Frankenstein (Universal film series)

This article is about the franchise. For the various works with the same name, see Frankenstein (disambiguation).

Frankenstein is the title of several horror-adventure film series loosely based on the 1818 novel of the same name by Mary Shelley, centered on a monster created by one Dr. Henry Frankenstein.

Universal Classic Monsters film series (1931–1948)

The original series of films consisted of eight installments, which starred iconic horror actors such as Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr. and Glenn Strange as Frankenstein's Monster. The series of films is part of the larger Universal Classic Monsters series.

Year	Film	Frankenstein's Monster actor
1931	Frankenstein	Boris Karloff
1935	The Bride of Frankenstein
1939	Son of Frankenstein
1942	The Ghost of Frankenstein	Lon Chaney Jr.
1944	Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man	Bela Lugosi, Eddie Parker & Gil Perkins
1944	The House of Frankenstein	Glenn Strange
1945	House of Dracula
1948	Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein	Glenn Strange and Lon Chaney Jr.

Dark Universe and proposed reboot

Frankenstein
Directed by	James Whale (1–2) Rowland V. Lee (3) Erle C. Kenton (4) Roy William Neill (5) Erle C. Kenton (6–7) Charles Barton (8) Bill Condon (9)
Screenplay by	Francis Edward Faragoh, Garrett Fort, Robert Florey & John Russell (1) William Hurlbut (2) Wyllis Cooper (3) W. Scott Darling (4) Curt Siodmak (5) Edward T. Lowe (6–7) Robert Lees, Frederic I. Rinaldo & Gertrude Purcell (8) David Koepp (9)
Produced by	Carl Laemmle, Jr. (1–2) Rowland V. Lee (3) George Waggner (4–5) Paul Malvern (6–7) Robert Arthur (8) Amy Pascal and John Krasinski (9)
Starring	Boris Karloff (1–3) Lon Chaney Jr. (4–8) Glenn Strange (5–8)
Edited by	Clarence Kolster and Maurice Pivar (1) Ted J. Kent (2–4) Edward Curtiss (5) Philip Cahn (6) Russell F. Schoengarth (7) Frank Gross (8)
Music by	Bernhard Kaun (1) Franz Waxman (2) Frank Skinner (3 and 8) Hans J. Salter (4–6) Paul Dessau (6) William Lava (7) Carter Burwell (9)
Production company	Universal Pictures
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date	1931–1948
Running time	609 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Universal Pictures has sought to remake Bride of Frankenstein on several occasions. While the novel Frankenstein has been adapted to film many times, Bride of Frankenstein's closest remake was the non-Universal film The Bride (1985), starring Sting, Clancy Brown, and Jennifer Beals. In 1991, the studio sought to remake the film for cable television, and Martin Scorsese expressed interest in directing.

In the first decade of the 21st century, Universal paired with Imagine Entertainment and contracted Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, who wrote the screenplay for American Splendor, to write a remake. The screenwriters set the story in contemporary New York. Jacob Estes was also involved with the project at one point and wrote a draft. In June 2009, Universal and Imagine entered discussions with director Neil Burger and his writing partner Dirk Wittenborn, and producer Brian Grazer was assigned to oversee the development of the remake.

In December 2015, Variety reported that David Koepp will write the script. In May 2017, Universal Pictures announced their shared universe film series of rebooted, modern-day interpretations of their classic Universal Monsters titled, Dark Universe. The film series began with the 2017 film The Mummy, and was expected to continue with Bride of Frankenstein on February 14, 2019 with Bill Condon directing the film, but Universal and Condon have decided to postpone this movie. By October 2017, it was reported that pre-production had begun when the creative team and studio decided to postpone the release in order to further work on the script with intentions being to improve the story. Deadline reported that Javier Bardem and Angelina Jolie are still attached to the movie as Frankenstein's monster and the film's reluctant bride, respectively. The same month Condon stated that should Jolie decide to leave the project, he would be interested in seeing Gal Gadot play the titular character. But on November 8, 2017, Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan moved on to other projects, leaving the future of the Dark Universe in doubt.

