"Frankenstein" Released 90 Years Ago Today

Above, Boris Karloff in his star-making role as the Monster. Universal Pictures.

It is interesting that a movie, a horror movie at that, is still thrilling audiences 90 years after its release, thanks to today's video technology.

Such is James Whale's Frankenstein (1931) starring Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan. 

The movie, an adaptation of a stage play based on Mary Shelley's novel, was released on November 21, 1931 by Universal Pictures.

Happy 90th Anniversary, Frankie!

National Frankenstein Day

Above, Boris Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Universal Pictures.

According to International Business Times, today is National Frankenstein Day.

In an article they posted on October 25:

In a world where there's a national holiday for almost any and everything, it's only right that Frankenstein has one too. Friday marks the 22nd ever National Frankenstein Day.

What is National Frankenstein Day?

The special day was created in 1997 by Ron MacCloskey from Westfield, New Jersey, and is celebrated on the last Friday of October each year to celebrate the birth of one of the most iconic horror characters (Frankenstein's monster) and its creator Mary Shelley. 

The author began writing the story of Frankenstein when she was just 18-years-old. The novel tells the story of a young scientist, Dr. Victor von Frankenstein, who, traumatized by his mother's death, becomes obsessed with the idea of bringing the dead back to life. Eventually, he succeeds in bringing to life a creature made of body parts from various deceased people. Though Shelley never names him, many fans call the monster "Frankenstein."

To celebrate, people would do something Frankenstein related.

I chose to watch the original 1931 Frankenstein, starring Colin Clive, John Boles, Mae Clarke and Boris Karloff in his immortal first portrayal of the Monster. 

There is another "Frankenstein Day" that is celebrated on August 30, Mary Shelley's birthday.

To read more, go here.

Frankenstein's Bicentennial

Above, Boris Karloff in The Bride of Frankenstein. Universal Picttures.

Noted dino expert, director, producer, writer and Godzilla fan Donald F. Glut posted something interesting:

This year is the bicentennial of Mary W. Shelley (then Godwin) writing her classic novel FRANKENSTEIN; OR, THE MODERN PROMETHEUS. No surprise, there have been, are and will be a number of Frankenstein-related movie projects in the works. This includes my own in-progress TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN, an anthology based upon five short stories included in my book of the same title (included in the upcoming THE NEW ADVENTURES OF FRANKENSTEIN COLLECTION, VOLUME TWO, from Bill Cunningham’s Pulp 2.0 Press). The movie, a "traditional" Frankenstein film written, directed and executive-produced by me, is being made via my new company Pecosborn Productions, LLC. We have already filmed the first story, “My Creation, My Beloved,” plus a framing “wrap-around” (featuring the original Monster) that links all five stories together (photos). 

As I am financing Pecosborn’s movies myself (no longer looking for investors, while crowd-funding has never worked for me satisfactorily), the TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN film is, understandably, going rather slowly. I’d like to speed things up and get the entire movie “in the can” this year to capitalize on the novel-writing’s 200th anniversary. And so, I’ve devised a plan to raise additional capital – without investors or crowd-funding – but involving getting a CO-PRODUCER credit in a motion picture (important for some peoples’ résumés) or, if you bring someone to the table who becomes a co-producer, a standard FINDER’S FEE, personal-message me for more information. But please, ONLY if you are seriously interested. 

Thank you.