Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus
by Mary Shelleyliterary work· published 1818
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Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is an 1818 Gothic novel written by English author Mary Shelley. Frankenstein tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature from different body parts in an unorthodox scientific experiment. Shelley started writing the story when she was 18 and staying in Bath, and the first edition was published anonymously in London on 1 January 1818, when she was 20. Her name first appeared in a French translation published in Paris in 1821. Shelley travelled through Europe in 1815, moving along the river Rhine in Germany, and stopping in Gernsheim, 17 kilometres (11 mi) away from Frankenstein Castle, where, about a century earlier, Johann Konrad Dippel, an alchemist, had engaged in experiments.
Adaptations (29)
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus has been adapted 29 times, across film, television film, and miniseries, from 1915 to 2025. The most recent is Frankenstein (2025).
The Monster of Frankenstein1920 · film · 39 min · dir. Eugenio Testa · IMDb ↗IMDb6.0The last silent Frankenstein film. While there is plenty of promotional material proving this film was shown internationally, there is currently no known film print and it is believed lost. A scientist manages to create a man with a chemical formula of his own invention, but the creature rebels against his creator and commits all sorts of disasters until he is reduced to impotence by the baron.
Frankenstein1931 · film · 70 min · dir. James Whale · IMDb ↗Henry Frankenstein pieces together body parts in the hope of bringing a human-like creature to life. The mad scientist’s dreams are shattered by his monstrous creation awakening with rage to a world that hates and fears him.
The Curse of Frankenstein1957 · film · 82 min · dir. Terence Fisher · IMDb ↗Baron Victor Frankenstein has discovered life's secret and unleashed a blood-curdling chain of events resulting from his creation: a cursed creature with a horrid face — and a tendency to kill.
Frankenstein Conquers the World1965 · film · 87 min · dir. Ishirô Honda · IMDb ↗IMDb5.5During WWII, Germans obtain the immortal heart of Frankenstein's monster and transport it to Japan to prevent it being seized by the Allies. Kept in a Hiroshima laboratory, it is seeming lost when the United States destroys the city with the atomic bomb. Years later a wild boy is discovered wandering the streets of the city alone, born of the immortal heart.
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed1969 · film · 101 min · dir. Terence Fisher · IMDb ↗Blackmailing a young couple to assist with his horrific experiments the Baron, desperate for vital medical data, abducts a man from an insane asylum. On route the abductee dies and the Baron and his assistant transplant his brain into a corpse. The creature is tormented by a trapped soul in an alien shell and, after a visit to his wife who violently rejects his monstrous form, the creature wreaks his revenge on the perpetrator of his misery: Baron Frankenstein.
Flesh for Frankenstein1973 · film · 95 min · dir. Paul Morrissey, Antonio Margheriti · IMDb ↗IMDb5.888%Within the decadent walls of the Frankenstein mansion, the Baron and his depraved assistant Otto have discovered the means of creating new life. As the Baron's laboratory begins to fill up with stitched body parts, the Baroness dallies with the randy new manservant and soon the decadent, permissive household is consumed by an outrageous, bizarre and hilarious combination of death and dismemberment.
Frankenstein1973 · television film · 125 min · dir. Glenn Jordan · IMDb ↗IMDb6.0A scientist obsessed with creating life steals body parts to put together his "creation." Released as a feature on video, this was originally shown in two installments on TV as part of the Wide World of Entertainment series.
Young Frankenstein1974 · film · 106 min · dir. Mel Brooks · IMDb ↗A young neurosurgeon inherits the castle of his grandfather, the famous Dr. Victor von Frankenstein. In the castle he finds a funny hunchback, a pretty lab assistant and the elderly housekeeper. Young Frankenstein believes that the work of his grandfather was delusional, but when he discovers the book where the mad doctor described his reanimation experiment, he suddenly changes his mind.
Victor Frankenstein1977 · film · 92 min · dir. Calvin Floyd · IMDb ↗IMDb5.8Victor Frankenstein's search for the secret of life leads to the creation of a monster that consumes his life and family.
Frankenstein1984 · film · 81 min · dir. James Ormerod · IMDb ↗IMDb4.6A scientist who is obsessed with creating life finally does it, with tragic results.
