

Henry Frankenstein pieces together body parts in the hope of bringing a human-like creature to life. The mad scientist’s dreams are shattered by his monstrous creation awakening with rage to a world that hates and fears him.
Acting
Boris Karloff's 70 minutes of grunts and pathos—no dialogue, total devastation.
Production
Jack Pierce's flat-top, bolt-neck design that defined monsters forever.
Direction
Whale's German Expressionist shadows make every set look like a scream.

Director
James Whale
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Boris Karloff wasn't credited as 'The Monster'—only a question mark appeared. Studio thought his name would disappoint audiences expecting a star.
The famous 'It's alive!' line was censored in some territories for being 'blasphemous'—apparently creating life was God's job, not Universal's.