History Film / BrideOfFrankenstein

* ComicRelief: Minnie, [[TheScrappy to the point of annoyance]].

Henry Frankenstein just barely survives the collapsing windmill, but so does the [[NotQuiteDead monster]]. Shortly thereafter, Frankenstein receives a visit from his old mentor, [[CampGay Dr. Pretorius]], who wants to join forces and continue Frankenstein's experiments to create life. In one of the movie's most memorable scenes, Pretorius shows Frankenstein a series of little people in jars, including a [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent mermaid]], a ballerina and a little [[{{Satan}} devil]]. Pretorius can make people, but he can't get them up to normal size. Frankenstein, meanwhile, has created a giant. And so Pretorius proposes a plan: Frankenstein will provide the body, and Pretorius will provide the brain.

We begin in the home of LordByron, entertaining his friends Percy and Mary Shelley as a [[ItWasADarkAndStormyNight storm rages outside]]. At Byron's urging, Mary continues the story of Frankenstein, picking up about where the original film left off.

* HostileWeather: Storm rages outside in the prologue, much to LordByron's joy.

-> ''To a new world of gods and monsters!''
->-- '''Dr. Pretorius'''

-> ''We belong dead.''
->-- '''FrankensteinsMonster'''

* OneSceneWonder: The titular bride.

* CutLexLuthorACheck: Dr. Pretorius could have become famous for his telephone-like invention ''in 1819''. [[AGodAmI That is, if he cared about money at all, rather than playing God]].

* AsYouKnow: Used in the opening scene of Byron and the Shellys.

We begin in the home of LordByron, entertaining his friends Percy and Mary Shelley as a [[ItWasADarkAndStormyNight storm rages outside]]. At Byron's urging, Mary continues the story of Frankenstein, picking up about where the original film left off.

Henry Frankenstein just barely survives the collapsing windmill, but so does the [[NotQuiteDead monster]]. Shortly thereafter, Frankenstein receives a visit from his old mentor, [[CampGay Dr. Pretorius]], who wants to join forces and continue Frankenstein's experiments to create life. In one of the movie's most memorable scenes, Pretorius shows Frankenstein a series of little people in jars, including a [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent mermaid]], a ballerina and a little [[{{Satan}} devil]]. Pretorius can make people, but he can't get them up to normal size. Frankenstein, meanwhile, has created a giant. And so Pretorius proposes a plan: Frankenstein will provide the body, and Pretorius will provide the brain.

Meanwhile, the monster has several encounters with angry villagers and is eventually taken in by a kindly old blind hermit. The hermit teaches the monster to speak, and is the only friend he's ever had. Naturally, the villagers show up and drive the monster away, and he goes to a graveyard to find solitude among the dead. And whom should he happen to meet but [[ContrivedCoincidence Dr. Pretorius gathering parts for the new creature]]. Enticed by the possibility of having a friend, the monster forms an alliance with Pretorius.

Frankenstein, meanwhile, is getting cold feet about creating another monster. In a sequence reminiscent of the original novel, the creature and Pretorius kidnap [[IAmNotShazam Frankenstein's young bride, Elizabeth]], and threaten to kill her unless he makes the monster a mate. It all leads up to an explosive conclusion in Frankenstein's laboratory, where the new monster has finally been born.

One thing to note: Although the monster is childlike and [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds rather sympathetic]], he still kills people -- a ''lot'' of people. Film historians put the original death count at 21, but it was edited down to 10 due to the [[ExecutiveMeddling censorship of the time]]. At one point the monster seems to break into an elderly couple's house and kill them [[ForTheEvulz just because]]. Like KingKong's tendency to eat people, the monster's violent nature is often glossed over to facilitate a "[[HumansAreTheRealMonsters we are the REAL monsters]]" aesop.

* BlindAndTheBeast: Possibly the trope maker.

* HaveAGayOldTime: Minnie describes Dr. Pretorius as "a queer fellow".

* InadvertentEntranceCue: Elizabeth describes a vision of an evil apparition which will entangle Henry, and says she sees it drawing nearer -- nearer -- and the camera immediately [[AnswerCut cuts]] to the [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate evil Dr. Pretorius]] knocking at the door.

