Welcome back. More blogging. Woooooooooo. Anyway, let’s get to the point. It’s time to rap up this mini series of blog posts. I did one that was a movie review of the original Halloween and then one on Get Out. You can read about those below.

Get Outta There

Halloween Movie Response

This post is like those in that it’s based of film, but unlike those because I’m here to answer a question. So, let’s get to answering that question:

WHO IS THE MONSTER?

Supported by Marey Shelly’s Frankenstein, a Modern Prometheus, the original Frankenstein film and Gods and Monsters.

I would like to begin by talking about the big man himself. The creature. Often mislabeled as Frankenstein, that name is incorrect, and is that of his creator. The creature is even sometimes called ‘The Monster’ but that is incorrect, and honestly a dishonour to Marey Shelly and James Whale. Without even giving examples from a text, just based of the idea of a man brought from the dead, made of parts of other men… Stop. Right there. Parts of other men, fused together to make a ‘creature’ of hate destruction and fear. It is almost a slap in the face that he is simply a messenger, a billboard for the judgements and pitfalls of humanity because he’s MADE OF OTHERS. The way others look at and influence him is monstrous. Anyway, onto some more concrete and textual reasons.

Ok, now let’s talk about the og. The grandpappy of these stories. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The name itself. Prometheus is a trickster figure, he was a champion of mankind known for his wily intelligence, who stole fire from Zeus and the gods and gave it to mortals. The monster is very similar in that he is displaying the power of the gods. The creation of life. Yet the creature and his creator, Frankenstein are not unlike a message from the big boys upstairs. That in the modern world of society, people disregard that which is different, new, developing or unique simply because they have fallen into the toxicity or normality. Even if it is an example of man touching the powers of god. The title itself of the book, the references to the bible, and the beauty of a narrative that we receive from the monster illustrates and reinforces my point. People reject him, and the idea of change and development even in such a respected field as science, simply because it is not ‘normal’ or ‘civilized.’ News flash. Nothing is, and Mary Shelley’s creature was but a lamb in the slaughterhouse of society.

Now, to move onto when this was first brought onto screen in James Whale’s Frankenstein. This movie is a gorgeous mosaic of fantastic use of lighting and colour, but also a very deep and meaningful story that spoke the message of Mary Shelley’s book but in a modern concept of the time. Allow me to explain. This movie was made in 1931, between the two world wars. This was an interesting time for the US and the world because it was very unsure. A lot of advancements in technology had been made during and because of the war, yet it had also killed millions. The turmoil was huge, especially in the world of science. Dr. Frankenstein gives us a 30’s gem when he’s explaining the motives of his work. He is called crazy for trying to resurrect a body. He then launches into a beautiful rant, of how we wishes to learn of why the forests burn, why the sun shines, and other fantastic and beautiful legitimate scientific Inquiries. “If I could discover what one of these things is, I wouldn’t care if they call me crazy!” Is a great line because he is addressing the men around him. And how they, similar to the people in Mary Shelley’s book brushed it off or away, because it was new and changed their life. Frankenstein is not the monster. He’s a brilliant scientist. The creature is not a monster. He’s an huge success. Dr. Frankenstein puts it perfectly. “One man crazy, three watch. So sane.” They watch, they resist, they fight change. They are the monsters.

Finally, let’s talk about Gods and Monsters, The title itself is a straight shot at this post. I’m gonna keep this one short because I simply can slam dunk my point in 2 quotes. The first is about what James Whale was trying to convey with the creature in his film. He says “The monster he is noble. Noble and misunderstood.” That is exactly what I’ve been saying. He is a perfect portrayal of innocence, learning, nobility. Yet because he is different, he becomes what the people see him as. A monster. Now. Seeing. What those people see is what really makes the human morals monstrous. And yet again, our friend James Whale comes in with gold. He gestures to his head and says: “The only monsters are here.” Case closed.

The monsters come from within our own minds. In all these adaptations the ‘modern’ world that surrounds Frankenstein and his creature is the reason that brilliant scientist and his successful experiment are labeled ‘crazy’ and a ‘monster.’ In all of these stories it is obvious and interesting to see how heavily this is false. That in fact humanity and society and the judgements of normality and acceptance. Those, are the monsters.