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{{About|the 1935 film|the character of the same name|Bride of Frankenstein (character)}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}

{{Infobox film
| name           = Bride of Frankenstein
| image          = The Bride of Frankenstein (1935 poster).jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[James Whale]]
| producer       = [[Carl Laemmle Jr.]]
| screenplay     = William Hurlbut
| story          = {{plainlist|
* William Hurlbut
* [[John L. Balderston]]
}}
| based_on       = {{based on|''[[Frankenstein|Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus]]''|[[Mary Shelley]]}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|
* [[Boris Karloff]]
* [[Colin Clive]]
* [[Valerie Hobson]]
* [[Elsa Lanchester]]
* [[Ernest Thesiger]]
* [[E. E. Clive]]
* [[Oliver Peters Heggie]]
}}
| music          = [[Franz Waxman]]
| cinematography = [[John J. Mescall]]
| editing        = [[Ted J. Kent]]
| studio         = [[Universal Pictures]]
| distributor    = Universal Pictures
| released       = {{Film date|1935|4|19|San Francisco|1935|4|20|United States}}
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| runtime        = 75 minutes<ref name = curtis250 />
| budget         = $397,000<ref>Brunas, et al., p. 116</ref>
| gross          = $2 million
}}

'''''Bride of Frankenstein''''' is a 1935 American [[horror film]] as well as the [[Frankenstein (Universal film series)|first sequel]] to [[Universal Pictures]]' 1931 film ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]''. As with the first film, ''Bride'' was directed by [[James Whale]], starring [[Boris Karloff]] as [[Frankenstein's monster|the Monster]] and [[Colin Clive]] as [[Dr. Frankenstein]]. Additionally, it features [[Elsa Lanchester]] in the dual role of [[Mary Shelley]] and the bride, [[Ernest Thesiger]] as [[Doctor Septimus Pretorius]], and [[Oliver Peters Heggie]] as the blind hermit.

Taking place immediately after the events of the earlier film, it is rooted in a subplot of the original [[Mary Shelley]] novel, ''[[Frankenstein|Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus]]'' (1818). ''Bride'' follows a chastened Henry Frankenstein as he attempts to abandon his plans to create life, only to be tempted and finally blackmailed by his old mentor Dr. Pretorius, along with threats from the Monster, into constructing a [[Bride of Frankenstein (character)|bride for the Monster]].

Preparation to film a sequel to ''Frankenstein'' began shortly after its premiere, but script problems delayed the project. [[Principal photography]] on ''Bride of Frankenstein'' finally commenced in January 1935, with creative personnel from the original returning both in front of and behind the camera. The film was released to critical and popular acclaim, although it encountered difficulties with some state and national censorship boards.

Since its release ''Bride of Frankenstein''{{'}}s reputation has grown, and it is now frequently considered one of the greatest sequels ever made. Many critics consider it to be an improvement on the original, and have hailed it as Whale's masterpiece. In 1998, it was selected by the [[Library of Congress]] for preservation in the [[National Film Registry]], having been deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".

==Plot==
In a castle on a stormy night, [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]] and [[Lord Byron]] praise [[Mary Shelley]] for her story of Frankenstein and his Monster. She reminds them that her intention for writing the novel was to impart a moral lesson, the consequences of a mortal man who tries to play God. Mary says she has more of the story to tell.

Following the events of ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]'' (1931), villagers gather around the burning windmill to cheer the apparent death of the Monster. Hans, the father of the girl the Monster drowned, wants to see the Monster's bones. He falls into a flooded pit underneath the mill, where the Monster—having survived the fire—strangles him. Hauling himself from the pit, the Monster also casts Hans' wife to her death. He next encounters Frankenstein's servant Minnie, who flees in terror.

The body of [[Victor Frankenstein|Henry Frankenstein]], who is thought to have died at the windmill, is returned to his fiancée Elizabeth at his castle home. Minnie arrives to sound the alarm about the Monster, but her warning goes unheeded. Elizabeth, seeing Henry move, realizes he is still alive. Nursed back to health by Elizabeth, Henry renounces his creation, but still believes he may be destined to unlock the secret of life and immortality. A hysterical Elizabeth cries that she foresees death.

Henry visits the lab of his former mentor [[Doctor Septimus Pretorius]], where Pretorius shows Henry several [[Homunculus|homunculi]] he has created. Pretorius wishes to work with Henry to create a mate for the Monster, with the proposed venture involving Pretorius growing an artificial brain while Henry gathers parts for the mate.

Meanwhile, the Monster saves a young shepherdess from drowning. Her screams upon seeing the Monster alert two hunters, who shoot and injure him. They raise a mob that sets out in pursuit. Captured and trussed to a pole, the Monster is hauled to a dungeon and chained. Left alone, he breaks his chains, overpowers the guards, and escapes into the woods. That night, the Monster encounters an old blind hermit who thanks God for sending him a friend. He teaches the Monster words like "friend" and "good" and shares a meal with him. Two lost hunters stumble upon the cottage and recognize the Monster. He attacks them and accidentally burns down the cottage as the hunters lead the hermit away.

Taking refuge from another angry mob in a crypt, the Monster spies Pretorius and his cronies Karl and Ludwig breaking open a grave. The henchmen depart as Pretorius has supper. The Monster reveals himself, eats some of the food, and learns that Pretorius plans to create a mate for him.

Henry and Elizabeth, now married, are visited by Pretorius. Henry expresses his refusal to assist Pretorius, who calls the Monster. The Monster demands Henry's help, to no avail. Pretorius orders the Monster out, secretly signaling him to kidnap Elizabeth. Pretorius guarantees her safe return upon Henry's participation. Henry returns to his tower laboratory and, despite himself, grows excited over his work. After being assured of Elizabeth's safety, Henry completes the [[Bride of Frankenstein (character)|Bride]]'s body.

A storm rages as final preparations are made to bring the Bride to life. Her bandage-wrapped body is raised through the roof, where electricity is harnessed from lightning to animate her. Henry and Pretorius lower her and, after realizing their success in bringing her to life, remove her bandages and help her to stand.

The Monster comes down the steps after killing Karl on the rooftop and sees the Bride. The Monster reaches out to her and asks, "Friend?". The Bride, screaming, rejects him. He observes, "She hate me! Like others". As Elizabeth races to Henry's side, the Monster rampages through the lab. Before destroying everything, the Monster pauses and tells Henry and Elizabeth: "Go! You live! Go!" To Pretorius and the Bride, he says: "You stay. We belong dead." While Henry and Elizabeth flee, the Bride hisses at the Monster. Shedding a tear, the Monster pulls a lever to trigger the laboratory and tower's destruction.

