The Bride of Frankenstein is a sequel to James Whale’s Frankenstein. It was received as a horror film and was generally highly regarded by critics. But on close viewing, it’s a screwball comedy—a campy hodgepodge of satire that Whale and screenwriters William Hurlbut and John Balderston foisted on a public eager for more Boris Karloff’s portrayal of the Monster.
The screenplay draws on many Frankenstein sources but notably introduces the Monster’s Bride and Dr. Septimus Pretorius, a campy, effeminate mad scientist with a smirk. He’s a former university teacher planning to inveigle his former student, Henry Frankenstein, into creating a mate for the Monster.
After a long hard day in his laboratory, situated in a crypt, Pretorius sets a picnic dinner on a sarcophagus. He’s hoping for peaceful enjoyment but is momentarily surprised when the Monster intrudes on his privacy.
Always cool, Pretorius nonchalantly says, “Oh. I thought I was alone. Good evening,” and smoothly begins cultivating a friendship. When the Monster asks for Smoke, he says, “Smoke. Friend?” Pretorius says, “Yes, I hope so. Have a cigar. They are my only weakness.” Without hesitation, the Monster gratefully accepts, and when it’s lighted and puffed, he’s mighty pleased.
Shelley’s Monster may have been a vegetarian, but Whale’s Monster grabs most of a roast chicken and stuffs it into his mouth. Chomping chicken and gulping wine, he says to Pretorius, “Good, good.”
The cast: Boris Karloff as the Monster; Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Septimus Pretorius; Elsa Lancaster as the Bride of Frankenstein; Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein
See James Whale. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). The screenplay is by William Hurlbut and John Balderston, based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel.