The Frankenstein Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster (1999) (V)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

David J. Skal

Writer:

David J. Skal (writer)

Genre:

Documentary | Horror

Plot Keywords:

Hollywood | Film Making | Character Name In Title

Cast

David J. Skal	...	Himself - Host
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rick Baker	...	Himself
Rudy Behlmer	...	Himself
Ivan Butler	...	Himself
Bill Condon	...	Himself
Dwight David Frye	...	Himself (as Dwight D. Frye)
Donald F. Glut	...	Himself
Richard Gordon	...	Himself
Jan-Christopher Horak	...	Himself
Paul M. Jensen	...	Himself
Sara Karloff	...	Herself
Bob Madison	...	Himself
Gregory W. Mank	...	Himself

Runtime:

45 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Company:

Universal Studios Home Video

Trivia:

This documentary is on both the Universal Classic Monster Collection & Monster Legacy Collection DVDs for Frankenstein (1931).

Movie Connections:

Features Gods and Monsters (1998)

A fun documentary

"The Frankenstein Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster" is a pretty entertaining documentary of the history behind and the making of the 1931 classic as well as a discussion on the enormous impact the movie has had on film-making. It's part of a series of documentaries Universal made back in 1999 on their major horror film, which were all included in the Legacy Collections. Anyway, as for the documentary it's pretty entertaining and informative, even if it is short but I still wanted more. "The Road to Dracula" lasts about 10 minuets shorter, but I felt like I had learned more from watching that one. Regardless it still has plenty of fun and fascinating information like how Boris Karloff was chosen for his role and the story behind Lugosi's make up back when he was signed on to do the monster. The interviews have many good insights on the movies as well. Also discussed are the film's flaws. Overall a enjoyable short documentary that could have been a little better in my opinion. But then again both "Frankenstein" and "The Bride of Frankenstein" received their own documentary so much of the information is split up. Regardless, I still enjoyed this.