The Frankenstein monster first lumbered into existence in 1818 in
Mary Shelley’s classic British novel, 
, a work that many, including noted SF author
Brian Aldiss, have called the first science fiction story.
Filled with “grotesque, dreamlike imagery” (Jane Yolen, Horror: 100 Best Books), Frankenstein is a gothic horror yarn as
well, relating the tale of a mad scientist who discovers the secret of life,
fashions a monster out of spare parts, and is cursed by his curious (not to
mention hideous) creation.
Shelley’s masterpiece has spawned numerous feature films, including
last year’s 
. Based on
the graphic novel by Kevin Grevioux, I, Frankenstein starred Aaron Eckhart as
Adam Frankenstein, a super-powered, pieced-together being who “gets swept up in
a long-running battle between powerful gargoyles and infernal demons who seek
the key to his immortality” (allmovie.com).
Like virtually every other Frankenstein
interpretation, I, Frankenstein drew
inspiration from Frankenstein; or, The
Modern Prometheus, but played fast and loose with the details. The film is
but one of countless ways the Frankenstein monster has appeared in popular
culture over the years, from food to songs to merchandising to the big and
small screen.
To paraphrase Frankie’s pal, Dracula, and to wish you a happy
Halloween, I bid you welcome to my brief history of Frankenstein in popular
culture:
Frankenfilms
You could write a whole book on Frankenstein movies (in fact,
several have been written), but I’ll just
cover some of the highlights here.
For historical purposes, you should watch the 1910 Edison Studios
version of Frankenstein on YouTube.
After that, pick up (on DVD or Blu-ray) the trio of Frankenstein films
Universal produced during the 1930s: Frankenstein
(1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935),
and Son of Frankenstein (1939), each
starring Boris Karloff in his signature role as the sympathetic creature.
Feel free to skip such low-budget turkeys as Frankenstein 1970 (1958) and Frankenhooker
(1990), but be sure and check out: Curse
of Frankenstein (1957), Hammer Films’ first foray into the Frankenstein
mythos; 
(1943), another classic from Universal; The
Evil of Frankenstein (1964), one of the more entertaining Hammer entries; Young Frankenstein (1974), Mel Brooks’
funniest film (yes, even funnier than Blazing
Saddles); Frankenweenie (2012),
Tim Burton’s stop-motion animated Disney feature; and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994), a flawed, but compelling
adaptation of the novel with none other than Robert De Niro as the creature
(he’s actually one of the weaker aspects of the film).
If you’re an adult B-movie buff with the will to be weird, boot up the
1973 sleaze fest, Andy Warhol's Frankenstein, which film critic John
Stanley (Creature Features Movie Guide
Strikes Again) called a “low point in cinema” and a “sickening exercise in
black humor.”
Frankenstein on TV
In 1973, Dan Curtis, who created the vampire soap opera 
, produced Frankenstein, a made-for-TV movie shown
over two nights as part of ABC’s “The Wide World of Mystery” anthology series. The
movie felt like a stage play, was shot on video, and had a tiny budget, but it
adhered fairly closely to Shelley’s novel, with Bo Svenson as the articulate
and verbose monster.
Airing later the same year and overshadowing the Curtis picture was
the oxymoronically titled Frankenstein:
The True Story, a superior British production that was shown theatrically
in Europe and on television in the U.S. The monster, played by Michael
Sarrazin, is a handsome creation that deteriorates as the film, which runs 182
minutes, progresses. The star-studded cast includes Leonard Whiting, Jane
Seymour, James Mason, and Tom Baker (the fourth Doctor Who), who has a brief
role as a ship captain.
Modern audiences may enjoy the 2004 made-for-cable movie, Frankenstein, but there’s more
entertainment to be found in the Frankenstein monster’s many TV show
appearances. In addition to the obvious—Fred Gwynne’s comedic turn as Herman
Munster in The Munsters—the ghastly
ghoul has reared his ugly head in Tales
of Tomorrow, Route 66, Saturday Night Live, The X-Files, and countless other
programs, including such animated fare as Drak
Pack, Groovie Goolies, Monster Force, and Frankenstein, Jr. and The Impossibles.
Frankenstein in print
For those who like pictures with their words, Frankenstein comic
books have existed since 1940 with the publication of Prize Comics #7, which featured the “New Adventures of Frankenstein.”
