Episode 202: Horror Sequels

Should we go with one of the most famous of all horror sequels?

Yeah, I mean...

I mean, it's a grand irony, too.

We're talking about horror sequels have a bad reputation.

But maybe the first canonically great sequel ever made was a sequel to a horror film and a classic.

Seemingly, there's no way you can make a horror film sequel at that in Bride of Frankenstein, 1935, directed by James Whale.

Yeah.

It's funny, I've talked about this movie, or I think people have in addition to me a couple times on this show, so I went searching through to see, have I talked about this moment before? And I think I may have brought it up, but I don't think I did this specific bit.

But I was looking through the archive, and I'm like, the last time I discussed this movie was an October episode that you two were on.

So I'm like, well, I have to talk about it again tonight.

Like, that's just, that's science.

So the moment I'm choosing is a very small little bit of character detail that I really love that happens basically leading into Act 3 of the story.

At this point, Frankenstein's monster has time living with the blind man, getting lit, drinking beer, smoking cigarettes, and learning to speak.

That's come to an end.

He's back being hunted and chased down by mobs and pitchfork-wielding, torch-bearing mobs that want to get him.

And he has ended up stumbling across Dr. Pretorius, the film's true villain, the evil mad scientist that's trying to push Dr. Frankenstein into continuing his work.

And now he's got the creature at his disposal, the ultimate ace in the hole, to really force Frankenstein's hand.

So there's a scene where he arrives at Frankenstein's manor and is putting the screws to him to this effect, and then unveils the monster.

And the terror that Frankenstein feels immediately is quadrupled when the monster comes in, looks at the doctor, and says, Frankenstein.

And there's the shock that, oh my god, the monster can speak.

And Dr. Pretorius has this amazing line where he says, noticing the shock on Frankenstein's face, Yes, there have been developments since he came to me.

Which is awesome, because Pretorius had nothing to do with teaching the monster to speak.

That's something that was actually born out of the kindness and shared communication of the old man.

And it's such an amazing character detail that he's taking credit for that as a... further effort to flex some authority over victor or henry i should say even though it's victor in the book it's henry frankenstein in this film um that's just another way to mess with him it's a great dramatic irony for the audience because we know that's not true and I also love, in addition to being just a very villainous scumbag thing to do, I think it colors a lot of how we read Pretorius in general and really puts into perspective how not actually that intelligent or great a scientist he really is and how much of his... efforts are about leeching on the ambitions and breakthroughs of others.

I mean, his whole scheme in this movie is to get Dr. Frankenstein to continue his work because he can't replicate it.