The story of Frankenstein continues in this exquisite sequel to the 1931 original.  Mary Shelley describes the rest of her story, from the supposed death of the monster at the windmill (end of the first movie) to the creation of his mate, and beyond.  The monster is the centerpiece of this film and it's Karloff at his best.  The monster is lost in this world, he just wants companionship, and to be happy, and all the townspeople scream at the sight of him and attack him without instigation.  Escaping to the woods, the monster befriends a deaf hermit, himself lonely.  In a sincere and touching scene, the old man gives the monster food and wine and a cigar, and he teaches him how to speak.  But this blissful friendship is temporary - eventually, townsfolk see the monster and attempt to capture him.  Again he must flee in solitude.

At the same time, Dr. Frankenstein is trying to shake the memories of his mad science experiments and his creation of life from death.  Thanks to the bizarre Dr. Pretorius, he is unable to do this.  Pretorius, energetically and enigmatically portrayed by Ernest Thesiger, has a great time being the
villain of this film.  I could really do without the little people in jars experiment (although the special effects were top notch for the day).  But anyway, the evil doctor wants to join forces with Frankenstein to create a woman from dead tissue.  Frankenstein wants nothing to do with it, that is, until the monster and Pretorius team up to convince him.  I'll spare you the ending in case you've never seen this classic (and if you haven't, you'd better soon!).

The spooky atmospheric sets, along with the creepy music, really set the mood.  There are moments of campy comedy, but they are surrounded by an incredible story, tremendous performances, and frightening horror.  This truly is one of the best horror films made, maybe even better than its predecessor.
 
 

Quality: 9.0  Visuals: 8.5  Intensity: 7.5 
OVERALL RATING: 8.3