==Cast==
[[File:Bride of Frankenstein (1935) poster 1.jpg|right|thumb|Lobby card for the 1953 re-release]]

[[File: Bride of Frankenstein trailer (1935).webm|thumb|thumbtime=3|upright=1.3| '''PLAY''' 1935 [[trailer (promotion)|trailer]] for ''Bride of Frankenstein'']]

{{div col}}
* [[Boris Karloff]] as Frankenstein's Monster / The Monster
* [[Colin Clive]] as Baron Henry Frankenstein
* [[Valerie Hobson]] as [[Elizabeth Lavenza|Elizabeth Frankenstein]] (played by Mae Clark originally)
* [[Ernest Thesiger]] as [[Doctor Septimus Pretorius|Doctor Pretorius]]
* [[Elsa Lanchester]] as [[Bride of Frankenstein (character)|The Monster's Mate]] (credited as '''?''') and as [[Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley]] 
* [[Gavin Gordon (actor)|Gavin Gordon]] as [[Lord Byron]]
* [[Douglas Walton (actor)|Douglas Walton]] as [[Percy Bysshe Shelley]]
* [[Una O'Connor (actress)|Una O'Connor]] as Minnie
* [[E. E. Clive]] as the [[Burgermeister|Burgomaster]]
* [[Lucien Prival]] as Frankenstein's butler
* [[O. P. Heggie]] as Hermit
* [[Dwight Frye]] as Karl, Pretorius' henchman
* [[Ted Billings]] as Ludwig, Pretorius' henchman
* [[Reginald Barlow]] as Hans, father of the killed girl Maria
* [[Mary Gordon (actress)|Mary Gordon]] as Hans' wife
* Anne Darling as the shepherdess
* [[J. Gunnis Davis]] as Uncle Glutz
* [[Walter Brennan]] as a peasant (uncredited, but with dialogue)
* [[John Carradine]] as a hunter (uncredited, but with dialogue)
{{div col end}}

==Production==
[[File:Frankenstein's monster (Boris Karloff).jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Boris Karloff]] as [[Frankenstein's monster|the Monster]] in ''Bride of Frankenstein''.]]
Universal considered making a sequel to ''Frankenstein'' as early as its 1931 preview screenings, following which the film's original ending was changed to allow for Henry Frankenstein's survival.<ref>Curtis, p. 154</ref> James Whale initially refused to direct ''Bride'', believing he had already "squeezed the idea dry".<ref name=vieira80>Vieria, p. 80</ref> [[Kurt Neumann (director)|Kurt Neumann]] was originally scheduled to replace Whale but decided to film ''[[The Black Cat (1934 film)|The Black Cat]]'' instead.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Bride of Frankenstein|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5831-BRIDE-OFFRANKENSTEIN?sid=1a4f6083-fad6-4801-bf9e-28b6d91836b2&sr=0.2983323&cp=1&pos=0|url-status=live|access-date=2021-12-03|website=catalog.afi.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203052152/https://catalog.afi.com/Film/5831-BRIDE-OFFRANKENSTEIN?sid=1a4f6083-fad6-4801-bf9e-28b6d91836b2&sr=0.2983323&cp=1&pos=0 |archive-date=December 3, 2021}}</ref> Following the success of Whale's [[The Invisible Man (1933 film)|''The Invisible Man'']], producer [[Carl Laemmle, Jr.]] realized that Whale was the only possible director for ''Bride''; Whale took advantage of the situation by persuading Universal to let him make ''[[One More River]]''.<ref>Curtis, p. 234</ref> Whale believed the sequel would not top the original, so he decided instead to make it a memorable "hoot".<ref name=vieira80/> According to a studio publicist, Whale and Universal's studio psychiatrist decided "the Monster would have the mental age of a ten-year-old boy and the emotional age of a lad of fifteen".<ref name=vieira80/>

Screenwriter [[Robert Florey]] wrote a [[Film treatment|treatment]] entitled ''The New Adventures of Frankenstein: The Monster Lives!'', but it was rejected without comment early in 1932.<ref name = dvd>{{cite video |people = MacQueen, Scott |date = 2004 |title = DVD commentary, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' Legacy Collection edition |medium = DVD |publisher = Universal Studios}}</ref> Universal staff writer Tom Reed wrote a treatment as ''The Return of Frankenstein'', a title retained until filming began.<ref name=vieira85/> Following its acceptance in 1933, Reed wrote a full script that was submitted to the [[Production Code|Hays office]] for review. The script passed its review, but Whale, who by then had been contracted to direct, complained that "it stinks to heaven".<ref>Curtis, p. 134</ref> [[Lawrence Blochman|L. G. Blochman]] and [[Philip MacDonald]] were the next writers assigned, but Whale also found their work unsatisfactory. In 1934, Whale set [[John L. Balderston]] to work on yet another version, and it was he who returned to an incident from the novel in which the Monster demands a mate. Frankenstein subsequently creates a mate, but destroys it without bringing it to life. Balderston also created the Mary Shelley prologue. After several months Whale was still not satisfied with Balderston's work and handed the project to playwright [[William James Hurlbut]] and [[Edmund Pearson]]. The final script, combining elements of a number of these versions, was submitted for Hays office review in November 1934.<ref>Curtis, pp. 234–36</ref> [[Kim Newman]] reports that Whale planned to make Elizabeth the heart donor for the bride,<ref name = newman>{{cite news|author=Newman, Kim|title=Rewind Masterpiece #18|work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]|date=December 2004|page=181|author-link=Kim Newman}}</ref> but film historian Scott MacQueen states that Whale never had such an intention.<ref name = dvd />

