

Frankenstein1931
“The man who made a monster.”
Directed by James Whale
On the charts
🏆 7 wins & 3 nominations total
The premise
Henry Frankenstein pieces together body parts in the hope of bringing a human-like creature to life. The mad scientist’s dreams are shattered by his monstrous creation awakening with rage to a world that hates and fears him.
Horror Vault's take
A driven scientist crosses the boundaries of life and death, stitching together a being from the remains of the dead and willing it to breathe through sheer obsessive ambition. When his creation opens its eyes, neither man nor monster is prepared for what follows. Universal's 1931 landmark casts Boris Karloff in a role that would define horror cinema for generations, blending gothic atmosphere with genuine pathos. It asks whether the true monster is the creature — or the man who made him.
Content: Violence, Peril, Depictions Of Grave Robbing And Body Horror Themes, Scenes Involving A Child That May Distress Some Viewers
Cast

Colin Clive
Henry Frankenstein

Mae Clarke
Elizabeth

John Boles
Victor Moritz

Boris Karloff
The Monster

Edward Van Sloan
Doctor Waldman

Frederick Kerr
Baron Frankenstein

Dwight Frye
Fritz

Lionel Belmore
The Burgomaster

Marilyn Harris
Little Maria

Ted Billings
Villager (uncredited)
Mae Bruce
Screaming Maid (uncredited)
Jack Curtis
Villager (uncredited)
Explore related
Ratings & reviews
No reviews yet — be the first to pass judgment.
Sign in to rate this title and warn (or tempt) the next viewer.
More like this

Frankenstein
2025 · 150m

Frankenstein's Army
2013 · 84m

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
1943 · 74m

Frankenstein Created Woman
1967 · 92m

Frankenstein Unbound
1990 · 85m

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed
1969 · 101m

Bride of Frankenstein
1935 · 75m

Island of Lost Souls
1932 · 71m
