The Bride of Frankenstein

Saw The Bride of Frankenstein. It was a lot of pulpy fun. In this one James Whale was apparently much more free to do as he wished and wished to make things much more morbid. The first film was overwhelmingly ominous and oppressive. This one is more fun, with a screaming old baggage of a hand-maid and the monster enjoying the smooth filtered flavor of a Winston. There's a lot more screaming, running around, and camera tricks. A new character is introduced who expresses a fondness for the devil. The Faustian overtones remain strong.

I've read before about this film being an allegory for homosexual life in the 30s. The monstrous creation being some demonic act of procreation between the two evil scientists. It's easy to see this interpretation if you're looking for it. Several times the monster stumbles into a group of wholesome families or children and everyone instantly runs away, screaming in horror. The monster is obviously the other who, because we spend so much time with him, we see as being not that bad. If this is intentional, then the film is completely subliminal about it (of course) so it could be argued either way. An interesting perspective anyway. With a monster demanding that a scientist construct him a wife, unnatural sex is definitely on the film's mind at any rate.

The film is really a lot of fun. It's far less dour than the first film. This time there's a lot more grisly gleeful stuff going on and a climax which is amazing.