Sources report that [[Bela Lugosi]] and [[Claude Rains]] were considered, with varying degrees of seriousness, for the role of Frankenstein's mentor, Pretorius;<ref>Lennig, p. 92</ref> others report that the role was created specifically for Ernest Thesiger.<ref name = skal185>Skal, p. 185</ref> Because of [[Mae Clarke]]'s ill health, [[Valerie Hobson]] replaced her as Henry Frankenstein's love interest, Elizabeth.<ref name = dvd /> Early in production, Whale decided that the same actress cast to play the Bride should also play Mary Shelley in the film's prologue, to represent how the story — and horror in general — springs from the dark side of the imagination.<ref name=vieira82>Vieira, p. 82</ref> He considered [[Brigitte Helm]] and [[Phyllis Brooks]] before deciding on Elsa Lanchester. Lanchester, who had accompanied husband [[Charles Laughton]] to Hollywood, had met with only moderate success while Laughton had made a strong impact with several films, even winning an [[Academy Award for Best Actor]]. Lanchester had returned alone to London when Whale contacted her to offer her the dual role.<ref name=lanchester>Curtis, pp. 243–44</ref> Lanchester modeled the Bride's hissing on that of swans. She gave herself a sore throat while filming the hissing sequence, which Whale shot from multiple angles.<ref name=vieira86>Vieira, p. 86</ref>

Colin Clive and Boris Karloff reprised their roles from ''Frankenstein'' as creator and creation, respectively. Hobson recalled Clive's alcoholism had worsened since filming the original, but Whale did not recast the role because his "hysterical quality" was necessary for the film.<ref name=vieira82/> Karloff strongly objected to the decision to allow the Monster to speak: "Speech! Stupid! My argument was that if the monster had any impact or charm, it was because he was inarticulate – this great, lumbering, inarticulate creature. The moment he spoke you might as well ... play it straight".<ref name = gifford55>Gifford, p. 55</ref> This decision also meant that Karloff could not remove his dental plate, so now his cheeks did not have the sunken look of the original film.<ref name = dvd /> Whale and the studio psychiatrist selected 44 simple words for the Monster's vocabulary by looking at test papers of ten-year-olds working at the studio.<ref name=vieira80/> Dwight Frye returned to play the doctor's assistant, Karl, having played the hunchback Fritz in the original. Frye also filmed a scene as an unnamed villager and the role of "Nephew Glutz", a man who murdered his uncle and blamed the death on the Monster.<ref name = dvd /> Boris Karloff is credited simply as KARLOFF, which was Universal's custom during the height of his career.<ref name = curtis237 /> Elsa Lanchester is credited for Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, but in a nod to the earlier film, the Monster's bride is credited only as "?" just as Boris Karloff had been in the opening credits of ''Frankenstein''.

[[File:Brideoffrankenstein.jpg|thumb|261px|right|alt=The Bride of Frankenstein has black hair with a white streak running through it, is dressed in a white gown, and has a blank expression. She is standing on the left with her left hand elevated. On the right is Frankenstein's monster, standing on the right and smiling. His right hand is below hers. The background includes walls made of stone.|The Bride's lightning-streaked hairdo is an iconic symbol of the character and the film.]]
Universal makeup artist [[Jack Pierce (makeup artist)|Jack Pierce]] paid special attention to the Monster's appearance in this film. He altered his 1931 design to display the after-effects of the mill fire, adding scars and shortening the Monster's hair.<ref name = curtis237>Curtis, p. 237</ref> Over the course of filming, Pierce modified the Monster's makeup to indicate that the Monster's injuries were healing as the film progressed.<ref name = dvd /> Pierce co-created the Bride's makeup with strong input from Whale, especially regarding the Bride's [[Secular icon|iconic]] hair style,<ref name=lanchester/> based on [[Nefertiti]].<ref name=vieira85/> Lanchester's hair was given a [[Perm (hairstyle)|Marcel wave]] over a wire frame to achieve the style.<ref name = dvd /> Lanchester disliked working with Pierce, who she said "really did feel that he made these people, like he was a god ... in the morning he'd be dressed in white as if he were in hospital to perform an operation".<ref name=vieira85>Vieira, p. 85</ref> To play Mary Shelley, Lanchester wore a white net dress embroidered with sequins of butterflies, stars, and moons, which the actress had heard required 17 women 12 weeks to make.<ref name=vieira80/> Lanchester said of her bride costume: "I drank as little liquid as possible. It was too much of an ordeal to go to the bathroom--all those bandages--and having to be accompanied by my dresser".<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Monster Show|last=Skal|first=David J.|publisher=Penguin|year=1993|isbn=0-14-024002-0|location=United States|pages=189}}</ref>

[[Kenneth Strickfaden]] created and maintained the laboratory equipment. Strickfaden recycled a number of the fancifully named machines he had created for the original ''Frankenstein'' for use in ''Bride'', including the "Cosmic Ray Diffuser",<ref>Goldman, p. 165</ref> and the "Nebularium".<ref>Goldman, p. 183</ref> A lightning bolt generated by Strickfaden's equipment has become a [[Stock footage|stock]] scene, appearing in any number of films and television shows.<ref>Picart, et al., p. 40</ref> The man behind the film's special photographic effects was [[John P. Fulton]], head of the special effects department at Universal Studios at the time.<ref>Picart, et al., p. 39</ref> Fulton and David S. Horsley<!--read [[WP:REDLINK]] before considering unlinking David S. Horsley who is credited for special effects for over 80 films and therefore a potential article.--> created the homunculi over the course of two days by shooting the actors in full-size jars against black velvet and aligning them with the perspective of the on-set jars. The foreground film plate was [[rotoscope]]d and [[Matte (filmmaking)|matted]] onto the rear plate. Diminutive actor [[Billy Barty]] is briefly visible from the back in the finished film as a homunculus infant in a high chair, but Whale cut the infant's reveal before the film's release.<ref name = dvd />

Whale met [[Franz Waxman]] at a party and asked him to score the picture. Whale told him: "Nothing will be resolved in this picture except the end destruction scene. Would you write an unresolved score for it?"<ref name=vieira86/> Waxman created three distinctive themes: one for the Monster; one for the Bride; and one for Pretorius. The score closes, at Whale's suggestion, with a powerful dissonant chord, intended to convey the idea that the on-screen explosion was so powerful that the theater where the film was being screened was affected by it.<ref>Curtis, p. 246</ref> Constantin Bakaleinikoff conducted 22 musicians to record the score in a single nine-hour session.<ref>Curtis, p. 249</ref>

