Frankenstein (1931)

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The introduction warning of the terrors that are concealed within this film built it up and I was slightly let down by how little blood and death there was. Nowadays a horror film is made to make you jump and scream and this was more based on the horror of creating a monster, it plays of the thought of creating the monster and does not really match up to modern standards of horror.  It is very short and this helps it as it can be considered a slow film compared to modern standards, but the length helps to maintain the audience’s attention.

It is visually impressive, although you do not see many wide views of the sets. They are detailed and haunting, from Frankenstein’s lab to the cliffs where they search for the monster the sets are carefully planned to be atmospheric and enhance the tone of the film.

The monster was not as large or threatening as he could have been however it would be difficult, over 70 years ago, to have created a realistic and terrifying monster. Frankenstein, the creator, is portrayed very well; he is an obsessed scientist and less manic than he is normally played. Calming his character down makes everything more realistic and adds to the psychological horrors that anyone can become obsessed and create the monster.