All about Frankenstein

Frankenstein's monster gasped it's first breath in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, then came alive before everyone's eyes in a 1931 high voltage film spectacle, which became the most famous horror film of all time.

A struggling actor named Boris Karloff was given the part of the monster when the film's director spotted him having lunch in the studio commissary and was intrigued by the shape of his head, thinking it had good monster make-up potential. His insight was correct.

The story begins in Dr Victor Frankenstein's laboratory where he conducts his experiments to create artificial life. A gruesome-looking creature is strapped to an operating table, waiting for a charge of electricity from a storm to bring it to life.

The experiment goes wrong, and the creature is caught in an existence it cannot comprehend. With it's repulsive appearance and brute strength, the Monster terrifies any human it tries to befriend, thus becoming rejected and seeks revenge on humanity.

Karloff's masterful portrayal of the man-made monster that personifies human evil evokes a sort of compassion that leaves the audience both moved and mortified. Wearing a costume that weighed 48 pounds and make-up that took three and a half hours to apply, Karloff exhibits marvellous acts of pantomime despite the restrictions.

From the moment Karloff's monster appears on the screen, audiences shrieked .... but they could not look away.