What It's About:

Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and his dwarf assistant, Fritz (Dwight Frye), assemble a creature (Karloff) with stitched-together body fragments stolen from graveyard corpses, then bring it to life with jolts of electric current. Unknowingly, they've given their man a criminal's brain, and when the sadistic Fritz mistreats the addled monster, it goes on a killer rampage. Now available as a stand-alone title, this 75th Anniversary two-disc edition of "Frankenstein" adds new commentary and documentaries about the making of the film and its principal actor, the legendary Boris Karloff.

Why I Love It:

One of the greatest horror films of all time, James Whale's "Frankenstein" veers broadly from Mary Shelley's original story while retaining its specifically tragic aspect. The ghoul-faced Karloff, without a word of dialogue here, gives a lumbering performance that is both creepy and achingly sympathetic - especially in the famous scene with a young girl (Marilyn Harris) picking a flower for him. Herman Rosse's fabulous sets and Whale's meticulous handling of atmosphere and the monster's appearance elevate this eerie study of alienation and scientific hubris far above the campier creature features that followed. Juice up your neck bolts for "Frankenstein." Universal's reissue of this monster classic brings horror fans more background information on the making of the movie, and rare interviews with its cast. The new documentary "Karloff: The Gentle Monster" pays tribute to the actor whose forty year screen career was made by this monster. A must-see for serious Frankenphiles, and a title worthy of re-visiting.