In January 2018, it was reported that Condon was assembling a production team, consisting of cinematographer Tobias A. Schliessler, production designer Sarah Greenwood, composer Carter Burwell, and costume designer Jacqueline Durran.

In November 2019, Condon reflected on the proposed Bride of Frankenstein remake not entering production. He stated: "That was a heartbreaker, really [...] the simplest way to say it is that I think The Mummy, and not to say anything against the movie, but the fact that that hadn't worked for them and it was the beginning of this whole reinvention of their monsters gave them cold feet at the end of the day. Because David Koepp was writing the script, I thought it was unbelievably good, and we were on the verge of making a really beautiful movie, I thought. So that was a shame." He also noted his uncertainty regarding his ability to publicly discuss the project "because [Koepp], I think, is still involved in figuring out the new approach [...] The movie that we started was devised as a great big movie, and at the end of the day, probably these movies should be smaller."

Film	Rotten Tomatoes	Metacritic
Frankenstein	100% (46 reviews)	91 (13 reviews)
The Bride of Frankenstein	100% (44 reviews)	N/A
Son of Frankenstein	91% (23 reviews)	N/A
The Ghost of Frankenstein	75% (12 reviews)	N/A
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man	25% (12 reviews)	N/A
The House of Frankenstein	55% (11 reviews)	N/A
House of Dracula	56% (9 reviews)	N/A
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein	89% (27 reviews)	N/A
Van Helsing	24% (226 reviews)	35 (38 reviews)

• Frankenstein (1931)
  This iconic horror film follows the obsessed scientist Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) as he attempts to create life by assembling a creature from body parts of the deceased. Aided by his loyal misshapen assistant, Fritz (Dwight Frye), Frankenstein succeeds in animating his monster (Boris Karloff), but, confused and traumatized, it escapes into the countryside and begins to wreak havoc. Frankenstein searches for the elusive being, and eventually must confront his tormented creation.

• The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
  After recovering from injuries sustained in the mob attack upon himself and his creation, Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive) falls under the control of his former mentor, Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger), who insists the now-chastened doctor must resume his experiments in creating new life. Meanwhile, the Monster (Boris Karloff) remains on the run from those who wish to destroy him, without understanding that his intentions are generally good despite his lack of socialization and self-control.

• Son of Frankenstein (1939)
  Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone) is determined to prove the legitimacy of his father's scientific work, thus rescuing the family name from disgrace. With the help of Ygor (Bela Lugosi), a grave robber, Wolf successfully reanimates the monster (Boris Karloff) his father originally brought back from the dead. But when several villagers are killed mysteriously, Wolf must find the culprit in order to vindicate his creation, or face the possibility that he may be responsible.

• The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
  Upon discovering Henry Frankenstein's creation (Lon Chaney Jr.) to be still alive, Ygor (Bela Lugosi) brings him to the Doctor's second son Ludwig Frankenstein (Cedric Hardwicke) for help. Obsessed with restoring the monster to his full potential, Ludwig is unaware that someone has more devious plans for the creature.

• Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
  Lawrence Stewart Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) is plagued by a physical oddity that turns him into a crazed werewolf after sundown. His desire to rid himself of this ailment leads him to the castle owned by mad scientist Dr. Frankenstein. Frankenstein, it turns out, is now dead, yet Talbot believes that the scientist's daughter, Baroness Elsa Frankenstein (Ilona Massey), can help him. However, his quest to right himself puts him on a collision course with Frankenstein's monster (Bela Lugosi).

