Frankenstein (1931)

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Videos & Photos

  • Trailer for Frankenstein
  • Clip: It's Alive

Movie Info & Cast

Director:

James Whale

Producer:

Carl Laemmle

Release Date:

Nov 21, 1931

Runtime:

1hr 10m

Synopsis

An obsessed scientist assembles a living being from parts of exhumed corpses.

Cast

  • Colin Clive
  • Mae Clarke
  • John Boles
  • Boris Karloff
  • Edward Van Sloan
  • Dwight Frye
  • Frederick Kerr
  • Lionel Belmore
  • Michael Mark
  • Arletta Duncan

Letterboxd User Reviews

3.8
352.8K
145.1K
97.3K
RATINGS 1.5K FANS
3.8
  • Oct 22, 2017

    Monolithic on every level.  The way the villager carries his dead child through the town... haunting stuff.

    3.7K Likes
    Ian West
    Ian West
    Oct 3, 2021

    I can fix him

    3.5K Likes
    Brody
    Brody
    Sep 24, 2017

    college dropout's wedding ruined by his work

    2.3K Likes
    👽 Zara 👽
    👽 Zara 👽
  •
    Jun 22, 2025

    This is a fine enough film on its own and an absolutely shocking watch by 1930s standards, but I did not do it any favors by reading the vastly superior original novel beforehand. This lacks both the pathos and the most haunting passages of the novel; nothing here even…

    2.3K Likes
    James (Schaffrillas)
    James (Schaffrillas)
    Oct 15, 2018

    mary shelley in 1818: y'all ready to uhhhhh question morality and what makes someone god?

    2.2K Likes
    Madison 🎭
    Madison 🎭
    Oct 21, 2021

    i'm just like frankenstein except that when he decides he wants to feel like god he does crazy scientific experiments and i just play the sims for 20 minutes until i get bored

    2.1K Likes
    amaya
    amaya
  •
    Nov 2, 2021

    I just wanted to give the monster a hug

    1.8K Likes
    ZaraGwen
    ZaraGwen
    Sep 13, 2024

    the monster kinda gives george vibes <3

    1.6K Likes
    itscharlibb
    itscharlibb
    Sep 4, 2022

    Almost impossible to imagine what seeing this in theaters must have been like for people in '31. Boris Karloff's face has been on so many Halloween decorations and Fangoria covers over the years that it's easy to forget that he's giving an actual layered and human…

    1.6K Likes
    Branson Reese
    Branson Reese
See All Reviews on Letterboxd.com

Queue Community Reviews

88%
Community 1,580
❤️ LOVE
27%
👍 LIKE
61%
😐 MEH
11%
👎 DISLIKE
1%
Top Reviews
  • Izaak Whisler
    Izaak Whisler liked
    Frankenstein

    frankenstein did nothing wrong
i blame that girl for not knowing how to swim

    😂 😭 7 3Y
    10000BCman
    10000BCman liked
    Frankenstein

    OH MY GOD FRANKENSTEIN WAS THE DOCTOR ALL ALONG

    😂 4 3Y
    Cadence G.
    Cadence G. disliked
    Frankenstein

    Completely different from the book. Yes, it is a classic movie, but that doesn't make it good. It completely changes the names and personalities of all the characters and makes them one dimensional. It misses the point Mary Shelley was trying to make in her book.

    1 🔥 1 1Y
  • William Luckenbach
    William Luckenbach loved
    Frankenstein

    Still just as thought-provoking now as it was back in 1931, Frankenstein is an undisputed classic film worth watching for any self proclaimed film buff or horror fan. 8.5/10

    🔥 1 4Y
    faithy taytay
    faithy taytay is "meh" on
    Frankenstein

    i get and respect that it’s a classic, and i really appreciate that it didn’t scare me like most horror movies do, but it just…wasn’t my thing 🤷🏻‍♀️ not bad for 1931 tho🫡

    🔥 1 3Y
    jovanna
    jovanna is "meh" on
    Frankenstein

    i know it’s a classic but but me i was a little hard to watch idk maybe bc it’s an old movie but it’s like something it’s missing in there

    👀 1 1Y
  • Morgan
    Morgan loved
    Frankenstein

    incredibly charming and sad, i felt so bad for The Monster, i love him so dearly and he deserved so much better

    🔥 1 3Y
    Media Enjoyer
    Media Enjoyer liked
    Frankenstein

    7/10

    2Y
    Bea
    Bea liked
    Frankenstein

    4/5 ⭐️ I finally got around to watching this Universal Studios classic (I still haven’t seen Guillermo del Toro’s version). The gothic atmosphere created by the sets is absolutely fantastic. Defying death comes with serious consequences. The storytelling is solid, although there are a few…

    5M
View More Popular Frankenstein Reviews on Queue

Atom Users Reviews

4.7
2
1
0
0
0

Reviews

  • KJ
    Kenneth Jara
    SL
    Sabrina Leon
    #clever
    #inspiring
    #familyfriendly
    CM
    Christian mendoza
    #datenight
    #original

Metacritic

91
metacritic
Based on 15 Critics
8.0

USER SCORE (66)

Generally favorable reviews based on 66 Reviews
100

Beautiful photography, a heartbreaking story, and iconic moments from beginning to end. Absolutely unmissable.

View full review
Metacritic review by Kim Newman
Kim Newman
Empire
See All Critic Reviews on Metacritic.com

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is Frankenstein (1931) (1931)?
The movie is 1hr 10min long.
What's Frankenstein (1931) (1931) about?
An obsessed scientist assembles a living being from parts of exhumed corpses.
Who's the cast of Frankenstein (1931) (1931)?
  • Colin Clive as Dr. Henry Frankenstein
  • Mae Clarke as Elizabeth (Henry's fiance)
  • John Boles as Victor Moritz
  • Boris Karloff as The Monster
  • Edward Van Sloan as Dr. Waldman
  • Dwight Frye as Fritz
  • Frederick Kerr as Baron Frankenstein
  • Lionel Belmore as Herr Vogel (the burgomeister)
  • Michael Mark as Ludwig (uncredited)
  • Arletta Duncan as Bridesmaid (uncredited)
Who's the director behind Frankenstein (1931) (1931)?
James Whale directed Frankenstein (1931) (1931).
Who produced Frankenstein (1931) (1931)?
Carl Laemmle produced Frankenstein (1931) (1931).