More attainable comics include Marvel’s The
Monster of Frankenstein (1973), DC’s Frankenstein
Agent of S.H.A.D.E. (2011), and Image’s 
(2003), which features a conflicted creature stitched together from
the body parts of one cop and three bad guys.
Sing along to a Frankenstein song
If you listen to classic rock radio, you’ve probably heard The Edgar
Winter Group’s bass-heavy “Frankenstein” many times. Named after the elaborate,
piecemeal recording process used in creating the song, which is one of the few
rock instrumentals to become a #1 hit, “Frankenstein” is also noteworthy for
its early use of a synthesizer as a lead instrument.
Shock rocker 
cranked out “Teenage Frankenstein”
(1986), which was written for Friday the
13th Part VI: Jason Lives, and “Feed My Frankenstein” (1992), which
features guest appearances by noted rockers Joe Satriani, Nikki Sixx, and Steve
Vai.
One of the best Frankenstein tunes is “Over at the Frankenstein
Place,” written and sung by Richard O’Brien for the musical stage play, The Rocky Horror Show (1973). In the
feature film adaptation, The Rocky Horror
Picture Show (1975), Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon join in.
Other Frankensongs of note include: “Frankie Frankenstein” (1959) by
The Crickets; “Monster Mash” (1962) by Boris Pickett; “The Siege and Investiture
of Baron von Frankenstein’s Castle at Weisseria” (1988) by Blue Oyster Cult;
and “Jumpstart Your Electric Heart” (2005) by Kevin Max (of dc Talk fame).
Ringo Starr’s “Back Off Boogaloo” (1972), a single some say was
directed at Paul McCartney’s solo work, featured the Frankenstein monster on
the picture sleeve.
Fun with Frankenstein
When guys like Metallica’s Kirk Hammett, owner of one of the
largest collection of vintage monster toys in the world, was a youngster during
the 1970s, playing with Frankenstein meant putting together an Aurora model kit
and then destroying it. As he says in his collector bio, Too Much Horror Business (2012), “A lot of the toys I have in my
collection are toys I once had as a kid, but either blew them up with
firecrackers, set on fire, threw off the roof, drowned, buried or whatever.”
These days, playing with Frankenstein translates to video games,
such as the long-running, whip-slashing Castlevania
series that has appeared on the Nintendo NES, Xbox 360, and many systems in
between. Video games with Frankie in the title include: 
(1983) for the Atari 2600; Frankenstein: The Monster Returns (1991)
for the NES; Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
(1994) for the Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo; and The Island of Dr. Frankenstein (2009) for the Nintendo Wii.
Beware: “Frankenfood”
A relatively new phenomenon, “Frankenstein food” is any type of
edible that has been genetically modified. According to versatilehealth.com,
big business, farmers, and scientists “create
strains that can withstand what normal foods and plants can’t; these traits
include chemical tolerances, pesticide resistance, heightened nutritional
content, and the tolerance of extreme environments”
To avoid this type of altered food, which some experts say poses
health and environmental risks, you should go organic. To paraphrase Boris
Karloff in 
,
“Frankenstein food: bad!”
Frankenstein food can also refer to unconventional combinations,
such as: New York chef Dominique Ansel’s cronut, which is a cross between a croissant
and a doughnut; and KFC’s infamous Double Down, a “delicacy” that has bacon,
two types of melted cheese, and the Colonel’s secret sauce sandwiched between
two fried chicken filets. You can opt for grilled chicken, but what fun would
that be?
In simpler times, Frankenstein food meant sitting down to a bowl of
sugary sweet, strawberry-flavored Franken Berry, which General Mills first
produced in 1971, alongside Count Chocula. Boo Berry followed in 1973. In
recent years, the company has made all five of its monster cereals readily available
in grocery stores once again, including the long-forgotten Fruit Brute
(introduced in 1984) and Fruity Yummy Mummy (1987).
Frankenstein is alive, alive!
Like Hercules, Sherlock Holmes, Superman, and Tarzan, the
Frankenstein monster is a timeless icon that is open to interpretation and is
probably here to stay. He’s appeared on postage stamps (in 1997 and 2002), he
haunts our nightmares (or at least tickles our post-modern funny bones) and keeps
us entertained, and he’s a friend to anyone with an appreciation for classic
horror.
