The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)

Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) has survived the inferno that destroyed his monstrous creation (Boris Karloff) or so he thinks. He is coerced by his mentor (Ernest Thesiger) into creating another creature, this time a female. A sequel to the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN which was also directed by James Whale, this gem is superior to the original. For one thing, it contains an infusion of black humor which the first installment didn't have. The original also didn't have Thesiger as the diabolical Dr. Pretorius or Una O'Connor's ladies maid who provide most of the humor here. The film contains two of the most iconic sequences in horror movie history: the respite between the blind hermit (O.P. Heggie) and the monster and the introduction of the reluctant bride (Elsa Lanchester) to its mate. Franz Waxman's underscore is invaluable in its coloring the narrative. One of the crown jewels of 1930s horror cinema. With Valerie Hobson, E.E. Clive and Gavin Gordon.