Review:
This is the original 1931 version of Frankenstein. That being said it's a slow film. Although there are a lot of things in the book that are not in the film, it still seems to drag at times. I still love this movie. A fucking classic all around. And I do believe that everyone should see if not own this DVD.

All the shit they had to cut out of the film cuz of fucked up censor laws back in the day are in this version. Many people who have seen the film on TV probably haven't seen this version. Back in the day this was a scary movie, back in the day. Today it ain't, but that doesn't take away from it. There are still some great scenes in the film. The part where the father carries his dead daughter through the city, although not scary, is a bit creepy.

The acting is great for the time it was made. I mean it was no Clarke Gabel but what do you expect it was the great depression. There are many topics that are touched upon in the film. Some of which are still relevant today what with all this cloning and shit. Enough of that shit back to the film.

The film is obviously in black and white. And for those of you who think this is a bad thing, go rent "The Cell" all the colour in the world couldn't save dat film. There is a lot of contrasting framing in this film. Where the monster is in the dark and the creator is in the light. Since we're on the topic, the creators name is Frankenstein, NOT the monster. The monster doesn't have a name. I hope that clears everything up for all you dizzy mother fuckers out there.

Boris Karloff plays the role of the monster and he does a fantastic job of it. He's got a real fucked up look to begin with. When they added all the make up it works well. Even though Bobby D. played the monster in a "Marry Shelley's Frankenstein" I still think Karloff takes the cake. I gotta give props to Bobby D. but Karloff was the original mother fucker.

Special Features :
This disc is packed like a mofo. Everything you'd ever want to know about the film and the people associated with. Let's start with the documentary. Just like the invisible man this is documentary has quality and quantity. It's 45 minutes long and it covers everything from the origins of the story to all the sequels and spins offs of the original film. A class act cuz some of the films aren't even universal films. It's very entertaining and informative. Even if you don't like the film the documentary is a good watch.

Rudy Behlmer returns to do another commentary track for universal. Now I know it sounded like I panned him on the Invisible Man DVD review, but I gotta admit brother knows his shit. He brings up all these references and quotes from the cast and crew of the film. He adds a lot to the film with all his insight. There is only minimal overlap with the documentary, which is rare. So I'm gonna give him the thumbs up.

The Frankenstein Archives is just a video of stills from the film. They are all great quality and are accompanied by music from the film. Same as the invisible man you can't go at your own pace, this still pisses me off. The only really bad thing about this section is that there are no real behind the scenes pictures. That's what would have been the shit!

The short film: "Boo" was a bit of a laugh. The humor was 30's humor and there was a bunch of cheap shots made at congress. The film is shows you how to have a nightmare. Most of the film is made up of clips from other films. The two main films it took from where Frankenstein and Nosfuratu. This is funny cuz universal didn't make Nosfuratu but they did make Dracula with Bela Lugosi.

The production notes were informative but it seems as though another commentary track could be made of it along with the cast and crew bios. The trailer was just that. If you have a hard on for old 30's trailers this is it.

Video:
The transfer is fantastic. The quality of the picture is out standing. It's no Special Edition Seven transfer but it's good. Lets just say it's very talented and leave it at that.

Audio:
It's only mono and there's only music and the start and end of it. Needless to say there are point of just silence. I'm sure it freaked the shit out of people in the 30's but I felt like something was lacking. There was very little background noise and it only bothered me when there was complete silence.

"It's alive! It's alive!…It's ALIVE! In the name of God, now I know what it feels like to be God!"

-Zorbs