Frank(enstein)ly Igor, I don’t give a damn.

For the next 31 days, I’m turning over this blog to daily reviews of Frankenstein movies.

As we all know, the story of Frankenstein was invented by Mary Shelley some two centuries years ago. The basic outline of the story is: The brilliant though somewhat crazed Victor Frankenstein is obsessed with creating life. He pieces together a being using parts from cadavers, and the resultant man (or creature, or monster) ends up wreaking havoc and ultimately destroying its creator. The moral: Don’t try this at home.

The published book initially received mixed reviews, but over the past 75 years or so it has generally been regarded as a masterpiece. Certainly it has occupied a prominent place in pop culture. Particularly when I was growing up, Frankenstein (in one form or another) had a starring role on The Munsters, Milton the Monster, Frankenstein Jr., the Groovy Ghoulies, and various other shows.

As a child I jumped onto the Frankenstein bandwagon myself. Frankenstein was the theme of two of my Halloween costumes, and I built and displayed a plastic model of the creature that I bought at the local toy store. But it was the Frankenstein movies that held a special fascination for me. This was in the days before VCRs (let alone YouTube), so my access to these movies was dictated largely by the program directors at the local UHF stations. The films were typically a few decades old and were broadcast late at night. The local station, KTVU, had a weekly show called “Creature Features” hosted by an unlikely, milquetoast, and droll host named Bob Wilkins. Creature Features was the source of much of my exposure to the Frankenstein movies. They were clearly artifacts from a different cinematographic era, but I found them to be entertaining and atmospheric and just plain fun.

So Frankenstein movies of all kinds will be this month’s theme. Each day I will be reviewing a different movie where Frankenstein (and/or his monster) appears as the central character. Every movie I review is readily available for viewing, albeit it might cost you a few bucks. As I review the movies I’ll offer suggestions as to how you can watch them, if you’re so inclined. My list does not include absolutely every Frankenstein movie, but it certainly covers the majority of the notable ones.

So, I encourage you to select at least a few of these films to enjoy this month, perhaps in a darkened room after you finish dinner, with a glass of port. Or, you can watch all of them along with me in order….if you dare! Until tomorrow.

sdb