Frankenstein (1931)

"Frankenstein" is one of my favorite films and I watched it again last night.  I can't tell you how many times I have seen it, except that it is the first movie I remember seeing.

What can I say about "Frankenstein"?  It is perfection.  Jack Pierce's make-up was the best in this film and I think it is the best make-up in film history.  

Karloff is amazing in the role of the monster.  He is not a bad guy.  He is like a child that does not know his own strength.  He did nothing wrong.  The people he kills in the film either deserved it or it was an accident.  

Another thing I love about the film are the massive sets used.  It is remarkable to think that the huge laboratory is inside a sound stage, not ten miles away from where I live in southern California.

James Whale is great as director.  Any director could have made a monster movie and scared people.  Whale went the complete opposite direction and had Karloff play the monster with sympathy.  Only a true genius would be confident in that decision.  

"Frankenstein" is one of the most important horror films to be made.  It is the film that really started the Universal horror cycle.  It is fantastic on all accounts.  You would think a film this great could not be topped, but Whale and Karloff proved the world wrong four years later with "Bride of Frankenstein".  A rare time when a sequel is better than the original.

A+  I recommend it.