, scavenges cemeteries and gallows to find recently dead bodies from which he can assemble parts. While looking for a brain, Fritz mistakenly takes the “abnormal” medical example instead of the “normal” one. Later, when his fiancé, Elizabeth, and their friend, Victor, arrive at the laboratory to try to convince Henry to do anything other than obsess in his lab, the monster is given life through the lightning storm.

This movie was billed as a horror film, but almost 100 years later, there is nothing particularly scary about it. We would define it as a science fiction thriller, and the “thriller” part is fairly loose. But overall, it is still a solid film with simple (but effective) cinematography, good actors (Boris Karloff is particularly notable as the monster and Colin Clive is excellent as Henry), effective makeup and costumes (Elizabeth’s wedding ensemble is gorgeous), and some fantastic effects with fire. There are also some lovely set pieces in this film, with grand studies and living rooms, covered head-to-toe in wood with photos, knickknacks, and books.

I found it fascinating that the doctor’s name is Henry in this version of Frankenstein instead of Victor, so I had to look into that. Apparently, the studios thought the name Victor was too harsh for 1930s audiences, so they chose to swap names with the friend instead.

I spent most of the movie feeling bad for Frankenstein’s monster. No one teaches him anything – they treat him as if he’s doing something wrong from the first moments – so he never understands what is happening. Then he is tortured with fire, chains, and whips. It is a tragedy. The one person who shows him kindness, a child named Maria, is the first time that you can take a breath, but you know that there is some sort of impending doom. My heart went out to him. It makes me curious if in 1931 they all saw him as a being who terrorizes people or a misunderstood child, just trying to figure things out.

Whether you have watched the new Frankenstein film or read the book, I encourage you to watch this version. It is a piece of history that can still have an impact and at only 71 minutes, it’s over before you know it.

Runtime: 71 minutes

Motion Picture Rating: Not Rated

Languages Spoken In The Film: English

Should You Watch It? Yes

Did I Cry? Nope

My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars

Available: To rent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms