One hundred and five years ago, Thomas Edison was hard at work arguably creating the now billion dollar film industry. He paved the way for our craft with his inventions and experiments with story telling. He also made one of the first horror films of all time! In 1910, Edison retold Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Written and directed by J. Searle Dawley, the short film takes a very liberal view on Shelley’s story.
The film had been lost until the 1950’s. When Dawley and Edison’s Frankenstein was found, it was released on 35 mm and then later on DVD. Since 1922, the film has been considered public domain and can be watched for free anywhere.
This particular version of the film was remastered, with new sound design by Jeff Cooper, and orchestral Scores by Richard Band.
WAIH recommends you watch Frankenstein. It is old, yes, and a bit confusing confusing but as horror fans and Fear Makers it remains a rich part of our history especially since it is with a story that has been told over and over again. It lies as a great example of where we came from, and where we are going. Also, the creation scene is a little disturbing, even for our time despite it being over 100 years old. Imagine being in the shoes of just seeing moving pictures for the first time and then watching this, sheer terror. The movie is less than 15 minutes, so give it a watch, and let us know what you think!
