Universal horror movies have become a recent passion of mine, Wolf Man, Dracula, The Mummy, The Creature From The Black Lagoon, Phantom of the opera etc are all greats in their own way (and possible candidates for future reviews) but James Whale's nightmarish 1931 feature is what we're talking about today.
The movie (as if you don't already know) is about the "Mad Scientist" who creates a monster using pieces of various dead bodies sewn together, and re-animates the being using the power of thunder.
While that summation would make you hesitant to see any movie with a serious frame of mind, it's deceptively brilliant, while Boris Karloff's "creature" does kill, he never does so knowingly or with joy, the role is played with such grace and subtlety you feel yourself wanting to protect him. Karloff (who has indian ancestry) said he used influences such as being singled out at school for being darker than everyone else as a drive for the character, what it feels like to be different and mis-understood, and it really shows.
While the film approaches it's 80th anniversary, and has many technical issues with reguards to sound and lighting, given the time it was made (the pioneering 1930's) it is truly a storytelling achievement, Director James Whale lands a hell of an emotional punch along with the scares and overall nightmarish tale, one to check out if you REMOTELY refer to yourself as a film fan. (8/10)
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