by Ike
A Halloween Blu-ray Collection Must Transcend Convention
Frankenstein on the other hand, jumps hurtles of pace, style, and performance effortlessly. Everything about the film works: It maintains a dark, grimy, cold atmosphere while it melds expressionist lighting and angles with Victorian technology and medieval architecture. Everything is familiar, yet not, resulting in a parallel science fiction universe that would be a common playground in later Universal Monster films.
Blu-ray restorations are great tools to take the vivid worlds of films and bring them to even more detailed and realistic life. If there’s one thing I’m looking forward to with Frankenstein and its sequel on Blu-ray, it is the opportunity to get the full scope of James Whale’s Gothic universe.
As for the movie, allow me to relay an often told Oden family anecdote. My grandfather, who was about 10 when Frankenstein came out, sneaked out after bedtime to go see the movie. He went into theater, sat down, and was shaken to his tiny core. When the movie finally let out, he sprinted 10 blocks home, utterly terrified the Monster would come and snatch him off the streets and drown him in the pond. Such was, and still is, Frankenstein‘s power.
In 1931, no one had ever seen a movie about a living corpse, and the Monster, played by Karloff with make-up design by Jack Pierce, still looks convincing today. Of the Universal Monsters, he is the live wire, and is typically the one who intrigues us the most. His creator is equally hypnotic. Colin Clive brings a lot of pathos and humanity to the good doctor, but he also ratchets up the crazy. The term “Mad Scientist” is thrown around a lot in the horror/science fiction genre, but Colin Clive put out the patent for it with his cackling conviction.
Here comes the bride, here comes the bride…
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