8 Classic Frankenstein Movies, Ranked (original) (raw)

Published Jun 30, 2023, 1:00 PM EDT

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Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, Universal Pictures made a series of iconic horror movies that have since become pop culture staples, perhaps even to those who haven't seen any of the films. The studio redefined how the public viewed various well-known monsters, including Dracula, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, and, of course, Frankenstein's monster.

Victor Frankenstein — the character who created the monster sometimes incorrectly called "Frankenstein" — was the main character of a novel by Mary Shelley published more than 100 years before the well-known Universal series began (he's "Henry" in the films). The character and his monster — the latter reconstructed from body parts — were iconic before cinema was even invented, but it's the visuals provided by the film that ended up making the monster have a stereotypical and well-known look. There were eight Frankenstein movies (of varying quality) made between 1931 and 1948 as part of the Universal series, and they're ranked below from worst to best.

8 'The Ghost of Frankenstein' (1942)

As the fourth overall Universal Frankenstein movie, it's fair to say that by The Ghost of Frankenstein, the character of Frankenstein's monster had proven particularly stubborn when it came to staying dead. The plot revolves around Ygor finding Frankenstein's monster still alive and then tracking down the youngest son of Henry Frankenstein, Ludwig, and trying to convince him to continue what his father started.

Ygor never seems particularly trustworthy, though (especially here, where he's played by Bela Lugosi), and it turns out he had his own reasons for wanting to keep the experiments going. At just 67 minutes long, at least The Ghost of Frankenstein doesn't waste much time... but unfortunately, it also doesn't give viewers much they haven't seen already, which results in a movie that doesn't feel offensively bad; more just a bit lifeless (ironically enough) and uninspired.

7 'House of Dracula' (1945)

Image via Universal Pictures Company, Inc.

Make no mistake: despite the title putting everyone's favorite vampire front and center, House of Dracula also counts as an entry in the Frankenstein series, given the doctor's monster makes an appearance here. The Wolf Man gets in on the action, too, with the narrative here revolving around a scientist working on risky cures for rare diseases, the pursuit of which leads him to clash with several iconic Universal monsters.

It sounds more fun than it ends up being in practice, with this being admirable as an early example of a crossover movie but not quite being as explosive or entertaining as one might hope. There's not much action or excitement until near the very end, when things come to an abrupt conclusion, leaving things somewhat anticlimactic. It's maybe a hair better than The Ghost of Frankenstein because its premise feels a tad more inspired, but it's still something of a letdown.

6 'Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man' (1943)

Within the Frankenstein series, things pick up a little with Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, which does indeed feature Frankenstein's monster clashing with the Wolf Man. Viewers 80 years on from the release of this film may feel spoiled for choice when it comes to crossover movies, especially with the popularity of the multiverse as a concept, but it would've felt radical to see two monsters from two different series clash within the one film all the way back in 1943.

That being said, it's probably more of a Wolf Man movie than a Frankenstein movie, given it follows Larry Talbot (the name of the Wolf Man when he's more man than wolf) trying to find Dr. Frankenstein, as he believes the doctor can cure him of his unique condition. The doctor's dead, but his monster isn't, leading to the two titular monsters clashing. It's alright entertainment for its time, but it is strange seeing Bela Lugosi play Frankenstein's monster (he's best known for playing Dracula, and also played Ygor in The Ghost of Frankenstein just one year earlier).

5 'House of Frankenstein' (1944)

There's a bluntness and simplicity to House of Frankenstein that makes it a slightly more entertaining crossover movie than House of Dracula, which was released one year later. Like that film, House of Frankenstein features Frankenstein's monster, the Wolf Man, and Dracula all within its slim 71-minute runtime and is about a doctor escaping from prison and encountering various monsters while on a quest to build a new body for his hunchbacked assistant.

If watched after House of Dracula, maybe it would feel weaker, given the similarities. However, House of Frankenstein came first, and therefore it's worth considering the extra novelty value of seeing all three monsters in one movie. As for why it has the edge over Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man? Three monsters are better than two, of course (at least when it comes to crossover movies; it tends to be the more there are, the goofier and more entertaining things get).

4 'Son of Frankenstein' (1939)

Image via Universal Pictures

Even though it's not one of the most revered movies in the Frankenstein series, it's fair to call Son of Frankenstein an interesting, worthwhile, and maybe even underrated film. It's the third movie in the series overall and centers on one of Dr. Frankenstein's sons, Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, who finds his father's creation in a coma and revives it, only for chaos to ensue.

The Ghost of Frankenstein suffered by covering similar ground to this several years later, right down to having another son of Frankenstein as the main character. 1939's Son of Frankenstein is a good deal better, thankfully, and though not without its flaws, it provides some solid sci-fi horror that's not too far off the classic first two films in the series quality-wise.

3 'Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein' (1948)

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Dracula and Frankenstein

Image via Universal Pictures

Though it's tonally quite different from the other movies in the Frankenstein series, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein is ultimately one of the very best Universal horror movies the monster ever appeared in. It stands out for being much more of a comedy than a horror movie and for having a particularly loose narrative that sees the titular duo stumbling into a plot that sees them making contact with Dracula, the Wolf Man, Frankenstein's monster, and even the Invisible Man (briefly).

It might not appeal much to viewers who aren't big fans of broad, silly, and rapid-fire old-school comedy, but those who find that kind of thing charming will have a good time here (especially if they don't mind seeing iconic monsters wrapped up in a story that's played for laughs rather than horror). If assessing Abbott and Costello movies too — including their comedies without any horror elements — it ranks as one of their best, and arguably their most famous by today's standards.

2 'The Bride of Frankenstein' (1935)

Ranking as one of the best sequels of all time, The Bride of Frankenstein rivals the first in terms of quality, with it honestly being neck and neck between the two. Though the original seemed to end conclusively, this film — its first and best sequel — still finds plenty to do with the world and its characters, having a plot that sees Frankenstein's creature seeking a mate and kidnapping Dr. Frankenstein's own wife to force the doctor into creating a new (female) creature.

It's amazing that The Bride of Frankenstein works as well as it does, and it feels a little weirder, less predictable, and sometimes even more creative than the 1931 original. Complaints are minor; the new creature is actually in the film shockingly little, and some things here were explored better in the first movie. However, it's still essential viewing for anyone who liked the original, coming close to or even equaling that film and standing as one of Universal's very best classic monster movies.

1 'Frankenstein' (1931)

Before 1931, there was a short film based on the novel Frankenstein and at least one other silent film that's since been lost to time. As such, 1931's Frankenstein stands as the first feature film adaptation of the iconic story and condenses the novel into one well-paced 70-minute-long movie that follows Dr. Henry Frankenstein becoming obsessed with making a creature built out of human body parts.

Maybe the impact of this movie can't be fully appreciated now, seeing as Frankenstein's monster has become such a well-known pop culture figure. Yet it's worth considering how this would've been very frightening for viewers all those decades ago (something that's shown in 1973's The Spirit of the Beehive, a Spanish film set in 1940). It's the series at its simplest and most emotional and tragic, making it arguably the best of all Frankenstein movies.

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