Bride of Frankenstein

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Bride of Frankenstein

1935

1h 15m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

98%

Tomatometer

56 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

After recovering from injuries sustained in the mob attack upon himself and his creation, Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive) falls under the control of his former mentor, Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger), who insists the now-chastened doctor resume his experiments in creating new life. Meanwhile, the Monster (Boris Karloff) remains on the run from those who wish to destroy him without understanding that his intentions are generally good despite his lack of socialization and self-control.

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Critics Consensus

An eccentric, campy, technically impressive, and frightening picture, James Whale's Bride of Frankenstein has aged remarkably well.

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Otis Ferguson

The New Republic

Advertised as a chiller, this film turns out to be something else, having a lot of jollification, nice fancy, elegant mounting -- there is, in short, beauty as well as the beast.

May 8, 2024

Full Review

TIME Magazine

Screenwriters Hurlbut & Balderston and Director James Whale have given it the macabre intensity proper to all good horror pieces, but have substituted a queer kind of mechanistic pathos for the sheer evil that was Frankenstein.

Oct 7, 2008

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Simon Braund

Empire Magazine

Whale's erudite genius brings it all together. He sculpts every nuance of self-parody, social satire, horror, humour, wit and whimsy into a dazzling whole, keeping every one of his fantastical plates spinning until the tragic, inevitable finale.

Rated: 5/5

Sep 24, 2007

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

Its pleasures are bountiful.

Rated: 4/4

Oct 26, 2025

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Whale wanted to deliver a 'hoot,' something heavily gay-coded and lightly disdainful of hetero normies. The result is a proto-goth, proto-punk slice of dark chocolate cake with purple and green icing.

Rated: A+

Oct 15, 2025

Full Review

Katelyn Nelson

Daily Grindhouse

What makes Bride such a powerful entry in the Frankenstein canon—and the classic Universal series as a whole—is its ability to keep its horror under the surface. Only occasionally does it truly allow it to come to the forefront full force...

Aug 4, 2024

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lisa b

Such a thrill to see this classic on the big screen. Thank you Regal for bringing us the Universal monsters for Halloween.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/29/25

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Tom

It's absolute PERFECTION.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/29/25

Full Review

Todd B

What a treat it was to see this on a theater screen, and hear "SHE'S ALIVE!" over theater speakers. Such a wonderful film!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/01/25

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Ray L

I love classic horror movies and this is one of my all-time favorites Karloff is the best Frankenstein no one else compares

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/01/25

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John F

Perhaps it doesn't benefit from the originality of its predecessor, but this one is a classic in its own right due to its touching storyline of the Monster and the Hermit, and Ernest Thesiger's performance as Dr. Pretorius is deliciously evil.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/29/25

Full Review

Moody C

Bride is iconic but barely in movie. Some weird minature guys in movie. But I don't really see how this is better than first movie as many say but together, they somewhat closely tell Mary Shelley's novel.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

10/28/25

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James Whale

Director

Boris Karloff

The Monster (as Karloff)

Elsa Lanchester

Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley

Colin Clive

Dr. Henry Frankenstein

Valerie Hobson

Elizabeth Frankenstein

O.P. Heggie

Hermit

Bride of Frankenstein: Official Clip - Pretorius Uses The Monster For Backup

2:21

Bride of Frankenstein: Official Clip - Teaching the Monster Manners

2:37

Bride of Frankenstein: Official Clip - Frankenstein Needs a New Heart

2:09

Bride of Frankenstein: Official Clip - Pretorius Shows Henry His Experiment

2:45

Bride of Frankenstein: Official Clip - Frankenstein is Hungry

0:58

Bride of Frankenstein: Official Clip - Henry Tries to Give the Creature Life

2:59

Bride of Frankenstein: Official Clip - The Monster Meets His Bride

3:00

Bride of Frankenstein: Official Clip - Blackmail

0:47

Bride of Frankenstein: Official Clip - Pretorius Has a Plan

2:20

Bride of Frankenstein: Official Clip - She's Alive! She's Alive!

2:27

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Synopsis

After recovering from injuries sustained in the mob attack upon himself and his creation, Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive) falls under the control of his former mentor, Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger), who insists the now-chastened doctor resume his experiments in creating new life. Meanwhile, the Monster (Boris Karloff) remains on the run from those who wish to destroy him without understanding that his intentions are generally good despite his lack of socialization and self-control.

Director: James Whale
Producer: Carl Laemmle Jr.
Screenwriter: William Hurlbut, John L. Balderston, Mary Shelley
Distributor: MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Universal Pictures, Universal Home Entertainment, Film Classics Inc., Universal International Pictures, Realart Pictures Inc.
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 22, 1935, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 8, 2015
Runtime: 1h 15m
Sound Mix: Mono

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