Shooting began on January 2, 1935,<ref name = mank>Mank, p. xvii</ref> with a projected budget of US$293,750 (${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|293750|1935|r=-4}}|0}} as of {{inflation/year|US}})&nbsp;– almost exactly the budget of the original – and an estimated 36-day shooting schedule.{{Inflation-fn|US}}<ref>Curtis, p. 241</ref> On the first day, Karloff waded in the water below the destroyed windmill wearing a rubber suit under his costume. Air got into the suit and expanded it like an "obscene water lily".<ref name=vieira85/> Later that day, Karloff broke his hip, necessitating a stunt double.<ref name = gifford55 /> Clive had also broken his leg.<ref name=vieira82/> Shooting was completed on March 7. The film was ten days over schedule because Whale shut down the picture for ten days until Heggie became available to play the Hermit.<ref>Curtis, pp. 248–49</ref> With a final cost of $397,023 (${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|497023|1935|r=-4}}|0}} as of {{inflation/year|US}}), ''Bride'' was more than $100,000 (${{Formatprice|{{Inflation|US|100000|1935|r=-4}}|0}} as of {{inflation/year|US}}) over budget.{{Inflation-fn|US}}<ref name = mank /> As originally filmed, Henry died fleeing the exploding castle. Whale re-shot the ending to allow for their survival, although Clive is still visible on-screen in the collapsing laboratory.<ref name=newman/> Whale completed his final cut, shortening the running time from about 90 to 75 minutes and re-shooting and re-editing the ending, only days before the film's scheduled premiere date.<ref name = curtis250 />

==Censorship==
[[File:Karloff-whale-mescall-bride opt2.jpg|thumb|left|230px|Boris Karloff, director [[James Whale]], and [[cinematographer]] [[John J. Mescall]] on the set of ''Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935).]]
''Bride of Frankenstein'' was subjected to [[Film censorship in the United States|censorship]], both during production by the [[Motion Picture Production Code|Hays office]] and following its release by local and national censorship boards. [[Joseph Breen]], lead censor for the Hays office, objected to lines of dialogue in the originally submitted script in which Henry Frankenstein and his work were compared to that of God. He continued to object to such dialogue in revised scripts,<ref name = skal18791>Skal, pp. 187–91</ref> and to a planned shot of the Monster rushing through a graveyard to a figure of a crucified Jesus and attempting to rescue the figure from the cross.<ref>Curtis, p. 247</ref> Breen also objected to the number of murders, both seen and implied by the script and strongly advised Whale to reduce the number.<ref name = dvd /> The censors' office, upon reviewing the film in March 1935, required a number of cuts. Whale agreed to delete a sequence in which Dwight Frye's "Nephew Glutz"<ref name = dvd /> kills his uncle and blames the Monster,<ref name = curtis250>Curtis, p. 250</ref> and shots of Elsa Lanchester as Mary Shelley in which Breen felt too much of her breasts were visible. Despite his earlier objection, Breen offered no objection to the [[cruciform]] imagery throughout the film – including a scene with the Monster lashed Christ-like to a pole – nor to the presentation of Pretorius as a coded homosexual.<ref name = skal18791 /> ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was approved by the Production Code office on April 15.<ref name = curtis250 />

Following its release with the Code seal of approval, the film was challenged by the censorship board in the state of Ohio.<ref name = skal18791 /> Censors in England and China objected to the scene in which the Monster gazes longingly upon the body intended for reanimation as the Bride, citing concerns that it looked like [[necrophilia]].<ref>Johnson, p. 166</ref> Universal voluntarily withdrew the film from Sweden because of the extensive cuts demanded, and ''Bride'' was rejected outright by [[Trinidad]], [[Mandatory Palestine|Palestine]], and Hungary. Additionally, Japanese censors objected to the scene in which Pretorius chases his miniature [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]] with tweezers, asserting that it constituted "making a fool out of a king".<ref name = skal18791 />

==Reception==
[[File:Bride gip.jpg|thumb|300px|Colin Clive, Elsa Lanchester, Boris Karloff, and Ernest Thesiger.]]

''Bride of Frankenstein'' premiered on April 19, 1935 at the Orpheum Theater in San Francisco,<ref>{{cite book|last=Towlson|first=Jon|title=The Turn to Gruesomeness in American Horror Films, 1931-1936|location=Jefferson, N.C.|publisher=McFarland|date=2016|isbn=9780786494743|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vsUWDQAAQBAJ|page=117|postscript=none}}; {{cite book|last=Mank|first=Gregory W.|title=The Very Witching Time of Night: Dark Alleys of Classic Horror Cinema|location=Jefferson, N.C.|publisher=McFarland|date=2014|isbn=9780786449552|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w-TDAwAAQBAJ|page=143|postscript=none}}; {{cite news|title=This Day in History: April 19|work=The Baltimore Sun|date=March 31, 2017|accessdate=April 21, 2022|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/features/retro-baltimore/bal-this-day-in-history-april-19-20170331-story.html|postscript=none|archive-date=April 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220422115849/https://www.baltimoresun.com/features/retro-baltimore/bal-this-day-in-history-april-19-20170331-story.html|url-status=live}}; {{cite news|title='Bride of Frankenstein' at Orpheum Tomorrow|work=The San Francisco Examiner|date=April 18, 1935|page=12|postscript=none}}; {{cite news|last=Hanifin|first=Ada|title='Bride of Frankenstein' Seen at Orpheum Today|work=The San Francisco Examiner|date=April 19, 1935|page=14}}</ref>{{Efn|Film historian Martin F. Norden says the film had its world premiere in Chicago, Illinois.<ref name=norden>{{cite book|last=Norden|first=Martin F.|chapter='We're Not All Dead Yet': Humor Amid the Horror in James Whale's 'Bride of Frankenstein'|title=The Laughing Dead: The Horror-Comedy Film from "Bride of Frankenstein" to "Zombieland"|editor-last1=Miller|editor-first1=Cynthia J.|editor-last2=Van Riper|editor-first2=Anthony Bowdoin|location=Lanham, Md.|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|date=2016|isbn=9781442268326|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GconDAAAQBAJ|page=119, fn. 31}}</ref>}} and went into general release the next day.<ref name=norden /><ref>{{cite news|title=Monster to Appear Again|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=April 19, 1935|page=Part I-1}}</ref> The film was profitable for Universal, with a 1943 report showing that it had earned approximately $2 million, a profit of about $950,000.<ref>Curtis p. 251</ref>

The film was critically praised upon its release, although some reviewers did qualify their opinions based on the film's being in the horror genre. The ''[[New York World-Telegram]]'' called the film "good entertainment of its kind".<ref name = curtis2501 /> The ''[[New York Post]]'' described it as "a grotesque, gruesome tale which, of its kind, is swell".<ref name = curtis2501 /> ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'' similarly called the film "a joy for those who can appreciate it".<ref name = curtis2501>Curtis, pp. 250–51</ref>

