Symbols and Tropes
Christian Imagery
Holy imagery, Batman. And we mean that literally.There's a cross here, a cross there, and a Christ image over yonder—the movie Frankenstein opens in a graveyard, and there's Christian symbols all...
Floating Eyes
It's all eyes! It's all eyes!Okay, that's not exactly what Frankenstein shouts, but it seems like it should be when you look at the opening credits. The screen shows a blurry face, and then lots of...
Light and Dark
Are You Afraid of the Dark. Night of the Living Dead. A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night. Nightmare on Elm Street.Everywhere you look, it would seem that monsters (and monstrous humans) live for the...
Monster in the Bridal Chamber
One of the central moral lessons of Frankenstein is that you shouldn't dress up in your bridal gown with a massively long train and turn your back to the window when there's a monster about. Also,...
Waxed Eyes
The monster is freaky-looking all over, but some of his freakiest-looking bits are his heavily lidded eyes. Most of the monster's appearance was designed by make-up artist Jack Pierce (see Method o...