Friday 6 April 2018

AtoZ2018 - F is for ... #MovieMonsters #AtoZChallenge


F is for ...

It's another theme within a theme day today - F is for Frankenstein aka The Modern Promethius. It is the 200th anniversary of the first publication of Mary Shelley's book so I had no choice, of course. There are two monsters in the book, Frankenstein himself, arguable the more despicable and his creation. Since I'm all about movie monsters, here are some of my favourite adaptations of this great book which launched science fiction as a genre.

I'm going to give Frankenstein and overall scariness rating of 2 skulls, because it's not really about the horror at all. It's sci-fi and good sci-fi at that.

Frankenstein (1931)

When younger I had seen many versions of Frankenstein's monster in cartoons and other films, but it was when I saw Universal Pictures original Frankenstein movie that I really began to understand where the monster comes from.

Boris Karloff's performance is so poignant and heart wrenching. It was the first time I realised that the monster isn't the real monster at all, he is just a victim of circumstance.

It's a great film.

I Frankenstein (2014)

Now this version is what is known as a loose adaptation in that is has very little to do with the original book. In fact this one starts after the death of Victor Frankenstein.

His monster lives on, immortal and without a soul.

In this film there are demons and Gargoyles. The demons are the baddies and the Gargoyles are there to prevent them taking over the earth. The monster, Adam, declines to join them when they first save him in 1795, but in the modern day he has no choice by to take the demon threat seriously.

It's not the greatest piece of cinema ever written, but it's entertaining and has the epic part of horror down.

House of Frankenstein (1997)

Now this is a mini-series from the 90s and it's kind of terrible in places, but it's also compulsive :). It has Frankenstein's monster, it has Dracula, it has werewolves - what more could we ask for.

A police detective (Adrian Pasdar) is trying to solve a series of strange murders. Of course a club owned by a vampire called 'House of Frankenstein' is at the centre of everything and Frankenstein's monster turning up looking for the vampire that killed his maker 200 years ago complicated the whole situation.

This is a ride from beginning to end :).

Hotel Transylvania (2012)

If you don't love Hotel Transylvania I am judging you, just so you know. It is hilarious and a great family film.

After being shunned by a human mob, Dracula set up Hotel Transylvania to keep his daughter, Mavis, safe and create a refuge for other monsters to visit. Monsters fear and hate humans for persecuting them and the hotel is protected from them ever finding it.

Only problem is, Mavis has never met a human and she really wants to explore their world.

Frank (Kevin James) is one of Dracula's best friends, and visit the hotel every year, shipped in bits via mail. This is a great film and the sequel is just as good too.

Victor Frankenstein (2015)

This is a movie more about Frankenstein and his friend Igor than it is about the monster, who doesn't appear until nearly the end.

It's on my lost because is has James McAvoy (Victor) and Daniel Radcliffe (Igor). Professor X and Harry Potter in one movie, how could I not love it?

This is a story of the downfall of human nature when it falls into obsession, and the evil in humans, not monstrous creations.

Q: Do you have a favourite version of Frankenstein or his monster? Are there any F monsters that I should know about that I couldn't list because of my theme with a theme?

AtoZ List of All Participants

~*~

Free Fiction Friday


It's the 1st Friday of April and that means it is Free Fiction Friday over at Wittegen Press. A new short story is now up for all the subscribers to our newsletter.

It is completely free to become a member and all you need is a valid email address. Fill in the form at the bottom of this page and you’re done. Don't worry if you join after the 1st Friday, the password for the month will be included in the welcome email after you subscribe.

What we WILL DO for our subscribers:

  • Send you an email on the 1st Friday of the month to remind you about the short story and give you the password for the month as soon as the story goes live.
  • Send you information about new books, competitions and events, so you don’t miss anything.
  • Give you two Free eBooks just for joining.

What we WON’T DO to our subscribers:

  • Spam you with loads of random advertising.
  • Reveal your email adress to anyone else.

This Month's Short Story


Clippie
by Sophie Duncan
Genre: ghost
Length: ~2K wds

Description:
Molly has been a Clippie on the number forty-two all her working life. She loves her job and nothing is going to stop her from helping her fares. 

Newsletter Subscription Form

We'll send you details of book releases, competitions and other news from our authors, BUT we WON'T spam you, or pass your details on to anyone else.
Wittegen Press

We will also give you 2 FREE ebooks just for signing up.

* indicates required

26 comments:

  1. Young Frankenstein was also great. The original with Boris Karloff was really scary when we were kids.
    Good to see you for another A to Z

    ReplyDelete
  2. as a kid .. Peter Cushing was Dr. Frankenstein to us... Tomas Edison made the first version (on film) in 1910...