Henry Frankenstein just barely survives the collapsing windmill, but so does the [[NotQuiteDead monster]]. Shortly thereafter, Frankenstein receives a visit from his old mentor, [[CampGay Dr. Pretorius]], who wants to join forces and continue Frankenstein's experiments to create life. In one of the movie's most memorable scenes, Pretorius shows Frankenstein a series of little people in jars, including a {{mermaid}}, a ballerina and a little [[{{Satan}} devil]]. Pretorius can make people, but he can't get them up to normal size. Frankenstein, meanwhile, has created a giant. And so Pretorius proposes a plan: Frankenstein will provide the body, and Pretorius will provide the brain.

* DamselInDistress: Elizabeth

One thing to note: Although the monster is childlike and [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds rather sympathetic]], he still kills people -- a ''lot'' of people. Film historians put the original death count at 21, but it was edited down to 10 due to the [[ExecutiveMeddling censorship of the time]]. At one point the monster seems to break into an elderly couple's house and kill them [[ForTheEvulz just because]]. Like KingKong's tendency to eat people, the monster's violent nature is often glossed over to facilitate a "[[HumansAreBastards we are the REAL monsters]]" aesop.

* CuteMonsterGirl: Never in her career Elsa Lanchester did look so good.

* IAmNotShazam: Lord Byron himself actually calls the monster Frankenstein at one point, and Pretorius is quick to dub the new female monster "[[TitleDrop the bride of Frankenstein]]".
** Although perhaps he was using the word "of" in the same manner as in [[MarvelComics "Monster of Frankenstein"]]

The 1935 sequel to the 1931 film ''[[{{Frankenstein 1931}} Frankenstein]]'', this is widely considered to be the best of the old UniversalHorror movies. BorisKarloff and Colin Clive reprise their roles as the monster and Dr. Henry Frankenstein, respectively, while Ernest Thesiger joins the proceedings as as Dr. Septimus Pretorius and Elsa Lanchester plays the titular Bride.

The franchise was continued in ''SonOfFrankenstein''.

* CutLexLuthorACheck: Dr. Pretorius could have become famous for his telephone-like invention ''in 1819''.

->-- '''[=~Frankenstein's Monster~=]'''

* [=~It's Going Down~=]: The castle at the end.

* CutLexLuthorACheck: Dr. Pretorius could have become famous for his telephone-like invention ''in 1899''.

The 1935 sequel to the 1931 film ''[[{{Frankenstein 1931}} Frankenstein]]'', this is widely considered to be the best of the old UniversalHorror movies. BorisKarloff and Colin Clive reprise their roles as the Monster and Dr. Henry Frankenstein, respectively, while Ernest Thesiger joins the proceedings as as Dr. Septimus Pretorius and Elsa Lanchester plays the titular Bride.

* CrucifiedHeroShot: Shown when the villagers have caught and tied up the Monster.

* {{Hulkspeak}}: How the Monster speaks.

* RageAgainstTheReflection: After seeing his reflection on water, the Monster splashes it angrily.

* SuddenlyVoiced: The Monster learns to speak, although this was subsequently dropped for the next film.
* TakingYouWithMe

* MadScientist: Dr. Pretorius.

* NotQuiteDead

* ScienceIsBad: Partially subverted. The reformed Dr. Frankenstein is forced by evil MadScientist Dr. Pretorius to return to his old ways. The twist: Early on, Pretorious shows us his collection of tiny humans in glass jars, practically announcing that he's Mephistopheles. To this, Frankenstein replies, horrified, "This isn't science!" Here, sane Science Is Good, and has standards, but Magic Is Bad.

* YouLookFamiliar: DwightFrye, who played Frankenstein's [[TheIgor hunchbacked assistant]] Fritz in the original film, appears here as Karl, a non-hunchbacked toady to Pretorius.

* DrivenToSuicide

* CutLexLuthorACheck: Dr. Pretorius could have become famous for his television-like invention ''in 1899''.

One thing to note: Although the monster is childlike and somewhat sympathetic, he still kills people -- a ''lot'' of people. Film historians put the original death count at 21, but it was edited down to 10 due to the [[ExecutiveMeddling censorship of the time]]. At one point the monster seems to break into an elderly couple's house and kill them [[ForTheEvulz just because]]. Like KingKong's tendency to eat people, the monster's violent nature is often glossed over to facilitate a "[[HumansAreBastards we are the REAL monsters]]" aesop.