Title: Frankenstein: The Man Who Made a Monster
Author: Garrett Ford and Francis Faragoh
Date of First Publication: 1994
Place of Publication: The Frankenstein Omnibus
Type: Short Story
Characters: Adaptation
Themes: ALL THEMES
Critical Summary: According to Peter Haining’s Frankenstein Omnibus preface to the story, “Frankenstein: The Man Who Made a Monster” is the story-prose version of the screenplay for James Wale’s 1931 Frankenstein film; the work is written by the credited sceenwriters for Whale’s movie, but, apparently, only published in prose narrative form by Haining in 1994.
The story opens with Henry Frankenstein and his assistant, Fritz, grave digging a recently buried body for Frankenstein’s experiment to reanimate life. Henry Frankenstein orders Fritz to steal a brain from his former professor Dr. Waldman. Fritz accidently breaks a jar containing a “perfect specimen” of a human brain, and takes the brain of a formal criminal. The narrative shifts to Henry’s fiancé, Elizabeth, who is speaking with her former suitor Victor Moritz. Victor and Elizabeth meet with Dr. Waldman to better understand why Henry left university and why he is carrying out his experiments in an abandoned watchtower. Dr. Waldman explains that Henry’s research was extremely advanced and becoming dangerous. Worried about Henry’s experimentation, Elizabeth, Victor, and Dr. Waldman agree to visit Henry at his watchtower. The three are unwelcome at first, but are allowed to enter when Victor calls Henry “crazy” and wishes to prove Victor wrong. Henry activates a series of levers that sends electricity to two silver knobs on the neck of the body Henry created. The hand of the body begins to lift up and Henry exults “It’s alive!” multiple times before the scene shifts to his father’s (Baron Frankenstein) castle. At the castle, Elizabeth, Victor, and Baron Frankenstein wait for Henry to arrive so that he and Elizabeth can marry. Henry and Waldman are still at the watchtower arguing over the creation of the Creature. Waldman tells Henry the brain he stole was of a criminal and that only evil will come of it. Fritz gets too close to the Creature and is strangled to death. Henry and Waldman attempt to kill the Creature by first injecting it with a sleep inducing drug. While the Creature is asleep, Baron Frankenstein and Elizabeth arrive at the watchtower to bring Henry home for the wedding ceremony where Henry promises not partake in anymore experiments. Waldman is left alone with the Creature who awakens and kills him. The Creature flees the watchtower and encounters a little girl named Maria outside of her home. Innocently and unafraid, the little girl plays with Creature, showing him how the flowers float. The Creature accidentally drowns Maria by placing her on top of the water like a flower. Maria’s death and Waldman’s is attributed to the Creature. The village people set fire to windmill that Creature receded in thus killing him.
The story details what would be become iconic pop-culture references to Frankenstein’s creature like the silver knobs on the neck of the creature, the green-gray skin, the face riddled with scars, and the mad scientist who created the creature. Henry Frankenstein replaces Shelley’s Victor Frankenstein in this short story and shares much of the same genius, although much more eccentric and excited about his creation rather than fearful and guilty like Victor. The Creature is horrific and dangerous like Shelley’s Creature, but it also has the same capacity for humanity as well. The scene with Maria shows the creature’s gentle nature when confronted with the innocence of a child. However, Ford and Faragoh’s Creature kills the child by accident whereas Shelley’s Creature kills out of hatred of his creator, Victor. It’s odd that Ford and Faragoh’s Creature has a criminal mind and it is said that only evil can come of it, when we have a touching scene with the monster playing with Maria. Perhaps this suggests evil or immorality is a judgment of others rather than a characteristic of another person.
Administrative Notes: Kyle Wilcox CSUF; Dr. David Sandner, CSUF (editing)