Frankenstein (1931 film)

Frankenstein is a 1931 horror film from Universal Pictures loosely based on the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The film tells the story of a scientist named Dr. Henry Frankenstein, whose work takes him into the dark side of life after death. It stars Colin Clive as Henry, as well as horror-film regulars Dwight Frye (as the dwarf Fritz), Edward van Sloan (as Dr. Waldman), and Boris Karloff as the monster Henry creates. The film also stars Mae Clarke as Henry's fiancee Elizabeth, and John Boles as Henry's best friend Victor Moritz.

Additional credits and trivia

In the opening credits, Karloff is unbilled, a question mark being used in place of his name. He is, however, listed in the closing credits, which otherwise duplicate the credits from the opening under the principle that "A Good Cast Is Worth Repeating".

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As was the custom at the time, only the main cast and crew were listed in the credits. Additionally, however, a number of other actors who worked on the project were or became familiar to fans of the Universal horror films. These included Frederick Kerr as the old Baron Frankentein, Henry's father; Lionel Belmore as Herr Vogel, the Burgomeister; Marilyn Harris as Little Maria, the girl the monster accidentally kills; and Michael Mark as Ludwig, Maria's father.

Related Topics:
Frederick Kerr - Lionel Belmore - Marilyn Harris - Michael Mark

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Jack Pierce was the makeup artist who designed the now-iconic "flat head" look for Karloff's monster.

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Ken Strickfaden designed the electrical effects used in the "creation scene." So successful were they that such effects came to be considered an essential part of every subsequent Universal film involving Frankenstein. Accordingly, the equipment used to produce them has come to be referred to in fan circles as "Strickfadens."

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