• The House of Frankenstein (1944)
  After escaping from prison, the evil Dr. Niemann (Boris Karloff) and his hunchbacked assistant, Daniel (J. Carrol Naish), plot their revenge against those who imprisoned them. For this, they recruit the powerful Wolf Man (Lon Chaney), Frankenstein's monster (Glenn Strange) and even Dracula himself (John Carradine). Niemann pursues those who wrong him, sending each monster out to do his dirty work. But his control on the monsters is weak at best and may prove to be his downfall.

• House of Dracula (1945)
  This monster movie focuses on the iconic vampire, Count Dracula (John Carradine), and Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney), better known as the Wolf Man. Both beings of the night are tired of their supernatural afflictions, so they seek out Dr. Franz Edelmann (Onslow Stevens) for cures for their respective curses. While trying to aid the imposing creatures, Edelmann himself develops a transformative condition, adding to the many ghouls lurking around the foreboding landscape.

• Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
  In the first of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello's horror vehicles for Universal Pictures, the inimitable comic duo star as railway baggage handlers in northern Florida. When a pair of crates belonging to a house of horrors museum are mishandled by Wilbur (Lou Costello), the museum's director, Mr. MacDougal (Frank Ferguson), demands that they deliver them personally so that they can be inspected for insurance purposes, but Lou's friend Chick (Bud Abbott) has grave suspicions, after receiving a phone call from Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) warning him of their contents (Bela Lugosi and Glenn Strange).

• Van Helsing (2004)
  Famed monster slayer Gabriel Van Helsing (Hugh Jackman) is dispatched to Transylvania to assist the last of the Valerious bloodline in defeating Count Dracula (Richard Roxburgh). Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale) reveals that Dracula has formed an unholy alliance with Dr. Frankenstein's monster (Shuler Hensley) and is hell-bent on exacting a centuries-old curse on her family. Together Anna and Van Helsing set out to destroy their common enemy, but uncover some unsettling secrets along the way.

• The Bride of Frankenstein (TBA)

On February 11, 2020, Amy Pascal stated in an interview with Variety that she and John Krasinski would be interested in green-lighting a reimagining of Bride of Frankenstein, and expressed hope that Koepp and Sam Raimi would take part in the project.

Feature films

Number	Title	Release date	Director	Continuity
1	Frankenstein	November 21, 1931	James Whale	Universal Classic Monsters
2	The Bride of Frankenstein	April 19, 1935
3	Son of Frankenstein	January 13, 1939	Rowland V. Lee
4	The Ghost of Frankenstein	March 13, 1942	Erle C. Kenton
5	Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man	March 5, 1943	Roy William Neill
6	The House of Frankenstein	December 15, 1944	Erle C. Kenton
7	House of Dracula	December 7, 1945
8	Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein	June 15, 1948	Charles Barton
A	Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein	September 28, 1999	Kathi Castillo	Stand-alone films
B	Van Helsing	May 7, 2004	Stephen Sommers
C	House of the Wolf Man	October 1, 2009	Eben McGarr
9	The Bride of Frankenstein	TBA	Bill Condon	Remake

Cast and characters

List indicator(s)

• A dark grey cell indicates the character was not in the film.
• A ^P indicates the character was shown in a photograph and/or mentioned.
• A ^U indicates a uncredited role.
• A ^V indicates a voice-only role.
• A ^C indicates a cameo appearance.
• A ^L indicates an appearance wherein an actor's facial features were digitally imprinted upon another actor's face.
• A ^Y indicates an appearance as a younger version of a pre-existing character.
• An ^A indicates an appearance through archival footage, audio or stills.

