Frankenstein

Mary Shelley's novel has been adapted several times over the years on both stage and screen, but no version is more notable nor done more to bring the story to a wider audience than the 1931 Frankenstein. The Universal Studios' film set the look of the classic Frankenstein Monster (Boris Karloff) which, despite being diffent than described in Shelley's work, is still immediately recognizable today and synonymous with the name.

The film focuses on Frankenstein (Colin Clive), oddly renamed Henry rather than Victor, becoming obsessed with his experiments which will result in the birth of his creation. Although things certainly get crazy for all involved, the film has a surprisingly sunny, rather than tragic, ending for all involved. Well, everyone except for the monster.

Opening with Frankenstein digging up a body with his assistant, the film hits several classic moments (all in only 70 minutes) which will be recreated in various films over the years including the mad scientist's lab on that fateful stormy night. Karloff steals the film as the monster (including the controversial scene in which the monster drowns a young girl). Gothic, without the need for melodrama, the film is classic horror focusing on Frankenstein and his monster, and is eerily stunning despite its age and the limited number of set pieces (obviously shot on Universal's backlot).

Classic both in terms of the film itself and the pop culture impact which is still felt to this day, the film was selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 1991. Arguably the best of the classic Universal monster films (although I'll admit having a soft-spot for The Creature from the Black Lagoon) one could certain make the case that it added as much to the Frankenstein legacy as the original story. And, in all the years that followed, the only version I prefer is that of Gene Wilder.

• Title: Frankenstein (1931)
• IMDb: link