List of films featuring Frankenstein's monster explained

There is a body of films that feature some version and/or interpretation of the character Frankenstein's monster, first created by Mary Shelley in her 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus.

It is worth noting that Frankenstein's Monster is a retelling of the cultural Golem myth. This list does not feature creatures which are more directly inspired by The Golem, and instead focuses on those which are directly influenced by Shelley's novel. A key distinction is that The Golem is made from clay by mystics, whereas Frankenstein's monster is made from flesh by a scientist. Not all Undead creatures and characters can be characterized as versions of Frankenstein, as they fall into other categories of Reanimation such as a Zombie.

Frankenstein's monster and likewise creatures inspired by him have appeared in many shapes and forms. The character has been gender-swapped, made into an animal, and given different personalities in each adaptation, but certain thematic elements such as abandonment and love remain as well as a dynamic relationship between creator and creation.

The creature's appearance in the 1818 novel is described as follows:"His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set."

However, the 1931 Frankenstein film by Universal Pictures and it's sequel Bride of Frankenstein have had an immense influence on the appearance and wider cultural understanding of the character. This rendition of the creation is the most pervasive and appears in pop culture and advertising very frequently, giving it an iconic image and status. While the imagery of Frankenstein's monster in relation to the Universal appearance is clearly inspired by Frankenstein, it is also frequent that characters of this appearance lack any relation to the novel and depart heavily from the themes and personality of the original work. Nevertheless, characters made in the likeness of the Universal Monster are still Frankenstein's Monster, even if the only likeness is to a pastiche version of the character. On the other hand, some characters such as Mewtwo and Stitch exhibit similarities in personality, plot, and shared themes despite their lack of physical similarity.

List of films (chronological)

FilmYearRef.
Frankenstein 1910
Life Without Soul 1915
Il mostro di Frankenstein 1921
Frankenstein 1931
Mickey's Gala Premier (short cartoon) 1933
Toyland Premiere (short cartoon) 1934
Bride of Frankenstein 1935
Hollywood Capers (short cartoon)
Have You Got Any Castles? (short cartoon) 1938
Son of Frankenstein 1939
Hellzapoppin' 1941
Man-Made Monster
The Ghost of Frankenstein 1942
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man 1943
The Mad Ghoul
House of Frankenstein 1944
House of Dracula 1945
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein 1948
Bride of the Monster 1955
The Curse of Frankenstein 1957
I Was a Teenage Frankenstein
Frankenstein 1970 1958
The Revenge of Frankenstein
Tales of Frankenstein
How To Make A Monster
Franken-Stymied (short cartoon) 1961
The Evil of Frankenstein 1964
Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare (short cartoon)
The Munsters
Frankenstein vs. Baragon 1965
Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster
Milton the Monster
The War of the Gargantuas 1966
Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter
Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles
Munster, Go Home!
Casino Royale 1967 [1]
Frankenstein Created Woman
Mad Monster Party?
Yellow Submarine 1968
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed 1969
The Monsters of Terror
The Horror of Frankenstein 1970
Groovie Goolies
Flesh Feast
Lady Frankenstein 1971
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein
Drácula contra Frankenstein 1972
Rites of Frankenstein
Dracula vs. Frankenstein
The Curse of Frankenstein
Mad Mad Mad Monsters
Frankenstein '80
Santo Vs. Frankenstein's Daughter
Flesh for Frankenstein 1973
Blackenstein
Frankenstein
The Spirit of the Beehive
The Mini-Munsters
Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell 1974
Young Frankenstein
The Rocky Horror Picture Show 1975
Terror of Frankenstein 1976 [2]
Struck by Lightning 1979
Kyoufu Densetsu Kaiki! Frankenstein 1981
Frankenstein Island
The Munsters' Revenge
Frankenstein 1984
Frankenweenie
Frankenstein's Great Aunt Tillie
The Bride 1985
Fracchia vs. Dracula
Re-Animator
The Vindicator 1986
Gothic
The Monster Squad 1987
RoboCop
Freckled Max and the Spooks
Frankenstein General Hospital 1988
Rowing with the Wind
Scooby-Doo! and the Reluctant Werewolf
Young-guwa daengchili 1989
Frankenstein Unbound 1990
Frankenhooker
Treehouse of Horror
Edward Scissorhands
Bride of Re-Animator
Khatra 1991
Frankenstein 1992
The Nightmare Before Christmas 1993
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein 1994
Monster Force
Monster Mash 1995
Runaway Brain
Here Come the Munsters
The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas 1996
House of Frankenstein 1997
The Creeps
Billy Frankenstein 1998
Small Soldiers
Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein 1999
Rock 'N Roll Frankenstein [3]
Monster Mash 2000
Boltneck
May 2002
Lilo & Stitch
Frankenthumb
Beyond Re-Animator 2003
Van Helsing 2004
Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenfish
Frankenstein vs. the Creature from Blood Cove 2005
Subject Two 2006
Frankenstein's Bloody Nightmare
Puzzlehead
Mary Shelly's Frankenstein - A Documentary 2007
Igor 2008
Soul Eater [4]
House of the Wolf Man 2009
Stan Helsing
Vampire Girl vs. Frankenstein Girl
The Frankenstein Syndrome 2010
Mary Shelley's Frankenhole
Bikini Frankenstein
Exquisite Corpse
Monster Brawl 2011
Once Upon a TimeEp. In the Name of the Brother
Frankenweenie 2012
Hotel Transylvania
Mockingbird Lane
Frankenstein's Army 2013
The Frankenstein Theory
Frankenstein's Hungry Dead
Green Frankenstein
I, Frankenstein 2014
Army of Frankensteins
Frankenstein, MD
Frankenstein 2015
Patchwork
Frankenstein vs. The Mummy [5]
Hotel Transylvania 2
The Lazarus Effect
Victor Frankenstein
The Frankenstein Chronicles
The Empire of Corpses
Frankenstein Created Bikers 2016
Second Chance
Haunted Transylvania
Panopticon
Monster Family 2017
Herbert West: Reanimator
FrankenThug
2018
Haunted Transylvania 2
Tales of Frankenstein
Baby Frankenstein
Frankenstein's Creature
Depraved 2019
Haunted Transylvania 3
Frankenstein's Monster's Monster, Frankenstein (short film)
The Gravedigger
A Nightmare Wakes 2020
The Last Frankenstein 2021
Frankenstein Ruins Halloween
Haunted Transylvania: Party Like Frankenstein
Sustainable Life with Unlimited Transformations
2022
The Munsters
The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster 2023
Poor Things
Lisa Frankenstein 2024
Frankenstein Legacy

See also

References

Notes and References

  1. Book: McFarlane, Brian. The Encyclopedia of British Film. 2005. Methuen Publishing. 978-0-413-77526-9. 412.
  2. Web site: Cooper. Patrick. [SFF '15 Review] 'Director's Commentary: Terror of Frankenstein' Is a Bizarre Cinematic Experiment]. Bloody Disgusting. May 7, 2015. September 29, 2018.
  3. Web site: Rock 'n' Roll Frankenstein. 10 November 2015. 6 November 2021. IMDb.com.
  4. Web site: Green. Jason. Spotlight: Soul Eater. Anime News Network. June 23, 2020. December 31, 2008. August 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200830152404/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2008-12-31. live.
  5. Web site: Exclusive Frankenstein vs. The Mummy Clip Arrives to Pick Your Brain. Dreadcentral.com. 2 February 2015. 6 November 2021.