Character	Universal Classic Monsters								Stand-alone films			Remake
	Frankenstein	The Bride of Frankenstein	Son of Frankenstein	The Ghost of Frankenstein	Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man	The House of Frankenstein	House of Dracula	Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein	Alvin and the Chipmunks Frankenstein	Van Helsing	House of the Wolf Man	The Bride of Frankenstein
	1931	1935	1939	1942	1943	1944	1945	1948	1999	2004	2009	TBA
Monsters
Frankenstein's Monster	Boris Karloff			Lon Chaney Jr.	Bela Lugosi Eddie Parker & Gil Perkins	Glenn Strange		Glenn Strange Lon Chaney Jr.	Frank Welker	Shuler Hensley	Craig Dabbs	Javier Bardem
The Hunchback Fritz / Karl / Ygor / Daniel / Nina / Barlow	Dwight Frye		Perry Ivins	Dwight Frye	J. Carrol Naish	Jane "Poni" Adams				Kevin J. O'Connor	John McGarr	TBA
			Bela Lugosi
The Bride of Frankenstein's Monster		Elsa Lanchester										Angelina Jolie
Count Vladislaus Dracula		John Carradine				John Carradine		Bela Lugosi		Richard Roxburgh	Michael R. Thomas
Lawrence Stewart Talbot Larry, The Wolf Man Velkan Valerious					Lon Chaney Jr.					Will Kemp	Billy Bussey
Dr. Franzec "Franz" Edelmann					Don Barclay		Onslow Stevens
Sir Geoffrey Radcliffe The Invisible Man								Vincent Price
Alvin Seville									Ross Bagdasarian Jr.
Gabriel Van Helsing										Hugh Jackman
Verona The First Bride of Dracula										Silvia Colloca
Aleera The Second Bride of Dracula										Elena Anaya
Marishka The Third Bride of Dracula										Josie Maran
Recurring Supporting Characters
Dr. Henry Frankenstein	Colin Clive		Mentioned	Cedric Hardwicke	Mentioned				Michael Bell	Samuel West	Mentioned	TBA
Ludwig Hans Ewald Neumüller Strauss	Michael Mark	Reginald Barlow Ted Billings	Michael Mark			Michael Mark
Herr Vogel The Burgomaster	Lionel Belmore	E. E. Clive	Lawrence Grant
Elizabeth Frankenstein (née Lavenza)	Mae Clarke	Valerie Hobson
Baron Frankenstein	Frederick Kerr	Mentioned
Little Maria	Marilyn Harris
Victor Moritz	John Boles
Dr. Waldman	Edward Van Sloan
Doctor Septimus Pretorius		Ernest Thesiger
Ludwig Hans' Wife, Mother of Maria Mrs. Neumüller	Mentioned	Mary Gordon	Caroline Frances Cooke
The Baroness Elsa Frankenstein			Josephine Hutchinson	Evelyn Ankers	Ilona Massey
Inspector Krogh Dr. Theodore Bohmer Mayor Inspector Arnz Police Inspector Holtz			Lionel Atwill
Other Characters
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley		Elsa Lanchester
Lord Byron		Gavin Gordon
Percy Bysshe Shelley		Douglas Walton
Minnie		Una O'Connor
Frankenstein's Butler		Lucien Prival
Hermit		O. P. Heggie
The Shepherdess		Anne Darling
Uncle Glutz		J. Gunnis Davis
Peasant		Walter Brennan
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein			Basil Rathbone
Peter von Frankenstein			Donnie Dunagan
Amelia			Emma Dunn
Thomas Benson			Edgar Norton
Emil Lang			Lionel Belmore
Burgher #1			Gustav von Seyffertitz
Burgher #2			Lorimer Johnston
Burgher #3			Tom Ricketts
Gendarme at Gate			Ward Bond
Bearded Gendarme			Harry Cording
Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein				Cedric Hardwicke	Mentioned
Erik Ernst				Ralph Bellamy
Cloestine Hussman				Janet Ann Gallow
Dr. Kettering				Barton Yarborough
Martha				Doris Lloyd
Chief Constable				Leyland Hodgson
Hussman				Olaf Hytten
Magistrate				Holmes Herbert
Frone				Harry Cording
Mayor				Lawrence Grant
Villager at Hearing				Harry Tenbrook
Madame Maleva The Gypsy Fortune Teller					Maria Ouspenskaya
Dr. Mannering					Patric Knowles
Inspector Owen					Dennis Hoey
Vazec					Rex Evans
Rudi					Dwight Frye
Guno					Harry Stubbs
Dr. Mannering's Nurse					Doris Lloyd
Dr. Gustav Niemann						Boris Karloff
Ilonka						Elena Verdugo
Rita Hussman						Anne Gwynne
Karl Hussman						Peter Coe
Bürgermeister Hussman						Sig Ruman
Bruno Lampini						George Zucco
Fejos						William Edmunds
Tobermann						Charles F. Miller
Müller						Philip Van Zandt
Hertz						Julius Tannen
Meier						Hans Herbert
Born						Dick Dickinson
Milizia Morelle							Martha O'Driscoll
Ziegfried							Ludwig Stössel
Steinmuhl							Skelton Knaggs
Villager							Harry Lamont
Chick Young								Bud Abbott
Wilbur Grey								Lou Costello
Dr. Sandra Mornay								Lenore Aubert
Joan Raymond								Jane Randolph
Mr. McDougal								Frank Ferguson
Professor Stevens								Charles Bradstreet
Simon Seville									Ross Bagdasarian Jr.
Theodore Seville									Janice Karman
Anna Valerious										Kate Beckinsale
Carl										David Wenham
Cardinal Jinette										Alun Armstrong
Top Hat The Grave Digger										Tom Fisher
Dr. Bela Reinhardt											Ron Chaney
Reed Chapel											Dustin Fitzsimons
Conrad Sullivan											Jeremie Loncka
Mary Chapel											Sara Raftery
Elmira Cray											Cheryl Rodes
Archibald Whitlock											Jim Thalman
Vadoma											Saba Moor-Doucette