    ReplyDelete
  3. hari OM
    with you on Karloff's creature and Colin Clive as Frankenstein... How about Frank in Donnie Darko - I didn't get very far through that film before I switched off (it was on telly), but that psychological manipulative nature is as villianous and monstrous as it comes! YAM xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Tasha - Frankenstein always terrified me ... I've become slightly more amenable to watching this sort of film in recent years ... well done on giving us so many - cheers Hilary

    ReplyDelete
  5. Young Frankenstein, definitely! It's virtually impossible to get hold of the Karloff version these days. No DVD of it and only bits on YouTube. I think it's some sort of copyright issue, but really, it's the best of the Frankenstein movies, IMO, and it's the one sent up by Young
    Frankenstein. Our Year 9 students were studying the play and we just couldn't get hold of the 1931 version to show them!
    https://suebursztynski.blogspot.com.au/2018/04/a-to-z-blogging-challenge-2018-f-is-for.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love Frankenstein adaptations. I would also suggest Penny Dreadful which has a scarier rendition. I also just put The Frankenstein Chronicles on my list but I have not seen it yet. Both are on Netflix. There's also Monster Squad as well.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I loved Hotel Transylvania!

    Dena
    https://denapawling.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks for mentioning Hotel Transylvania. I wondered about that film, and will now put it on my must watch list!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. not our type of movie ... but we enjoyed watching it... worth a viewing...

      Delete
  9. Frankenstein 2014 is hotness personified and I loved the Fran in Hotel Transylvania..his character was so cute.

    Tongue Twister for F

    ReplyDelete
  10. Well, the actual monster was Victor Frankenstein, right? I'd give him one more skull. There was a version of Frankenstein's monster in Van Helsing also, but yeah I wouldn't count that one.

    F is for Finish

    ReplyDelete
  11. I love the story of Frankenstein, and I really like the adaption with James McAvoy. It was interesting to see his obsession grow stronger.

    Fight For This Love by The Wanted

    ReplyDelete
  12. It could only be F for Frankenstein! To think it came from one book all those years ago.
    https://iainkellywriting.com/2018/04/06/f-is-for-famagusta-cyprus/

    ReplyDelete
  13. At last! A monster movie I've actually seen. That would be the first one on the list. I think my sister and I watched it on our small black and white tv in the 1950s on the late night scary movie show. Too bad I forgot the name of that show. Something Theater.
    http://findingeliza.com/

    ReplyDelete
  14. Somehow I was caught off guard by the reminder that this story is 200 years old. While I've seen all the film versions, Karloff as the monster is still my absolute favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I had no idea there were so many film versions, thanks! always more a book- than a film-person...

    ReplyDelete
  16. The 1931 Frankenstein is such a classic! The first sequel, Bride of Frankenstein, is also great. I was surprised to discover it's mostly about the monster, and that his bride isn't created till near the end. The 1910 Frankenstein is also worth mentioning, for being the first Frankenstein film adaptation. For decades, it was a lost film, but it was miraculously rediscovered and restored.

    For another F monster, I might say the eponymous Freaks of the 1932 Tod Browning film.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I'm a big fan of Mary Shelley's book, but I've not seen many of the films. I really feel for the monster, he didn't ask to be created and he's treated horribly by almost everyone just for being different. My favourite quote from the book is: "Did I request thee maker to mould me man? Did I solicit thee from darkness to promote me?" So powerful. Young Frankenstein is a very funny take on Frankenstein.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Lurch from the Addams Family looks a lot like the Frankenstein monster, don't you think?

    I used to look like him too, maybe a decade ago. But now that I've lost all my hair, I think I look more like uncle Fester :p

    Do drop by mine.

    Cheers,
    CRD
    SCRIPTED IN SANITY

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hotel Transylvania really surprised me with how good it was.

    ~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
    My A to Z’s of Dining with IC
    Patricia Lynne, Indie Author

    ReplyDelete
  20. I totally forgot about the existence of Victor Frankenstein, I need to see that!

    Song a Day
    F is for Finntroll

    ReplyDelete
  21. F is for Frankenstein is my post as well so I enjoyed this post, of course - great minds think alike. I'm a great admirer of Mary Shelley and her writing - as my blog might attest. My favourite film has to be Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein directed by Kenneth Branagh in 1994.

    https://rolandclarke.com/2018/04/06/f-is-for-frankenstein/

    ReplyDelete
  22. One of my husband's favorites.. :) I think he likes the Mary Shelley's Frankenstein the best, for the line:
    "I do know that for the sympathy of one living being, I would make peace with all. I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other."

    He does joke about "the obligatory Kenneth-Brannagh-taking-off-his-shirt scenes," though, lol.

    ReplyDelete
  23. There's always the werewolf Fenrir Greyback from the Harry Potter movies -- talk about a monster!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I read this before and never posted! Love your movie Monsters and I would have to mention...Frank from Everybody Loves Raymond because if my father in law backed up into my home and acted the way he did, it would be horrific to live near by.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for reading. I love to hear from people. Please leave your comments below.