Frankenstein 901984 · film · 100 min · dir. Alain Jessua · IMDb ↗IMDb4.5French cybernetics genius Victor Frankenstein carries on the work of his notorious ancestor and creates a monster, albeit one with a penchant for philosophy, etiquette and occasional bouts of murderous rage. But when the creature develops a hunger for l'amour, Frankenstein and his understanding fiancé use a cache of freshly murdered strippers to build the creature a beautiful yet dutiful bride. Can the undead find true love in a cold world, or will the French ways of passion unleash some monstrous surprises upon them all?
The Bride1985 · film · 118 min · dir. Franc Roddam · IMDb ↗Doctor Frankenstein creates a mate for his monster, a woman called Eva, who promptly rejects the male creature. In turn, the doctor becomes obsessed with Eva, and tries to make her a perfect Victorian woman.
Frankenstein General Hospital1988 · film · 90 min · dir. Deborah Romare · IMDb ↗IMDb3.7A mad doctor puts together a new body by using body parts he steals from a mortuary at the hospital where he works.
Frankenstein1992 · television film · 117 min · dir. David Wickes · IMDb ↗IMDb5.717%In the early 19th century, Dr. Frankenstein discovers the secret of life – how to create a perfect man – powerful, intelligent and immune to disease. But something goes wrong in the laboratory and the doctor’s hideous creation disappears into the night. At first, Frankenstein hoped that the horrible monster would perish in the wilderness, but now he senses that it’s alive and sets out for him. Dr. Frankenstein tracks the creature to the Arctic, where the two must battle to decide who will become the master of the other’s life…or death.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein1994 · film · 123 min · dir. Kenneth Branagh · IMDb ↗Victor Frankenstein is a promising young doctor who, devastated by the death of his mother during childbirth, becomes obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. His experiments lead to the creation of a monster, which Frankenstein has put together with the remains of corpses. It's not long before Frankenstein regrets his actions.
Frankenstein2004 · film · 88 min · dir. Marcus Nispel · IMDb ↗IMDb4.5An investigation into a serial killer leads two detectives to discover that Dr. Frankenstein and his creature are still alive after two centuries of genetic experiments.
My Name Is Bruce2007 · film · 84 min · dir. Bruce Campbell · IMDb ↗B-movie Legend Bruce Campbell is mistaken for his character Ash from the Evil Dead trilogy and forced to fight a real monster in a small town in Oregon.
The Frankenstein Syndrome2010 · film · 87 min · dir. Sean Tretta · IMDb ↗IMDb4.8Young scientist Elizabeth Barnes (Tiffany Shepis) and her group of researchers are conducting illegal stem cell research, and discover a cell anomaly that has the potential to regenerate dead tissue. Unable to conduct legal human trials, the researchers turn to corpses to test their serum.
Bikini Frankenstein2010 · television film · 81 min · dir. Fred Olen Ray · IMDb ↗IMDb5.3Convinced that the average male couldn't tell the difference between a living woman and a corpse, the nefarious Dr. Frankenstein creates an undead sex-kitten named Eve.
Frankenstein: Day of the Beast2011 · film · 91 min · dir. Ricardo Islas · IMDb ↗IMDb3.7In a foggy winter morning, a raft brings a priest to an isolated island. He is getting paid to perform a wedding ritual under very mysterious conditions. The groom is Victor Frankenstein, and the young and beautiful bride is his cousin Elizabeth. Seven armed and dangerous mercenary soldiers have been hired to protect her against something huge that hides in the woods, awaiting for that wedding night to be consummated. Victor is the only one who knows the truth about their enemy. His secret will be paid with the life of his private army, whose men will die one by one, as the creature gets closer to his target: the bride.
Victor Frankenstein2015 · film · 110 min · dir. Paul McGuigan · IMDb ↗Eccentric scientist Victor Von Frankenstein creates a grotesque creature in an unorthodox scientific experiment.
Frankenstein2015 · film · 89 min · dir. Bernard Rose · IMDb ↗IMDb5.1100%After he is artificially created, then left for dead by a husband-and-wife team of eccentric scientists, Adam is confronted with nothing but aggression and violence from the world around him. This perfect creation-turned disfigured monster must come to grips with the horrific nature of humanity.
Frankenstein2025 · film · 149 min · dir. Guillermo del Toro · IMDb ↗Dr. Victor Frankenstein, a brilliant but egotistical scientist, brings a creature to life in a monstrous experiment that ultimately leads to the undoing of both the creator and his tragic creation.
