A great sequel that expands on the characterization of the original classic. The cinematography and score are improved. There's good continuity with the 1st movie as it picks up right where the last one ended. Even if the heavy exposition from the local nutball and her overacting is pretty corny. Frankenstein's monster is further humanized as the film explores his ability to learn and make human connections. Expertly showcased in the scenes with the blind hermit comforting the monster as his first true parental figure. It's genuinely sweet to watch. There's also solid character growth for Dr. Frankenstein. I appreciate that his character arc doesn't regress and instead he's forced to return to the lab under a hostage threat by his creepy former mentor (even if the tiny people in glass jars was too silly). The opening scene with author Mary Shelley was amusing and a nice nod. Great climax with the coerced construction of the titular bride of Frankenstein. The bride herself only appears very briefly. But her blunt reaction to the monster and everyone else makes it clear how unnatural this all is.

Classic monster movie, with all the innocence of those times. The mad scientist (Pretorious) cartoonish funny as expected

Classic design and storytelling, seemed weird to me that the bride is barely in it at all but that's ok.

This film stirs unusual emotions, a striking mix of sentimentalism, underlying dread, humour, and deep understanding. It does so with effortless grace in the deft hands of James Whale, who turns a throwaway sequel into one of the must-see influential horror films.

One of the best monster movies and one of the best sequels ever made. All the stars shine in this film (Karloff, Lanchester, Hobson, etc).

This movie has so much story filler in its first half. The whole scene with the miniaturized people contained within the bell jars has no real purpose for the point of the main story. It is just a time filler. Beyond minor elements such as this, I still find the film entertaining, even if it is a prominent source of satirical references for Mel Brooks's movie Young Frankenstein (1974).

This film hasn't become a classic by accident. Top-notch effects for the period and over-the-top performances by all! Just loads of fun for all.

So many excellent campy characters, the only thing letting it down is the ending for me.

Una O'Conner was awful in The Invisible Man, and she almost ruins this movie, too.

Bride of Frankenstein is a classic horror film that elevates the iconic tale of Mary Shelley's creation to new heights of cinematic brilliance. Directed by James Whale, this sequel surpasses its predecessor, delivering a perfect blend of horror, humor, and poignant storytelling. Boris Karloff reprises his role as the tormented monster, while Elsa Lanchester makes a memorable entrance as the ethereal Bride. The film not only deepens the exploration of the monster's existential struggle but also introduces layers of complexity to Dr. Frankenstein's character. Whale's masterful direction, coupled with Franz Waxman's evocative score, creates an atmospheric masterpiece that transcends the horror genre.

Felt like part 2 of the original Frankenstein movie. This was better than the original! Adding music was a huge plus to show more feel of a scene. They also had more awesome scenes with the Frankenstein monster. This is fun to see him grow in these scenes.

Nothing bad to say about this classic. In fact, it's better than the original. To me, they are the 1st & 2nd halves of a great horror movie.

James Whale's first Frankenstein movie helped to establish many of the famous conventions that would be employed by science-fiction and horror movies for the next few decades. Inevitably no sequel could approach Frankenstein in terms of its influence on future cinema. Indeed Whale resisted attempts to persuade him to make a sequel for a few years, believing that he had said all that could be said. However, he was finally persuaded to make a follow-up film, and in doing so he managed to add some new movie tropes that would be imitated for years to come. To breathe new life into the old material, Whale adopted a new idea that took the film in a fresh direction. He decided that the monster should have a female companion, and thus this movie became Bride of Frankenstein. Elsa Lanchester's appearance in the film may be brief (she is onscreen for just three minutes), but it is instantly memorable. The look of the Bride has been copied and spoofed many times, though not as often as that of the original monster. This new monster is draped in a white dress that looks like a shroud or medical costume. She is tall and imposing (unlike the 5"4' Lanchester who was forced to wear stilts for the role). She has no dialogue, and only utters an alarming hiss. Lanchester modelled this noise on the sound of swans. However the most notable feature of the bride is her improbable hairdo, raised high above her head like that of Nefertiti, and with a shock of white running through it like a lightning bolt, reflecting her birth from electricity and storm. The look of the Bride indicates another quality that Whale wished to bring to the new film. He wished to add more humour and fun. This is reflected in his choice of cast members, such as the hysterical Una O'Connor and the camp and sarcastic Ernest Thesiger. Thus just four years after establishing the Frankenstein story as one that could be used in serious horror movies, Whale set in motion another Frankenstein tradition – that of making kitsch and comical versions of the Frankenstein legend. Opinions about this decision by Whale are mixed. There is an argument for saying that the rot set in with Bride of Frankenstein, and future sequels served to take the franchise further away from any serious attempt at making the audience's blood freeze. However we have to note that Whale himself did a good job of balancing the absurd humour with unsettling moments of horror. Sadly his successors did not have his sure grasp of moviemaking. The presence of two brides, and the ironic contrast between Henry and Elizabeth, and the monster and his bride has led many people to regard the film as making an ironic comment on marriage. James Whale was a practising homosexual, so some people read a gay subtext in the movie. Look at Pretorius's disdain of Elizabeth, the other half of Henry's heterosexual marriage. Consider the sarcastic parody of a union between the two monsters at the end. Look at the casting of sexually ambiguous actors such as Colin Clive and Ernest Thesiger. Indeed all kinds of wild theories have floated around concerning the homosexual message that the movie is supposedly conveying. The monster has been described as demonstrating a lack of sexual understanding that his bride is a female. Pretorius's interest in Henry has been perceived as homosexual, and the scene with the monster and the hermit has been held up as an example of a same-sex marriage. These interpretations involve some fairly large inferential leaps based on the dialogue and action of the movie. There is also something close to homophobia in assuming that Whale wishes to mock heterosexual marriage, as if the director is so envious or hostile towards male/female relationships that he has nothing left to do but mock them. However while the homosexual interpretation of Bride of Frankenstein may be exaggerated, I can safely say that the film does have a gay sensibility to it. This is reflected in the choice of actors, the fey humour and the occasionally outrageous plot twists. Some of the horror of the story may be dissipated by this kitsch and camp approach, but the film is enormous fun, and arguably represents the highest point in James Whale's movie career. I wrote a longer appreciation of the film on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2017/12/01/bride-of-frankenstein-1935/

