OK, having rewatched both of these for the first time in maybe 2-3 years or so, I stand by my choice - Frankenstein is, to me, a much better film than Bride Of Frankenstein (both are rated 8/10 on the IMDB which I guess more or less puts them at a tie as far as the general consensus goes?).
I know that there are those who love Bride more than the first movie and I can't fault anyone for that as it is a great movie but for me, the first one wins, at least as a horror movie. You get that awesome gothic cemetery, Karloff's amazing completely physical performance and manic work from Clive and Frye that really just brings it all home for me. Sure, the 'death scene' at the end uses a pretty ropey looking dummy but aside from that, the effects hold up really well and the scene where the monster kills the little girl still makes me fight back a tear no matter how many times I see it. I love this movie dearly and see no flaws with it.
Bride, on the other hand, as great as it is, suffers a bit from the more comedic elements. I find Una O'Connor's Minnie character irritating and while I like the way they open the film with the Shelley bit, I don't know that it necessarily helps anything. The last twenty minutes or so though, once Henry's bride has been kidnapped and Pretorious is going full steam ahead with his plan? Pretty much a flawless stretch right there. The movie ends on an incredibly strong note and again, it chokes me up a little bit. I love the art direction and set design in the movie and what's not to love about the Bride herself? She doesn't get enough screen time I guess, but when she's up there the screen is electric.
I know that there are those who love Bride more than the first movie and I can't fault anyone for that as it is a great movie but for me, the first one wins, at least as a horror movie. You get that awesome gothic cemetery, Karloff's amazing completely physical performance and manic work from Clive and Frye that really just brings it all home for me. Sure, the 'death scene' at the end uses a pretty ropey looking dummy but aside from that, the effects hold up really well and the scene where the monster kills the little girl still makes me fight back a tear no matter how many times I see it. I love this movie dearly and see no flaws with it.
Bride, on the other hand, as great as it is, suffers a bit from the more comedic elements. I find Una O'Connor's Minnie character irritating and while I like the way they open the film with the Shelley bit, I don't know that it necessarily helps anything. The last twenty minutes or so though, once Henry's bride has been kidnapped and Pretorious is going full steam ahead with his plan? Pretty much a flawless stretch right there. The movie ends on an incredibly strong note and again, it chokes me up a little bit. I love the art direction and set design in the movie and what's not to love about the Bride herself? She doesn't get enough screen time I guess, but when she's up there the screen is electric.
Comment