'' is a
Horror Film released on
April 22 ,
1935 , a sequel to the ''
1931 '' film ''
Frankenstein ''.
The movie tells the story of Doctor Henry Frankenstein (
Colin Clive ), who is forced by
His Monster (played by
Boris Karloff ) to build him a mate (
Elsa Lanchester double-cast in the role of
Mary Shelley ). The plot uses the parallel story of Doctor Frankenstein's marriage to the beautiful Elizabeth (
Valerie Hobson ). It is to ''this'' bride that the title refers, the other bride being the bride of the monster.
The movie was adapted by
William Hurlbut and
John Balderston from an incident in
Mary Shelley 's novel ''
Frankenstein '' in which the creature demands a mate. It was again directed by
James Whale , following his success with ''
Frankenstein '', ''
The Invisible Man '' and ''
The Old Dark House ''.
The financial success of the original Frankenstein movie enabled the producers to put much more money into the production than its low-budget predecessor. The laboratory is now not just barely equipped, it is overflowing with sparks, dials, and coils. The scene in which the mate is brought to life with a bolt of lightning is greatly improved over the original. Most critics consider "Bride" to be a generally better movie, but especially so for its production values.
The impressive village prison set would be reused for
Bela Lugosi 's lair in ''
The Raven '' of the same year, also starring
Boris Karloff . The watchtower staircase was featured in Universal's popular ''
Flash Gordon '' serials starring
Buster Crabbe , as well as ''
Dracula's Daughter '' (1936).
Kenneth Strickfaden , who created and maintained the laboratory equipment, shared it in the
Mel Brooks homage/spoof, ''
Young Frankenstein '' (1974). The European village set, left over from ''
All Quiet On The Western Front '' of 1930, was used and maintained for dozens of other studio features, until it was accidentally destroyed by fire.
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Boris Karloff is credited simply as "Karloff", a sign that he had already become a 'brand' in
1930s horror. This credit was an improvement over the original film, in which he was listed simply as "?".
Elsa Lanchester is credited for the role of Mary Shelley, but in a nod to the earlier film, the monster's bride is credited only as "?".
The film spawned numerous sequels, none of which were directed by Whale.
The film ''
Gods And Monsters '' (
1998 ) depicts the life of
James Whale and features reconstructions of the filming of key scenes in ''Bride of Frankenstein''.
The film has been selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry .
