Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus

Just as the 1823 second edition of Frankenstein was spurred by a hit theatrical adaptation, this much later edition cashes in on the success of director James Whale’s 1931 film starring Boris Karloff as the creature. Mary Shelley could not have dreamed of the impact her tale would make 80 years after her death. The film led to countless sequels, remakes, spoofs, comic books, cartoons, Halloween costumes, lunch boxes, and toys—and eventually cemented Mary Shelley’s status as the originator of the science fiction genre. The 1935 sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein, features Elsa Lanchester in a dual role as the bride and Mary Shelley herself.