‘The Bride Of Frankenstein' Reaches Landmark Anniversary This Weekend
The Bride of Frankenstein — the classic sequel to Frankenstein starring Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester — celebrates a big anniversary this weekend.
Directed by Frankenstein filmmaker James Whale, Universal Studio's The Bride of Frankenstein is based on a subplot in Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's legendary 1818 novel Frankenstein. Karloff reprised his role from the original film as Frankenstein's Monster, as did Colin Clive as Dr. Henry Frankenstein. Lanchester plays two roles in the film, as Shelley in the film's prologue and The Bride in the film's climactic final scene.
The Bride of Frankenstein also stars Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Septimus Pretorius, Dwight Frye as Pretorious' henchman, Karl, Gavin Gordon as Lord Byron, Valerie Hobson as Elizabeth Frankenstein and O. P. Heggie as the blind fiddle player whom Frankenstein's Monster encounters in the character's forest abode.
The Bride of Frankenstein celebrates its 90th anniversary on Sunday. The film premiered in U.S. theaters on April 20, 1935, about three and a half years after the release of Frankenstein on Nov. 21, 1931. The Bride of Frankenstein largely features Frankenstein's Monster and the events leading up top the creation of his mate, while the character of The Bride doesn't appear until the final scene of the film.
While The Bride's appearance in The Bride of Frankenstein amounts to less than five minutes of screen time, the indelible image of the Elsa Lanchester character — made complete with shocks of lightning bolt streaks in her hair — has become iconic.
In addition, the film has stood the test of time with critics, as Rotten Tomatoes reviewers gave the film a 98% 'fresh' rating based on 54 reviews, while Entertainment Weekly in 2023 named it the best horror sequel of all time ahead of 19 other film classics.
Publicity still portrait of American actress Elsa Lanchester (1902 - 1986) in the film 'The Bride of ... More Frankenstein' (directed by James Whale), 1935. (Photo by John)
Elsa Lanchester's version of The Bride in The Bride of Frankenstein has become such a big part of Universal Studios Monsters' lore that she has been featured alongside Bela Lugosi's Dracula, Lon Chaney Jr.'s Wolfman, Boris Karloff's Frankenstein's Monster and the Mummy and Ben Chapman/Ricou Browning's The Creature from the Black Lagoon as the faces of the studio's franchise for decades.
To this day, The Bride of Frankenstein remains a big part of Universal Studios Monsters merchandising, from Halloween costumes, Gothic-style apparel and action figures.
The Bride has also gone on to be featured in other film iterations of the tale or Frankenstein's tale in the decades since the release of The Bride of Frankenstein in 1935.
Among the films featuring the monster's mate are the 1973 telefilm Frankenstein: The True Story, which starred Jane Seymour as The Bride opposite Michael Sarrazin's Monster; and 1985's The Bride, starring Jennifer Beals in the title role opposite Sting's Dr. Frankenstein.
The Bride also appeared in director Kenneth Branagh's Mary Shelley's Frankenstein in 1994, where Helena Bonham Carter plays the doomed mate of Robert De Niro's Frankenstein's Monster.
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - APRIL 01: (L-R) Maggie Gyllenhaal and Jessie Buckley speak onstage during ... More CinemaCon 2025 - Warner Bros. Pictures invites you to 'The Big Picture' a special presentation of its upcoming slate at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace during CinemaCon, the official convention of Cinema United, on April 1, 2025, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo byfor CinemaCon)
Jessie Buckley will be next to play the iconic role of The Bride of Frankenstein in writer-director Maggie Gyllenhaal's The Bride, which also stars Christian Bale as Frankenstein's Monster. The Bride is set for a March 6, 2026, release in theaters.
Meanwhile, Guillermo del Toro is preparing a new version of Frankenstein for Netflix, which is scheduled to be released in theaters in November before it debuts on the streamer on a date that is yet to be announced. Jacob Elordi stars as Frankenstein's Monster in the film and there's no word yet whether the story will include The Bride. Oscar Isaac also stars as Dr. Victor Frankenstein and Mia Goth plays Elizabeth.
As for another Universal Studios Monsters' version of The Bride of Frankenstein, only time will tell if Universal Pictures will either try to resurrect its shuttered Dark Universe of monster movies or go the route of the cost-efficient reboots of The Invisible Man and Wolf Man, both directed by Leigh Whannell.
In the Dark Universe version of the Frankenstein tale that never happened, Angelina Jolie, per Variety, was being considered to star in thet title role in The Bride of Frankenstein in 2020 with Javier Bardem onboard to play Frankenstein's Monster.
Viewers who want to celebrate The Bride of Frankenstein's 90th anniversary on Sunday can purchase or rent the film on several digital platforms including AppleTV, Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Spectrum and Movies Anywhere.
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