“An audience needs something stronger than a pretty little love story. So, why shouldn’t I write of monsters?”
Elsa Lanchester’s iconic depiction of the titular Bride to Boris Karloff’s tragic Monster has transcended the horror genre and filtered its way into popular culture. Her striking makeup and electrified hair now symbolize a monstracized woman in love with an unconventional man. But in the 90 years since Bride of Frankenstein‘s premiere, much of the story’s heartbreaking complexity seems to have faded away. Though instantly recognizable nearly a century later, the Bride doesn’t appear until the film’s final moments and signals an act of total destruction.
Regardless of her scant screen time, the idea of the Bride drives the story’s narrative. She’s mirrored by Valerie Hobson’s Elizabeth, the intended bride of Victor Frankenstein (Colin Clive). Together they paint a nuanced portrait of unwitting betrothal, partnership, and unrequited love. In a delightful dual role, Lanchester introduces the film as the ultimate creator, Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley. Arguably the mother of science fiction, she joins the Bride and Elizabeth to form a trio of female archetypes.
In the latest episode of Bloody FM’s The Lady Killers Podcast, co-hosts Jenn Adams, Sammie Kuykendall, and Rachel Reeves continue Bride month by deconstructing the mothers, maidens, and monstrous women of this deceptively feminist film. Is Doctor Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) a sympathetic villain? Why does Frankenstein agree to his plan? How does the Bride reclaim her power and why does the Monster burn it all down? They’ll answer these questions and more while discussing the brides, grooms, and wedding dresses of this iconic story.
Stream below and subscribe now via Apple Podcasts and Spotify for future episodes that drop every Thursday.
The post The Maidens, Mothers & Monsters of ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ [The Lady Killers Podcast] appeared first on Bloody Disgusting!.
