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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Isaiah Y

Classic entertaining horror film

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/16/25

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Ted B

3.5 stars; The most popular, the most recognizable, and probably the best of the sequels to the original Frankenstein movie. The original cast returns, including Boris Karloff as the monster and Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein. Una O'Connor provides the comedic effect along with her characteristic scream. James Whale also returns as director to give it its original aura. Karloff's role required more effort in the sequel, as we were given more insights to the human side of the monster. Elsa Lancaster was very convincing as the bride creation for the monster. Her scenes in the movie are shown many times during documentaries about the early horror films.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/11/25

Full Review

Craig W.

Really great classic, put together very well for the time it was made

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

09/25/25

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Lau S

I love this horror movie! Damn great!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/29/25

Full Review

Jonathan C

Brilliant and Fun. Great direction. Look closely during the prologue, and you just might see Una O'Connor walking the dogs! The sets are magnificent. Ernest Theiseger and Una O' Connor are captivating as ever.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/28/25

Full Review

Stephen C

Success in 1.25 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/04/25

Full Review

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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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