The choices are endless for anyone who enjoys different approaches to Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. After all, it’s just about impossible to keep up with every single adaptation, on account of there being so many of them. That doesn’t even include those that are simply Frankensteinian in concept rather than direct […]
The choices are endless for anyone who enjoys different approaches to Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. After all, it’s just about impossible to keep up with every single adaptation, on account of there being so many of them. That doesn’t even include those that are simply Frankensteinian in concept rather than direct interpretations. Nevertheless, Shelley’s work is one of the most influential stories around, and there’s really no avoiding its timeless, potent themes.
While the ten following films don’t stick to the source material as closely as Guillermo del Toro’s new and definitive adaptation, they certainly contain a version of The Creature and/or its creator. It also wouldn’t hurt to put some more eyes on these ten lesser-known and sometimes rewarding takes on Frankenstein.
Pictured: Koji Furuhata in Frankenstein Conquers the World
Godzilla fans might actually recognize Ishiro Honda’sFrankenstein Conquers the World (a.k.a. Frankenstein vs. Baragon), but this monster mash escapes the general population’s knowledge. The film’s limited availability stateside doesn’t help ebb that obscurity, either. Nevertheless, this East-meets-West showdown between a mutant, giant version of The Creature and a Japanese kaiju is like nothing else in the Frankenstein gallery. After the stolen heart of Frankenstein’s creation ends up in pre-bombed Hiroshima, courtesy of the Nazis, the organ grows into a boy fifteen years later! Naturally, he becomes immense in size and enters a fight to the death with the subterranean Baragon. A semi-sequel, The War of the Gargantuas, was released the following year.
Lady Frankenstein (1971)
Pictured: Riccardo Pizzuti as The Creature in Lady Frankenstein.
Although Mel Welles‘ Italian take possesses a sleazy quality, Lady Frankensteinis downright chaste when compared to, say, Paul Morrissey’s Flesh for Frankenstein. Here, Baron Frankenstein’s (Joseph Cotten) daughter Tania (Rosalba Neri) inherits the role of mad scientist when she continues her late father’s experiments. The results are as you would expect, albeit with some changes here and there. For example, Frankie comes upon a couple mid-coitus, then proceeds to drown the naked woman—in-place of a child—in a lake. Lady Frankenstein isn’t a stellar adaptation, mind you, but the opulent production design and Hammer-like atmosphere make up for its shortcomings.
Monster of Frankenstein (1981)
Pictured: Monster of Frankenstein.
This nearly lost, made-for-television anime film is based on Marvel’s comic series The Monster of Frankenstein (later The Frankenstein Monster). It was produced by Toei and aired on TV Asahi. There was an even English-dubbed version. Now, your impulse might be to laugh here, but beyond some dated animation and over-the-top acting, this is a decent adaptation that’s not as childish and bloodless as the art would suggest. By the way, Toei and Marvel teamed up on another comics-based telefilm called The Tomb of Dracula a year earlier. That one is way weirder than Monster of Frankenstein.
Frankenstein Unbound (1990)
Pictured: Nick Brimble and John Hurt in Frankenstein Unbound.
It’s a safe bet to say a lot of folks have seen Roger Corman’s last directed film, but Frankenstein Unbound has also fallen through the cracks over the years. The abysmal box office performance and the glut of bad reviews aren’t helping its chances of resurrection, either. Even so, this half-cooked, sci-fi slant on Shelley’s story offers fun, both incidental and intentional, so long as you can stomach its B-movie qualities.
Boltneck (1998)
Pictured: Ryan Reynolds in Boltneck a.k.a. Big Monster on Campus.
In a promotional ad for Deadpool 2, Ryan Reynolds was offended at the notion of Boltneck (a.k.a. Big Monster on Campus and Teen Monster) being a movie he should apologize for. That deep cut is something of a mess, but at least it’s an entertaining mess. This fairly forgotten teen horror comedy also boasts a cast of recognizable faces besides a pre-fame Reynolds; Shelley Duvall, Richard Moll, and Judge Reinhold were just some of the familiar actors to star in this high school-set retelling of Frankenstein. Reynolds played the class loner whose accidental death was most fortunate for the movie’s Dr. Frankenstein proxy (Matthew Lawrence). Sadly for him and others, the brain plugged into the experiment’s noggin originally belonged to a serial killer. You can see where this is going.
Evil Never Dies (2003)
Pictured: Katherine Heigl and Thomas Gibson in Evil Never Dies.
This entry is another indirect adaptation of Shelley’s novel, as well as a reminder of when basic cable produced original genre movies on the regular. TBS, for instance, churned out this Frankensteinian thriller starring Katherine Heigl and Thomas Gibson. In lieu of a monster, though, a reanimated killer is on the loose, and Gibson’s character, a former cop whose wife was killed by said murderer, hunts him down. Evil Never Dies is more watchable than it sounds, and there’s even a bit of a change-up later on to keep things interesting.
Subject Two (2006)
Pictured: Christian Oliver and Dean Stapleton in Subject Two.
As part of an experiment, Dr. Franklin Vick (Dean Stapleton) repeatedly kills his assistant (Christian Oliver) over and over again after giving him a regeneration serum. However, the side effects from every resurrection start to take a toll on the volunteer. Subject Two is essentially a dark two-hander that doesn’t bother making overt frights, and instead gets talky about life and death. The bloodshed is low, yet the intellectual intimacy between these characters keeps you engaged.
The Frankenstein Theory (2013)
Pictured: Roger Morrissey as The Creature in The Frankenstein Theory.
The Frankenstein Theory is not so much an adaptation, but more of a solid answer to a “what if” prompt. A professor (Kris Lemche) strongly believes Shelley’s story is non-fiction, and along with a film crew, he goes to a cold and remote part of Canada to find The Creature. This movie has a clever premise, but like some other found footage films, it has more dialogue than direct shots of the monster. That said, it delivers as promised in the end.
Frankenstein’s Army (2013)
Pictured: Frankenstein’s Army.
Frankenstein’s Army stands out among all the more recent Frankenstein iterations. Yes, this period piece’s POV format is out of place and distracting, but at the same time, that exact element dials up the movie’s survival video game-like quality. Your issues with the thin plot should also be outweighed by the creature creations on full display. The gruesome, monstrous horrors in store are a sight to behold, and they alone help to move this movie up in your watchlist.
Frankenstein (2015)
Pictured: Xavier Samuel in Frankenstein (2015).
Surely by now you’ve had your fill of Frankenstein, yet before you leave, give Bernard Rose’s adaptation a chance. The Candyman filmmaker delivered one of the best, not to mention one of the most affecting, interpretations from the last ten years. Xavier Samuel’s central performance is remarkable, as is the rest of the film. It doesn’t always have the visual polish you might crave, but it’s also never lacking in heart.
