20 of the Best, Worst, and Weirdest Frankenstein’s Monster Designs
Steve Barton
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There are few people on earth who love Frankenstein’s Monster more than we do at Dread Central, so we happily bring you a retrospective of the best, the worst, and the weirdest looks for everyone’s favorite stitched-up fright machine.
No matter how you slice it, the creature in James Whales’ 1931 classic is the one that will be forever associated with the name Frankenstein. Karloff’s unique look, coupled with Jack Pierce’s incredible make-up, still holds up to this day!
A cool modern take on Frankenstein’s Monster was featured in Roger Corman’s underrated Frankenstein Unbound, in which the look of the Monster was based upon the Doctor’s need to create a better man than nature. This beastie came complete with six fingers, a hulking frame, and the coolest touch ever: multi-colored, stitched together eyes.
In 1966 Frankenstein’s Monster became a Kaiju and battled a rubber-suited beast in Frankenstein Conquers the World! In this iteration the Monster’s overbite was on par with his massive forehead… because Japan!
We’re pretty sure 1971’s anaphylactic shock look for the Monster takes the cake as being one of the absolute worst. Still, seeing him fight Guido Dracula is still good for a laugh. Ah, the sweet misery!
After a promising black and white opening, Stephen Sommers’ Van Helsing proved to be a cinematic shit-fest complete with overblown CGI effects, horrid acting, bad Photoshopping, etc. The only shining spot (other than having the werewolves transform by tearing out of human skin) was Shuler Hensley’s portrayal of the Monster that complemented a classic, yet modernized look with a glowing skull cap.
Fred Dekker’s The Monster Squad capitalized on the child-like aspects of the creature like no other film. This made for a touching and heroic Monster for us to get behind, played by a wonderful Tom Noonan.
Hammer Films gave us one of the most creepy and monstrous renditions of this classic tale with The Curse of Frankenstein, which showcased an extremely disfigured Christopher Lee getting his beast on! This is a classic in every sense of the word. Just incredible.
In 1966 Frankenstein’s Monster was reanimated as a giant-sized robot in the classic cartoon “Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles.” This toon serves as a good gateway drug into monsterland, and I couldn’t imagine my childhood without it!
Capitalizing on the success of Blacula a year prior, 1973 gave us Blackenstein, which unfortunately wasn’t nearly as fun as it sounds; but the creature design, which consisted of powder, an elevated forehead, and a square afro, never ceases to make us laugh.
No one could ever fill the giant shoes that Boris Karloff left behind in his most celebrated role. Not even Bela Lugosi or Lon Chaney, Jr., though we have to say Glenn Strange came frightfully close in both look and stature. He donned the make-up several times during his career, most notably for one of our favorite films of all time, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.
I don’t know what kind of drugs the make-up designers behind this particular creature seen in Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell were on, but holy shit. See for yourself.
Speaking of drugs… 1957’s I Was a Teenage Frankenstein? The below images speak for themselves.
The late, great Peter Boyle gave his own unique interpretation of the creature for the side-splittingly funny Young Frankenstein from Mel Brooks, and god bless him for it!
What’s this, you say? Frankenberry, the cereal mascot, making it to the list? You’re goddamned right he is. Throw in a bit of Karloff with a heaping helping of realism, and you have the stuff of NIGHTMARES!
Frankenstein’s Monster even graced the hallowed pages of Marvel Comics, and we’d be remiss if we didn’t give this classic series a mention!
Thomas Edison invented the phonograph, the incandescent electric light bulb, and the alkaline storage battery, among many other things. He held more than 900 patents and laid the foundation for the modern electric age. In 1910 he also gave the world its first peek at Frankenstein’s Monster, which remains one of the single most bizarre looks to this very day!
Holy papier-mâché, Batman! What was Hammer thinking with this design for The Evil of Frankenstein? And who was playing the monster? Jesse Ventura?!? Thumbs down for the look! Thumbs WAY up for that incredible chin.
Fred Gwynne as Herman Munster in “The Munsters,” man… I’ve watched all 72 episodes countless times and will continue to do so until I’m nothing but ashes in a can. LOVE!
How about some sleaze with one of the cooler Frankenstein’s Monster designs? Yep! That’s exactly what we got in 1971’s Lady Frankenstein, in which the monster had about as much screen time as bared breasts. For you trivia buffs… this was the flick that Rob Zombie sampled the line “Who is this irresistible creature who has an insatiable love for the dead?” from the trailer for his song “Living Dead Girl.” See? Ya learn something every day here at Dread Central.
Everyone is aware of Fred Dekker’s aforementioned Monster Squad movie, but how many of you remember the 1976 TV show of the same name in which Frankenstein’s Monster resided in a wax museum along with Dracula and The Wolf Man? At night the trio would come to life, and they and their caretaker would set off to solve mysteries and fight crime. Behold… the hippie creature!
So, which designs do you like that we overlooked? De Niro’s from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein? Rory Kinnear as The Creature in “Penny Dreadful?” Sound off below!
