Lord Byron sits in the parlor of Percy and Mary Shelly's home discussing her book "Frankenstein", as to whether it was intended to scare or to teach. At the conclusion of their debate, Mary adds that the story of the monster did not end at the burning of the mill, and that monster survived the hellish conflagration to continue a reign of terror throughout the nearby mountains. Also, Dr. Frankenstein, while nursing his injuries back home, is coaxed back into action by a mad colleague who has found a method to create life in smaller forms and wishes to bring to life a larger, female specimen. Director James Whale equaled if not topped himself with "Bride of Frankenstein", a gorgeous and scary film that functions on a campy level as well. Boris Karloff is back and again wonderful as the monster who is given more screen time to work with and his scenes, especially one involving a blind hermit played by O.P. Heggie, are extremely effective. The creation scene here, which is just as memorable as its predecessors, is a supreme directorial that greatly captures the gothic, angled laboratory. "The Bride of Frankenstein" is a monument to the early monster movies and a prime example of carrying on the legacy of a great film.