''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' did not so qualify its review: "[It is] one of those rare instances where none can review it, or talk about it, without mentioning the cameraman, art director, and score composer in the same breath as the actors and director". ''Variety'' also praised the cast, writing that "Karloff manages to invest the character with some subtleties of emotion that are surprisingly real and touching ... Thesiger as Dr. Pretorious [is] a diabolic characterization if ever there was one ... Lanchester handles two assignments, being first in a preamble as author Mary Shelley and then the created woman. In latter assignment she impresses quite highly".<ref name = variety>{{cite news | last =Variety staff | title =Bride of Frankenstein | work =[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date =January 1, 1935 | url =https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117789526.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 | access-date =January 6, 2008 | archive-date =December 6, 2008 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20081206032106/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117789526.html?categoryid=31&cs=1&p=0 | url-status =live }}</ref>

In another unqualified review, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' wrote that the film had "a vitality that makes their efforts fully the equal of the original picture ... 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''".<ref>{{cite magazine | title = The New Pictures | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date = April 29, 1935 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,754638-2,00.html | access-date = January 6, 2008 | archive-date = December 4, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081204075835/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,754638-2,00.html | url-status = dead}}</ref> The ''[[Oakland Tribune]]'' concurred it was "a fantasy produced on a rather magnificent scale, with excellent stagecraft and fine photographic effects".<ref>{{cite news | last =Soanes | first =Wood | title = Frankenstein stalks again in Roxie play | work = [[Oakland Tribune]] | date =1935-05-25}}</ref> While the ''[[Winnipeg Free Press]]'' thought that the electrical equipment might have been better suited to [[Buck Rogers]], nonetheless the reviewer praised the film as "exciting and sometimes morbidly gruesome", declaring that "all who enjoyed ''Frankenstein'' will welcome his ''Bride'' as a worthy successor".<ref>{{cite news | title = Lyceum screens "Monster" sequel | work = [[Winnipeg Free Press]] | date =1935-05-24}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' called Karloff "so splendid in the role that all one can say is 'he is the Monster'".<ref name = nytreview>{{cite news
| last = F.S.N.
| title = Bride of Frankenstein At the Roxy
| work = [[The New York Times]]
| date = May 11, 1935
| quote = Mr. Karloff is so splendid in the role that all one can say is 'he is the Monster'. Mr. Clive, Valerie Hobson, Elsa Lanchester, O. P. Heggie, Ernest Thesiger, E. E. Clive, and Una O'Connor fit snugly into the human background before which Karloff moves.
| url = https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9807EEDA1139E33ABC4952DFB366838E629EDE
| access-date = February 1, 2009
| archive-date = June 19, 2012
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120619233705/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9807EEDA1139E33ABC4952DFB366838E629EDE
| url-status = live
}}</ref> The ''Times'' praised the entire principal cast and Whale's direction in concluding that ''Bride'' is "a first-rate horror film",<ref name = nytreview /> and presciently suggested that "the Monster should become an institution, like [[Charlie Chan]]".<ref name = nytreview />

The film's reputation has persisted and grown in the decades since its release. In 1998, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was added to the United States [[National Film Registry]], having been deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".<ref>{{cite news | title ='Easy Rider' now listed on National Film Registry | publisher =[[CNN]] | date =November 17, 1998 | url =http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/News/9811/17/showbuzz/ | access-date =January 6, 2008 | archive-date =March 19, 2007 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20070319081141/http://www.cnn.com/SHOWBIZ/News/9811/17/showbuzz/ | url-status =live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Nat'l Film Registry adds 25 pix|url=https://variety.com/1998/film/news/nat-l-film-registry-adds-25-pix-1117488578/|last=Klady|first=Leonard|date=1998-11-17|website=Variety|language=en|access-date=2020-05-28|archive-date=March 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210312040406/https://variety.com/1998/film/news/nat-l-film-registry-adds-25-pix-1117488578/|url-status=live}}</ref> Frequently identified as James Whale's masterpiece,<ref>{{cite news | last =Graham | first =Bob | title ='Bride' Is as Lovely as Ever | work =[[San Francisco Chronicle]] | date =October 9, 1998 | url =http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/1998/10/09/DD32378.DTL&type=printable | access-date =January 8, 2008 | archive-date =February 9, 2009 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20090209000148/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/1998/10/09/DD32378.DTL&type=printable | url-status =dead }}</ref> the film is lauded as "the finest of all [[gothic horror]] movies".<ref>{{cite news | last =French | first =Philip | title = Films of the Day: The Bride of Frankenstein | work =[[The Observer]] | date =December 2, 2007}}</ref> ''Time'' rated ''Bride of Frankenstein'' in its "[[Time's All-Time 100 Movies|All-Time 100 Movies]]", in which critics [[Richard Corliss]] and [[Richard Schickel]] overruled the magazine's original review to declare the film "one of those rare sequels that is infinitely superior to its source".<ref>{{cite magazine | last1 =Corliss | first1 =Richard | author-link =Richard Corliss | first2 =Richard | last2 =Schickel | author2-link =Richard Schickel | title =All-Time 100 Movies | magazine =[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | url =http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/0,23220,bride_of_frankenstein,00.html | access-date =January 6, 2008 | date =February 12, 2005 | archive-date =December 26, 2007 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20071226182127/http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/0,23220,bride_of_frankenstein,00.html | url-status =dead}}</ref> On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], 98% of 57 critics' reviews of the film are positive, with an average rating of 9/10 and the consensus: "An eccentric, campy, technically impressive, and frightening picture, James Whale's ''Bride of Frankenstein'' has aged remarkably well."<ref>Rotten Tomatoes [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bride_of_frankenstein Bride of Frankenstein (1935)]</ref> {{Metacritic film prose|1=95|2=16|ref=yes}} [[Roger Ebert]] of ''The Chicago Sun-Times'' added ''Bride of Frankenstein'' to his list of [[The Great Movies]] in 1999. He described it as "the best of the Frankenstein movies--a sly, subversive work that smuggled shocking material past the censors by disguising it in the trappings of horror. Some movies age; others ripen." Ebert also added how Lanchester's character provided "one of the immortal images of the cinema with lightning-like streaks of silver in her weirdly towering hair".<ref>{{cite web|title=Bride of Frankenstein movie review |first=Roger |last=Ebert |date=January 3, 1999 |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-bride-of-frankenstein |publisher=rogerebert.com |access-date=August 2, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240315091536/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-bride-of-frankenstein |archive-date=March 15, 2024 }}</ref>

