I Frankenstein Review

[Noreen]

Whata treat that a signed hardback copy of this book showed up in my mailbox just a few weeks before I learned that Kiersten White had won the 2018 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a YA Horror novel. Hearing such glowing reviews made me eager to read this popular retelling of a classic, horror favorite.

Our main protagonist, Elizabeth, is complicated. In some ways, her flaws irritate the reader. She seems preoccupied with her own self-preservation to the point of playing the fool for Victor just to keep her good standing with the Frankenstein family. But in other ways, I admire her resolve and her determination to boldly pursue that which she truly wants.

The Oshikiri stories were a little strange at first, though not without their own moments of great horror imagery. As they progressed a fairly intriguing story about parallel worlds emerged, though you have to just go with some of the developments that take place. The idea of living alone in a huge house, hearing footsteps in the middle of the night all the time, and then discovering that an evil version of you is intruding upon your world to dump their victims is pretty unsettling. I was more thrown off by the continuity of it all. The first story presented the character as dramatically different from how he appeared later, the second felt completely non-sequitur to the story eventually built up, and the third was compelling as a standalone story, but the connection to the greater story felt tacked on at the end without anything developing further afterwards.

I am ashamed to admit I have never read Frankenstein! I wonder if I can blame that on my Catholic education? I will have to read the classic first but this review definitely made me want to follow it up with this adaptation. Excellent review!

As I mentioned in my post on watching previously reviewed films on big screen, I recently watched Young Frankenstein for the first time. My friend over at Dellens 456 and I have been looking at the National Film Registry and deciding if the films deserve their spot. This month we selected Young Frankenstein, which was perfect timing since it was getting a big screen release by Fathom Events.

Young Frankenstein was made in 1974 and was directed and co-written by Mel Brooks. Gene Wilder had the idea to do a parody of the Universal Frankenstein movies and did the lion-share of the script but it definitely has a lot of Mel Brooks signature style as well.

In this version Gene Wilder plays the lead, a man named Frederick Frankenstein who is a brain scientist. He is embarrassed by the legacy of his Grandfather Victor Frankenstein and insists on being called Fronkenstein.

There is also a sense of love for these horror movies and it is not mocking in tone at all. I loved a scene where Frederick and the monster sing Putting on the Ritz before a group of scientists. It was funny but also kind of sweet.

Cloris Leachman and Madeline Kahn are also a riot in their roles. I loved the black and white cinematography and the carefully made production design and costumes. There is nothing here that feels cheap or tacky like most parodies today.

Disclaimer: I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Daniel A. Olivas for this free copy. All quotes in this review are taken from the Advanced Reader Copy and may change in final publication.

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