Maybe THE Best Horror Sequel of All Time. The only knock to this is the stupid old lady who is so out of place and bizarre. Every time she shows up I want The Monster to kill her yet somehow she still lives. There is less and less of her aa it goes in thank god. Anyway besides that pretty much everything is flawless. Once she's gone by a lot it's amazing how much this ramps up in quality and never lets up. So much happens in such a short run time, tons of character development, and this is more like a Horror Drama Tragedy rather than being scary at all. It's moody with incredible cinematography and jaw dropping special effects. But what catches you off guard is you think the monster is just going to keep killing People and will just be a repeat of the first just a higher body count. And it does the exact opposite and really isn't going for scares but more drama and succeeds huge at it. The tone is perfect and the pace of change is perfect. I really felt sorry for The Monster who is masterfully played by Karloff. The new Doctor is amazing also and a perfect blend of Over the top and menacing. It's also amazing how the Bride is only in this for the final 3 minutes and yet she is so iconic and it's easy to see why, it's a very memorable performance. Everyone should see this once.

Bride of Frankenstein is Universal Picture's great gothic monster show. Director James Whale infuses this sequel with grotesque high camp. Cinematography, art direction and music help raise this above typical horror films of the time. Boris Karloff offers a three-dimensional, sympathetic performance as the monster. The rest of the cast ratchet up Whale's excesses -- from Ernest Thesiger's drolly gay Doctor Pretorius to Una O'Conner's hysterical Minnie -- to create an eccentric masterpiece.

The sequel exceeds the first movie in all but the novelty of the concept. Determinately unleashing the monster into the world for longer than 10 minutes and giving him a coherent character arc. Henry Frankenstein finally has time to brood about his creation and becomes conflicted about whether his success was abhorrent just because a couple of people died. Together with far more interesting characters and scenes that actually showcase the misunderstanding of the monster by people, you can genuinely sympathize with him. In my view, the scene with the blind hermit is the pinnacle of the movie, even more than the creation of the bride scene. Undoubtedly, cinematically, the creation of the bride is the crescendo of the genre, not to mention that it is so magnificently shot; in fact, the whole third act is well shot. Incredible angles, shadow work, and effects. The movie is, nevertheless, far more farcical; even in 1930, I doubt anyone would be even slightly scared by anything in it. The main offender is, easily, Pretorius. The instant he whips out his homunculi in jars, the feel of the first movie just kind of jumps out of the window. This only intensifies when he meets the monster. The doctor is also responsible for the fabled "queer reading" of the movie. As far as I can tell, it is based on nothing but supposition and the wish fulfillment of certain people. A movie set in the framework of people apprehending someone they don't understand and are terrified of, directed by a gay man? That's practically gift-wrapped for them.

This is my favorite Frankenstein movie. The blind man scene was beautiful, Dr Pretorius was great and Henry Frankenstein well played by Colin Clive. I would call this a masterpiece.

Con esta secuela concluye el argumento de la novela original y Karloft sigue dando lo mejor de si como el monstruo de Frankenstein. Al igual con la película anterior, esta presenta momentos inolvidables e iconicos como la famosa frase del monstruo "Fuego malo" o la iconica apariencia de la novia del monstruo. El único detalle es que este film mas que ser de horror, se orienta mas al humor negro.Esta película es una de las mejores secuelas que se hicieron y James Whale pudo continuar el resto de la novela a su estilo de una buena manera. Tanto esta como su predecesora son películas dignas de ser consideradas clásicos de oro y obras maestras del cine. Mi nota para esta película es un 9/10.

One of those rare instances where the sequel exceeds the original. As good as Frankenstein is, I prefer this one slightly more.

I was surprised how comedic, and sometimes how very silly and inane the movie was, ( ie tiny people in bottles, this unnecessary scene should've been cut ) But the impressive large scale, atmospheric sets, and now classic sequences, far make up for the weak spots. Especially the finale, that scene alone, qualifies as movie legend wow.