In 2008, ''Bride'' was selected by ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine as one of ''The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/500/58.asp |title=''Empire's'' The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time |magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |access-date=July 8, 2010 |archive-date=March 24, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324023416/http://www.empireonline.com/500/58.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> Also that year, the ''[[Boston Herald]]'' named it the second greatest horror film after ''[[Nosferatu]]''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/movies/general/view.bg?articleid=1127105|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110522022443/http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/movies/general/view.bg?articleid=1127105|archive-date=2011-05-22|url-status=dead|title=Creepy countdown: The Herald ranks the 10 scariest flicks in film history|work=[[Boston Herald]]|first=James |last=Verniere|date=October 27, 2008|access-date=October 28, 2008}}</ref> In 2016, James Charisma of ''[[Playboy]]'' ranked the film #7 on a list of ''15 Sequels That Are Way Better Than The Originals''.<ref name="Playboy">{{cite magazine | title = Revenge of the Movie: 15 Sequels That Are Way Better Than The Originals | magazine = [[Playboy]] | url = http://www.playboy.com/articles/15-sequels-better-than-the-original | author = Charisma, James | date = March 15, 2016 | access-date = July 19, 2016 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160726093750/http://www.playboy.com/articles/15-sequels-better-than-the-original | archive-date = July 26, 2016 | df = mdy-all}}</ref> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' considers the film superior to ''Frankenstein''.<ref name="Entertainment">{{cite book
|title= The Entertainment Weekly Guide to the Greatest Movies Ever Made|year=1996|publisher=Warner Books|location=New York |pages=99–100}}</ref>

===Awards===

''Bride'' was nominated for one [[Academy Award]], for [[Academy Award for Best Sound|Sound Recording]] ([[Gilbert Kurland]]).<ref name="Oscars1936">{{Cite web |url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/1936 |title=The 8th Academy Awards (1936) Nominees and Winners |access-date=2011-08-07 |work=oscars.org |archive-date=July 6, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706093707/http://www.oscars.org/awards/academyawards/legacy/ceremony/8th-winners.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Bride of Frankenstein Awards |website=[[Allmovie]] |url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-bride-of-frankenstein-v7091/awards |access-date=January 9, 2008 |archive-date=March 6, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306111654/https://www.allmovie.com/movie/the-bride-of-frankenstein-v7091/awards |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Interpretations==
===Christian imagery===
[[File:Boris Karloff as The Monster in Bride of Frankenstein film trailer.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Karloff in the trailer.]]
[[Christian symbolism|Christian imagery]] appears throughout the film. In addition to the scenes of the Monster trussed in a cruciform pose and the crucified figure of Jesus in the graveyard, the hermit has a [[crucifix]] on the wall of his hut – which, to Whale's consternation, editor Ted Kent made glow during a fade-out<ref name = dvd /> – and the Monster consumes the Christian [[sacrament]]s of bread and wine at his "last supper" with the hermit. Horror scholar [[David J. Skal]] suggests that Whale's intention was to make a "direct comparison of Frankenstein's monster to Christ".<ref>Skal. p. 189</ref> Film scholar Scott MacQueen, noting Whale's lack of any religious convictions, disputes the notion that the Monster is a Christ-figure. Rather, the Monster is a "mockery of the divine" since, having been created by Man rather than God, it "lacks the divine spark". In crucifying the Monster, he says, Whale "pushes the audience's buttons" by inverting the central Christian belief of the death of Christ followed by the resurrection. The Monster is raised from the dead first, then crucified.<ref name = dvd />

===Gay reading===  
[[File:Bride of frankenstein 1935 still 03.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Elsa Lanchester]] as the [[Bride of Frankenstein (character)|Bride of Frankenstein]].]]
In the decades since its release, modern film scholars have noted the possible gay interpretations of the film. Director James Whale was openly gay, and some of the actors in the cast, including Ernest Thesiger and, according to rumor, Colin Clive, were respectively gay or [[bisexual]].<ref name=Bright>{{cite journal| last =Morris| first =Gary| title =Sexual Subversion: The Bride of Frankenstein| journal =[[Bright Lights Film Journal]]| issue =19| date =July 1997| url =http://brightlightsfilm.com/sexual-subversion-bride-frankenstein/| access-date =January 7, 2008}}</ref> Although James Curtis, Whale's biographer, rejects the notion that Whale would have identified with the Monster from a homosexual perspective,<ref name="Curtis, p. 144">Curtis, p. 144</ref> scholars have perceived a gay [[subtext]] suffused through the film, especially a [[Camp (style)|camp]] sensibility,<ref>Skal, p. 184</ref> particularly embodied in the character of Pretorius and his relationship with Henry.

Gay film historian [[Vito Russo]], in considering Pretorius, stops short of identifying the character as gay, instead referring to him as "[[sissy|sissified]]",<ref>Russo, p. 50</ref> "sissy" itself being Hollywood code for "homosexual". Pretorius serves as a "gay [[Mephistopheles]]",<ref name = skal185 /> a figure of seduction and temptation, going so far as to pull Frankenstein away from his bride on their wedding night to engage in the unnatural act of creating non-procreative life. A novelization of the film published in the United Kingdom made the implication clear, having Pretorius say to Frankenstein: "Be fruitful and multiply. Let us obey the Biblical injunction: you of course, have the choice of natural means; but as for me, I am afraid that there is no course open to me but the scientific way".<ref>Egremont, Michael, quoted in Skal, p. 189</ref>

The Monster, whose affections for the male hermit and the female Bride he discusses with identical language ("friend") has been interpreted as sexually "unsettled" and bisexual.<ref name = Bright /> Gender studies author Elizabeth Young writes: "He has no innate understanding that the male-female bond he is to forge with the bride is assumed to be the primary one or that it carries a different sexual valence from his relationships with [Pretorius and the hermit]: all affective relationships are as easily 'friendships' as 'marriages'".<ref>Young, p. 134</ref> Indeed, his relationship with the hermit has been interpreted as a [[same-sex marriage]] that heterosexual society will not tolerate: "No mistake – this is a marriage, and a viable one ... But Whale reminds us quickly that society does not approve. The monster – the outsider – is driven from his scene of domestic pleasure by two gun-toting rubes who happen upon this startling alliance and quickly, instinctively, proceed to destroy it", writes cultural critic Gary Morris for ''Bright Lights Film Journal''.<ref name = Bright /> The creation of the Bride scene, Morris continues, is "Whale's reminder to the audience – his Hollywood bosses, peers, and everyone watching – of the majesty and power of the homosexual creator".<ref name = Bright />

