A New World of Gods and Monsters: The Queer Legacy of The Bride of Frankenstein
It’s incomparable to state James Whale’s legacy on horror cinema. Outside of giving us the typical depiction of Frankenstein’s Monster and the Invisible Man, he also helped popularize the tropes of the decrypted houses and monsters within the medium. Yet above all else lies the queer legacy of his work. Whale, an openly gay man, infused his films with camp and overt queerness that it becomes hard to ignore. While there are no openly queer characters, the ideas of an outsider persecuted and othered for existing outside what is considered normal for society rings true for that experience. Considering the restrictions of The Hayes Code, it’s made even more sense for the queerness to be subtextual, such as in 1935's The Bride of Frankenstein. Considered to be his most queer film, The Bride of Frankenstein stands as the crown jewel of his filmography and a landmark within the genre.
The queerness of the film is derived from multiple different aspects, such as the character of Frankenstein’s Monster or The Monster (Boris Karloff). The Monster does not fit into the traditional binary of life of death. He exists as both living and dead due to being a monster made out of various body parts brought to life. Similarly, The Monster Is not recognized as a man but as a monster. While he may appear to be a man, Doctor Frankenstein and the townsfolk constantly remind him that he does not have humanity and must solely be a monster. The only people who do not view him as a monster or treat him with respect are the queer-coded Doctor Pretorious (Ernest Thesiger) and the outsider blind Hermit (O.P. Heggie). In parallel scenes, The Monster shares a meal with each character, where they view The Monster as a guest. There’s a kinship among them due to their status as outsiders. As for dinner with the Hermit, it only goes away when hunters recognize The Monster and attack him. In a way, the men police this relationship and interaction by resorting to violence to reinforce his otherness and vilify him.
Aside from The Monster lies Doctor Pretorious. Doctor Pretorious exists as a queer-coded character due to his campy qualities. He’s an unmarried older man who’s also very femme and flamboyant while not traditionally masculine. He tells Frankenstein, “Follow the lead of nature — or of God, if you like your Bible stories. Male ‘and’ female created to them. Be fruitful and multiply. Create a race. A man-made race upon the face of the earth. Why not?”He exists as a force that disrupts the heteronormativity of the world and impacts it by wanting to bring in life through non-traditional means. Also, there’s the constant pull with Frankenstein wishing to be married and Pretorious pulling him into making a mate for The Monster. Pretorious refers to the two of them as “partners,” which could mean scientists or an intimate relationship. He is an older queen who helps guide Frankenstein with the latest experiment. Heck, Pretorious also takes Frankenstein away from his wedding night to bring life to The Bride.
Then comes the titular Bride (Elsa Lanchester). Much like The Monster, she also lives outside of the binary due to being alive and dead. Much more apparent with her queerness is her design. Her clothes and hair evoke a sense of camp. Specifically, the shock hairdo dramatically contrasts with the hairstyles we see women wear in the movies. It’s hugely exaggerated and becomes a parody of sorts due to its striking features. Even today, the hairstyle holds an iconic status that has stood the test of time. The other thing that the hair brings to mind is drag performers. The hair feels similar to the wigs in drag shows or programs like Dragula. Along those lines, the performance Lanchester evokes camp due to the Bride becoming an exaggerated performance of womanhood. She never talks and wails. It greatly contrasts with Frankenstein’s wife Elizabeth (Valerie Hobson). Yes, she’s a “woman,” but not a true woman like Elizabeth. Her status as a creation divides her from achieving that notion of womanhood and lives in replication of it.
The relationship between The Monster and The Bride evokes queering traditional heteronormative relationships. The Bride is a “mate” for The Monster by Frankenstein and Pretorious compared to The Monster calling her his “wife.” The scientists do not view the relationship as akin to traditional ones and view it more to reproduce or less than humans. Compared to Frankenstein and Elizabeth, The Bride and The Monster cannot have that type of relationship and love each other as they do. Also, at first, The Monster does not understand relationships and must be taught them by others. As a result of the teaching, he believes that he needs a wife despite his initial indifference. He initially describes wanting a “friend” instead of “wife.” It’s expected of him to have that type of relationship.
Their actual relationship has the components of a traditional male and female relationship, but it does not fit into the binary based on their statuses as outsiders and monsters. It attempts to replicate that conventional heteronormativity to disastrous effect. The Bride rejects The Monster after he tries to talk with her. The traditional relationship cannot work, leaving The Monster heartbroken. In response to the rejection, he cries out, “We belong dead,” before causing the castle and laboratory’s destruction, killing himself, The Bride, and Proretorious but leaving Frankenstein and Elizabeth alive following the explosion. The ending evokes tragedy due to The Monster constantly experiencing rejection and pain. The Monster, The Bride, and Proretorious cannot exist in this world, but the heteronormative relationship of Frankenstein and Elizabeth is allowed.
The Bride of Frankenstein exists as a rich movie that has stood the test of time. Aside from its status in the horror genre, it’s also crucial within queer cinema. Whale’s and the film’s legacy lives on to this day and for the better.
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Continuing “Monster March” I will be talking about An American Werewolf in London and The Fly on Thursday and Sunday.
