It was 1935 and Universal Pictures was on the verge of an overhaul. They were among the foundational studios in the Golden Age of Hollywood, but a series of financial missteps had left them desperate for cash. They had made a bounty with horror films, something co-founder/ owner Carl Laemmle had to be convinced would even work, but those, too, would be put on hiatus when their new management rolled in. The horror movies became revolutionary, unafraid to be dark, clever and scary, but an industry-wide call for censorship was about to trim their claws and fangs.
As such, The Bride of Frankenstein feels a bit like the end of an era. It’s a deliciously macabre sequel to a horror classic, with many even feeling like it outdoes its predecessor. It’s listed as one of the greatest sequels, horror or otherwise, in cinema history, and with the upcoming 4K Blu-ray, you have the chance to re-experience a horror film that also serves as an emblem of a watershed moment in pop culture.