Filmmaker [[Curtis Harrington]], a friend and confidant of Whale's, dismissed this as "a younger critic's evaluation. All artists do work that comes out of the unconscious mind and later on you can analyze it and say the symbolism may mean something, but artists don't think that way and I would bet my life that James Whale would never have had such concepts in mind".<ref name=fir>{{cite news |last=Del Valle |first=David |author-link=David Del Valle |title=Curtis Harrington on James Whale |work=Films in Review |date=November 29, 2009 |page=3 |url=http://www.filmsinreview.com/2009/11/29/curtis-harrington-on-james-whale/3/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718030330/http://www.filmsinreview.com/2009/11/29/curtis-harrington-on-james-whale/3/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=July 18, 2011 |access-date=June 10, 2010}}</ref> Specifically in response to the "majesty and power" reading, Harrington stated: "My opinion is that's just pure bullshit. That's a critical interpretation that has nothing to do with the original inspiration".<ref name = fir /> He concludes: "I think the closest you can come to a homosexual metaphor in his films is to identify that certain sort of camp humor".<ref name = fir /> Whale's companion [[David Lewis (producer)|David Lewis]] stated flatly that Whale's sexual orientation was "not germane" to his filmmaking: "Jimmy was first and foremost an artist, and his films represent the work of an artist – not a gay artist, but an artist".<ref name="Curtis, p. 144"/>
[[File:Bride of Frankenstein (1935 pictorial snipe).jpg|thumb|center|upright=2.3|1930s Universal's art director [[Karoly Grosz (illustrator)|Karoly Grosz]] designed this offbeat 1935 advertisement.]]

==Home media==
In 1985, [[MCA Home Video]] released ''Bride of Frankenstein'' on [[LaserDisc]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/43589/23003/Bride-of-Frankenstein-The|title=Bride of Frankenstein, The (1935)|website=LaserDisc Database|access-date=January 23, 2020|archive-date=September 19, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200919144524/https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/43589/23003/Bride-of-Frankenstein-The|url-status=live}}</ref> In the 1990s, MCA/Universal Home Video released the film on [[VHS]] as part of the "Universal Monsters Classic Collection", a series of releases of [[Universal Classic Monsters]] films.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000A1E6EA/|title=The Bride of Frankenstein (Universal Monsters Classic Collection) [VHS]|website=[[Amazon.com]]|access-date=January 23, 2020}}</ref>

In 1999, Universal released ''Bride of Frankenstein'' on VHS and DVD as part of the "Classic Monster Collection".<ref>{{cite book|title=The Bride of Frankenstein (Classic Monster Collection) [VHS]|asin=6300183629}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Bride of Frankenstein (Universal Studios Classic Monster Collection) [DVD]|isbn=078323502X}}</ref> In April 2004, Universal released ''Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection'' on DVD as part of the "Universal Legacy Collection".<ref name=amazon2004>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-Legacy-Collection-Bride-Ghost/dp/B0001CNRLQ/|title=Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / The Bride of Frankenstein / Son of Frankenstein / The Ghost of Frankenstein / House of Frankenstein) [DVD]|website=[[Amazon.com]]|date=April 27, 2004 |access-date=January 19, 2020|archive-date=October 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027071222/https://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-Legacy-Collection-Bride-Ghost/dp/B0001CNRLQ|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=dvdtalk2004>{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/10443/frankenstein-the-legacy-collection-frankenstein-bride-of-son-of-ghost-of-house-of/|title=Frankenstein - The Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / Bride of / Son of / Ghost of / House of)|last=Jane|first=Ian|date=April 22, 2004|website=[[DVD Talk]]|access-date=January 23, 2020|archive-date=April 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418041742/https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/10443/frankenstein-the-legacy-collection-frankenstein-bride-of-son-of-ghost-of-house-of/|url-status=live}}</ref> This two-disc release includes ''Bride of Frankenstein'', as well as the original ''Frankenstein'', ''[[Son of Frankenstein]]'', and ''[[The House of Frankenstein (film)|The House of Frankenstein]]''.<ref name=amazon2004 /><ref name=dvdtalk2004 />
[[File:Boris Karloff as The Frankenstein Monster from Bride of Frankenstein film trailer.jpg|thumb|right|Boris Karloff in the film's trailer.]]
In 2012, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was released on [[Blu-ray]] as part of the ''Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection'' box set, which also includes a total of nine films from the Universal Classic Monsters series.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Classic-Monsters-Essential-Collection/dp/B008FL8OTK/|title=Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection [Blu-ray]|website=[[Amazon.com]]|date=October 2, 2012 |access-date=January 23, 2020|archive-date=January 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121041755/https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Classic-Monsters-Essential-Collection/dp/B008FL8OTK/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2014, Universal released ''Frankenstein: Complete Legacy Collection'' on DVD.<ref name=amazon2014dvd>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-Complete-Collection-Boris-Karloff/dp/B00L8QOYG6/|title=Frankenstein: Complete Legacy Collection [DVD]|website=[[Amazon.com]]|date=September 2, 2014 |access-date=January 19, 2020|archive-date=October 5, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211005032951/https://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-Complete-Collection-Boris-Karloff/dp/B00L8QOYG6|url-status=live}}</ref> This set contains eight films: ''Frankenstein'', ''Bride of Frankenstein'', ''Son of Frankenstein'', ''Ghost of Frankenstein'', ''[[Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man]]'', ''The House of Frankenstein'', ''[[House of Dracula]]'', and ''[[Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein]]''.<ref name=amazon2014dvd /> In 2015, the six-film ''Universal Classic Monsters Collection'' was released on DVD.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Classic-Monsters-Collection-Lugosi/dp/B00ZR3W3YQ/|title=Universal Classic Monsters Collection|website=[[Amazon.com]]|date=September 8, 2015 |access-date=January 16, 2020|archive-date=December 30, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181230073951/https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Classic-Monsters-Collection-Lugosi/dp/B00ZR3W3YQ|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' received a [[Walmart]]-exclusive Blu-ray release featuring a [[Phosphorescence|glow-in-the-dark]] cover.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ihorror.com/walmart-releases-universal-monsters-classics-glow-dark-covers/|title=Walmart Releases Universal Monsters Classics With Glow-In-Dark Covers!|last=Squires|first=John|date=September 13, 2016|website=iHorror.com|access-date=January 23, 2020|archive-date=January 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121042917/https://www.ihorror.com/walmart-releases-universal-monsters-classics-glow-dark-covers/|url-status=live}}</ref> That same year, the ''Complete Legacy Collection'' was released on Blu-ray.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-Complete-Legacy-Collection-Blu-ray/dp/B01IFWT4B0/|title=Frankenstein: Complete Legacy Collection [Blu-ray]|website=[[Amazon.com]]|date=September 13, 2016 |access-date=January 19, 2020|archive-date=November 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119213231/https://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-Complete-Legacy-Collection-Blu-ray/dp/B01IFWT4B0|url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2017, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' received a [[Best Buy]]-exclusive [[SteelBook]] Blu-ray release with cover artwork by [[Alex Ross]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3443969/best-buy-getting-universal-monsters-steelbooks-stunning-alex-ross-art/|title=Best Buy Getting Universal Monsters Steelbooks With Stunning Alex Ross Art|last=Squires|first=John|date=June 27, 2017|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|access-date=January 23, 2020|archive-date=January 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121043055/https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3443969/best-buy-getting-universal-monsters-steelbooks-stunning-alex-ross-art/|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Bride of Frankenstein'' was included in the ''Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection'' Blu-ray box set in August 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Classic-Monsters-Complete-Collection/dp/B07DKY35N5/|title=Universal Classic Monsters: Complete 30-Film Collection [Blu-ray]|website=[[Amazon.com]]|date=August 28, 2018 |access-date=January 23, 2020|archive-date=January 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121043921/https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Classic-Monsters-Complete-Collection/dp/B07DKY35N5/|url-status=live}}</ref> This box set also received a DVD release.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Classic-Monsters-Complete-30-Film-Collection/dp/B00L8QP082/|title=Classic Monsters (Complete 30-Film Collection) [DVD]|website=[[Amazon.com]]|date=September 2, 2014 |access-date=January 19, 2020|archive-date=January 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200121044256/https://www.amazon.com/Classic-Monsters-Complete-30-Film-Collection/dp/B00L8QP082/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Boris Karloff filmography]]
* [[List of films featuring Frankenstein's monster]]
* [[Frankenstein in popular culture|''Frankenstein'' in popular culture]]
* ''[[Gods and Monsters (film)|Gods and Monsters]]'', a 1998 James Whale biopic that draws its title from a quote from ''Bride of Frankenstein''
* [[List of horror films of the 1930s]]
* [[List of films featuring miniature people]]
* [[List of cult films]]