Crew

Crew/detail	Film
	Universal Classic Monsters								Remake
	Frankenstein	The Bride of Frankenstein	Son of Frankenstein	The Ghost of Frankenstein	Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man	The House of Frankenstein	House of Dracula	Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein	The Bride of Frankenstein
	1931	1935	1939	1942	1943	1944	1945	1948	TBA
Director(s)	James Whale		Rowland V. Lee	Erle C. Kenton	Roy William Neill	Erle C. Kenton		Charles Barton	Bill Condon
Producer(s)	Carl Laemmle, Jr.			George Waggner		Paul Malvern		Robert Arthur	Amy Pascal John Krasinski
Writer(s)	Screenplay: Francis Edward Faragoh, Garrett Fort, Robert Florey (uncredited) & John Russell (uncredited)	Screenplay: William Hurlbut	Wyllis Cooper	Screenplay: W. Scott Darling	Curt Siodmak	Edward T. Lowe		Robert Lees, Frederic I. Rinaldo & Gertrude Purcell	David Koepp
	Story: John L. Balderston (Adaptation) and Richard Schayer (Scenario Editor)	Story: William Hurlbut & John L. Balderston		Story: Eric Taylor
Composer(s)	Bernhard Kaun	Franz Waxman	Frank Skinner	Hans J. Salter		Hans J. Salter Paul Dessau	William Lava	Frank Skinner	Carter Burwell
Editor(s)	Clarence Kolster Maurice Pivar	Ted J. Kent			Edward Curtiss	Philip Cahn	Russell F. Schoengarth	Frank Gross	TBA
Cinematographer	Arthur Edeson	John J. Mescall	George Robinson	Woody Bredell Milton R. Krasner	George Robinson			Charles Van Enger	Tobias A. Schliessler
Production companies	Universal Pictures
Distributor(s)
Runtime	71 minutes	75 minutes	99 minutes	68 minutes	75 minutes	71 minutes	67 minutes	83 minutes	TBA
Release date	November 21, 1931	April 19, 1935	January 13, 1939	March 13, 1942	March 5, 1943	December 15, 1944	December 7, 1945	June 15, 1948