10 Forms Frankenstein has Taken Throughout the Years

As we celebrate Frankenstein Day and the birth anniversary of his creator Mary Shelley, let’s take a look back at only 10 of the many forms taken by this classic creature from literature.

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1. Frankenstein, 1910 dir. by J. Searle Dawley

This silent film became the first of what would be hundreds of adaptations of Shelley’s novel on the big screen. Charles Ogle plays the Creature in this 16-minute production in which Dr. Frankenstein creates his monster in a vat. This production ends with the Creature vanishing on Dr. Frankenstein’s wedding night.

2. The Monster Men by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Even before the novel became public domain, other writers were able to recognize Shelley’s ingenious commentary and wrote similar stories. One such novel is Burroughs’s The Monster Men, in which a scientist visits a remote island in Indonesia where he attempts to create artificial human life. 

3. Frankenstein, 1931 dir. by James Whale

Shelley’s Frankenstein joined the public domain in 1931, and Universal Pictures became the first studio to adapt it as a full-length feature. Colin Clive stars as Henry Frankenstein (counterpart to Shelley’s Victor), a scientist obsessed with building a person from different parts of human remains.

4. Frankenstein Unbound, 1990 dir. by Roger Corman

In this film based on the novel by Brian Aldiss, a scientist named Dr. Buchanan (John Hurt) accidentally travels back in time after a freak accident involving a high energy weapon he was building in the hope to end wars with no environmental impact. After being caught in a rift caused by his weapon, he meets Victor Frankenstein, the Creature, and Mary Shelley. 

5. Lurch from The Addams Family, 1960s and 1990s

It is no secret that The Addams’s butler was inspired by Dr. Frankenstein’s creature. From the uneven walking patterns to the bolts on the side of his neck, Lurch clearly resembles the earliest characterizations of the Creature.

6. Young Frankenstein, 1974 dir. by Mel Brooks

This horror comedy is a parody of the classic horror film genre popularized by Universal Pictures in the 1930s. Brooks’s film even copies the aesthetics of film from that period, having shot the picture in black and white and added credits style fit for the decade. It was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress National Film Registry, alongside the 1931 film.

7. The Rocky Horror Picture Show, 1975 dir. by Jim Sharman

This campy, raucous horror musical is not a Frankenstein adaptation per se, but the “Doctor and his Creature” trope are very much integral to its central plot. In this film, newly-engaged couple Brad and Janet take refuge in a mysterious castle in the middle of the storm after being stranded on the way home from a wedding. There, they meet the mad scientist Dr. Frank N. Furter who is just about to reveal his latest creation, Rocky. 

8. Frankenstein, adapted for the stage by Nick Dear in 2011

The Royal National Theatre staged Dear’s play in a minimalist set featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, who alternate playing Dr. Frankenstein and the Creature. The play is told from the Creature’s perspective and follows him as he runs away from his maker.

9. Frankenweenie, 2012 dir. by Tim Burton

This stop-motion animated film by Tim Burton is a remake of the 1984 short of the same name. A young Victor Frankenstein revives his bull terrier, Sparky, with the use of electricity. The film also includes references to previous adaptations of the literary classic.

10. Victor Frankenstein, 2015 dir. by Paul McGuigan

This adaptation takes the perspective of the doctor’s assistant Igor and follows his journey from circus performer to Frankenstein’s right-hand man. Igor and Victor are pursued by an Inspector who views the doctor’s work to be heretical. Eventually, Igor and Victor are separated, as the latter goes into hiding in the Scottish highlands after causing the death of multiple people in his quest to create life. 

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