Bride of Frankenstein

Bride of Frankenstein
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	James Whale
Screenplay by	William Hurlbut
Story by	William Hurlbut John L. Balderston
Based on	Premise suggested by Frankenstein 1818 novel by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Produced by	Carl Laemmle Jr.
Starring	Boris Karloff Colin Clive Valerie Hobson Elsa Lanchester Ernest Thesiger E. E. Clive Oliver Peters Heggie
Cinematography	John J. Mescall
Edited by	Ted J. Kent
Music by	Franz Waxman
Production company	Universal Pictures
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	April 19, 1935 (1935-04-19) (San Francisco, Seattle) April 20, 1935 (1935-04-20) (United States)
Running time	75 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$397,000[2]
Box office	$2 million

Bride of Frankenstein is a 1935 American Gothic science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film Frankenstein. As with the first film, Bride of Frankenstein was directed by James Whale starring Boris Karloff as the Monster and Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein.^[3] The sequel features Elsa Lanchester in the dual role of Mary Shelley and the bride. Colin Clive reprises his role as Henry Frankenstein, and Ernest Thesiger plays the role of Doctor Septimus Pretorius. Oliver Peters Heggie plays the role of the old blind hermit.

Taking place immediately after the events of the earlier film, it is rooted in a subplot of the original Mary Shelley novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818). Its plot follows a chastened Henry Frankenstein as he attempts to abandon his plans to create life, only to be tempted and finally blackmailed by his old mentor Dr. Pretorius, along with threats from the Monster, into constructing a bride for the Monster.

The preparation to film the sequel began shortly after the premiere of the first film, but script problems delayed the project. Principal photography began in January 1935, with creative personnel from the original returning in front of and behind the camera. Bride of Frankenstein was released to critical and popular acclaim, although it encountered difficulties with some state and national censorship boards. Since its release the film's reputation has grown, and it is now frequently considered one of the greatest sequels ever made; many fans and critics consider it to be an improvement on the original, and it has been hailed as Whale's masterpiece. In 1998, it was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, having been deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".