The 10 Best Frankenstein Movies, Ranked According To IMDB

Dr. Frankenstein and his menacing Monster have endured as two of the longest-running characters in the history of horror cinema. Created by Mary Shelley, the characters were first introduced onscreen in 1910 via the 16-minute short film, Frankenstein, directed by J. Searle Dawley.  Two decades later in 1931, director James Whale helmed the first feature-length adaptation of Shelley’s novel, starring the legendary Boris Karloff in the monstrous role.

Over the past 90 years, Frankenstein’s likeness has been appropriated in countless movies spanning multiple studios and various film genres. For the best of the best, scroll below.

10 Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969) 6.8/10

Following Universal’s initial run of Frankenstein pictures, the British company Hammer Films took several stabs at the character. Terence Fisher’s 1969 film Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed is one of the most well-received examples, according to IMDB.

Peter Cushing stars as Baron Frankenstein, who concocts a maddening plan to kidnap the insane Dr. Brandt (George Pravada) so he can conduct the first human brain transplant. With the help of his disciple Karl (Simon Ward) and Karl’s fiancee Anna (Veronica Carlson), all hell breaks loose when Frankenstein’s monster comes to life.

9 The Revenge Of Frankenstein (1958) 6.8/10

More than a decade before Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, British director Terence Fisher also directed Peter Cushing as the devious doctor in Hammer Films’ The Revenge of Frankenstein.

This time out, Dr. Frankenstein finds his way to Germany after escaping a public execution. Under the guise of Dr. Victor Stein, the madman begins to collect spare body parts from corpses around the country and conduct experiments to reanimate a patchwork human being.

8 The Curse Of Frankenstein (1957) 7.1/10

The third consecutive Terence Fisher/Peter Cushing collaboration to make this list includes The Curse of Frankenstein, which coincidentally marks their first time working on a Frankenstein film.

While imprisoned, Victor Frankenstein explains how he came of age under the tutelage of Dr. Paul Krempe. After finding an interest in the nature of life on Earth, Frankenstein successfully revives a dead dog. Upping the ante, Frankenstein sets out to reanimate a human body (Christopher Lee), which ends up threatening his cousin Elizabeth (Hazel Court).

7 Son Of Frankenstein (1939) 7.1/10

Universal’s Son of Frankenstein stars Boris Karloff as the monstrous murderer kept in hiding by deceased Dr. Frankenstein’s ambitious son, Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone).

As Frankenstein’s monster lies dormant in the bowels of the doctor’s castle, the disgraced Baron attempts to reclaim the glory of his family’s name by resurrecting the monster and nursing him back to health. With the help of his father’s aid Ygor (Bela Lugosi) and his medical notes, the monster is revived from his coma and begins killing the local townsfolk.

6 The Monster Squad (1987) 7.1/10

Fred Dekker riffs on the soulful sadness of Frankenstein’s Monster (Tom Noonan) in The Monster Squad, refashioning the classic scene from the original in which the monster ruefully launches a little girl into a pond.

Plot-wise, the movie revolves around The Monster Squad, a gang of pre-teen horror fanatics who take it upon themselves to save the world when their quaint town is overrun by Count Dracula, Wolfman, The Mummy, Gillman, and Frankenstein’s Monster.

5 Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) 7.4/10

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is the first in a series of films in which the comedic duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello “meet” horror villains from Universal’s classic monster movie lineup.

The comedians play a pair of bumbling porters, one of which (Costello) gets tricked by Count Dracula (Bela Lugosi) in the attempt to steal his brain to insert into Frankenstein’s Monster (Glenn Strange). On hand to help is the Wolfman (Lon Chaney Jr.), who assists the porter’s pal in saving the day before it’s too late.

4 Bride Of Frankenstein (1935) 7.8/10

Four years after the original Frankenstein film, director James Whale lent a far more comedic bent to the equally well-received sequel, Bride of Frankenstein.

Colin Clive reprises his role as Dr. Henry Frankenstein, with Boris Karloff doing the same as the movie’s menacing monster. When the mad scientist opts to find a bride for his beloved monster, he finds assistance from the even crazier Dr. Pretorious (Ernest Thesiger) to help him realize his sinister vision. As the two collect a spate of human body parts, they eventually build the Monster’s Mate, aka Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (Elsa Lanchester).

3 Frankenstein (1931) 7.8/10

Along with its superb 100% Certified Fresh Rotten Tomatoes rating and 91/100 Metascore, James Whale’s original Frankenstein is the highest-rated Universal franchise entry to date, per IMDB.

When the deranged Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) decides to play God by bringing the dead back to life with reanimated body parts harvested from various corpses, a slew of deadly unintended consequences ensues. When Frankenstein’s Monster (Boris Karloff) is successfully revived, he goes on an uncontrollable death march until the townfolk hysterically hunts him down with pitchforks.

2 The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973) 7.9/10

Undoubtedly the most unique and esoteric title on this list, The Spirit of the Beehive is a Spanish fantasy-horror film in which the lasting legacy of the original Frankenstein movie continues to haunt a little girl’s every waking moment.

Set in a small Spanish village in 1940, the story picks up when a traveling theater brings James Whale’s Frankenstein to town. Upon watching the film, emotionally distraught seven-year-old Ana (Ana Torrent) is deeply devastated by the film and sets out with her sister Isabel (Isabel Telleria) to find the monster themselves.

1 Young Frankenstein (1974) 8.0/10

Mel Brooks’ uproarious send-up Young Frankenstein ranks higher than any other film starring the demented doctor and bolt-necked ghoul, according to IMDB. The classic comedic parody stars Gene Wilder stars as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, Peter Boyle as the Monster, and Marty Feldman as the hunch-backed helper, Igor.

As the proud grandson of Henry Frankenstein, Frederick returns to Transylvania to prove his father’s sound mental state. Once there, he uncovers the process of reanimating corpses, prompting him to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps. When the Monster is born, Elizabeth (Madeline Kahn), Frau Blucher (Cloris Leachman), and Inga (Teri Garr) are put in grave danger.