{{Clear}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* Brunas, Michael, John Brunas & Tom Weaver (1990). ''Universal Horrors: The Studios Classic Films, 1931–46''. Qefferson, NC, McFarland & Co.
* Curtis, James (1998). ''James Whale: A New World of Gods and Monsters''. Boston, Faber and Faber. {{ISBN|0-571-19285-8}}.
* Gelder, Ken (2000). ''The Horror Reader''. New York, Routledge. {{ISBN|0-415-21355-X}}.
* [[Denis Gifford|Gifford, Denis]] (1973) ''Karloff: The Man, The Monster, The Movies''. Film Fan Monthly.
* Goldman, Harry (2005). ''Kenneth Strickfaden, Dr. Frankenstein's Electrician''. McFarland. {{ISBN|0-7864-2064-2}}.
* Johnson, Tom (1997). ''Censored Screams: The British Ban on Hollywood Horror in the Thirties''. McFarland. {{ISBN|0-7864-0394-2}}.
* Lennig, Arthur (1993). ''The Immortal Count: The Life and Films of Bela Lugosi''. University Press of Kentucky. {{ISBN|0-8131-2273-2}}.
* Mallory, Michael (2009) ''Universal Studios Monsters: A Legacy of Horror''. Universe.  {{ISBN|0-7893-1896-2}}.
* Mank, Gregory W. (1994). ''Hollywood Cauldron: Thirteen Films from the Genre's Golden Age''. McFarland. {{ISBN|0-7864-1112-0}}.
* Picart, Carolyn Joan, Frank Smoot and Jayne Blodgett (2001). ''The Frankenstein Film Sourcebook''. Greenwood Press. {{ISBN|0-313-31350-4}}.
* [[Vito Russo|Russo, Vito]] (1987). ''The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies (revised edition)''. New York, HarperCollins. {{ISBN|0-06-096132-5}}.
* Skal, David J. (1993). ''The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror''. Penguin Books. {{ISBN|0-14-024002-0}}.
* Vieira, Mark A. (2003). ''Hollywood Horror: From Gothic to Cosmic''. New York, Harry N. Abrams. {{ISBN|0-8109-4535-5}}.
* [[Elizabeth Young (journalist)|Young, Elizabeth]]. "Here Comes The Bride". Collected in Gelder, Ken (ed.) (2000). ''The Horror Reader''. Routledge. {{ISBN|0-415-21356-8}}.

==External links==
*{{Official website|https://www.uphe.com/movies/the-bride-of-frankenstein}}
{{sister project links|d=Q875904|display=''Bride of Frankenstein''|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|s=no|species=no|c=category:Bride of Frankenstein (film)}}
* ''[https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/bride_frank.pdf Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein]'' essay by Richard T. Jameson on the [[National Film Registry]] site
* "The Bride of Frankenstein" essay by Daniel Eagan in ''[https://books.google.com/books/about/America_s_Film_Legacy.html?id=deq3xI8OmCkC America's Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to the Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry]'', A&C Black, 2010 {{ISBN|0826429777}}, pages 234-235 
* {{IMDb title}}
* {{TCMDb title}}
* {{AFI film}}

{{Frankenstein}}
{{James Whale}}
{{Mary Shelley}}
{{Percy Bysshe Shelley}}
{{Lord Byron}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Bride Of Frankenstein}}
[[Category:1935 films]]
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[[Category:1930s monster movies]]
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{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Bride of Frankenstein|access_date=2026-02-27}}