Silent era

The first film adaptation of Frankenstein in 1910 by Edison Studios

The first film adaptation of the tale, Frankenstein, was made by Edison Studios in 1910,^[2] written and directed by J. Searle Dawley, with Augustus Phillips as Frankenstein, Mary Fuerte as Elizabeth, and Charles Ogle as the Monster. The brief (16 min.) story has Frankenstein chemically create the Creature in a vat. The Creature has encounters with the scientist until Frankenstein's wedding night, when true love causes the Creature to vanish. For many years, this film was believed lost. A collector announced in 1980 that he had acquired a print in the 1950s and had been unaware of its rarity.

The Edison version was followed soon after by another adaptation entitled Life Without Soul (1915), directed by Joseph W. Smiley, starring William A. Cohill as Dr. William Frawley, a modern-day Frankenstein who creates a soulless man, played to much critical praise by Percy Standing, who wore little make-up in the role. The film was shot at various locations around the United States, and reputedly featured much spectacle. In the end, it turns out that a young man has dreamed the events of the film after falling asleep reading Mary Shelley's novel. This film is now considered a lost film.

There was also at least one European film version, the Italian The Monster of Frankenstein (Il Mostro di Frankenstein) in 1921. The film's producer, Luciano Albertini, essayed the role of Frankenstein, with the Creature being played by Umberto Guarracino, and Eugenio Testa directing from a screenplay by Giovanni Drivetti. This film is also now considered lost.

Universal Pictures

The first sound adaptation of the story, Frankenstein (1931), was produced by Universal Pictures, directed by James Whale, and starred Boris Karloff as the creature. The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry. Its sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) was also directed by Whale with Karloff as the Creature. It was followed by Son of Frankenstein (1939), the last of the three films with Boris Karloff as the Creature. The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) marked the Universal series' descent into B movie territory; later efforts by the studio combined two or more monsters, culminating in the comedy Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The later Universal films in which the Monster appears (and the actors who played him) are:

1. The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942 – Lon Chaney Jr.)
2. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943 – Béla Lugosi, with Eddie Parker, Gil Perkins, and a possible third stuntman often doubling)
3. The House of Frankenstein (1944 – Glenn Strange)
4. House of Dracula (1945 – Strange)
5. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948 – Strange, with Lon Chaney Jr. taking the role for one scene).

Hammer Films

In Great Britain, a long-running series by Hammer Films focused on the character of Dr Frankenstein (usually played by Peter Cushing) rather than his monster. Peter Cushing played Dr Frankenstein in all of the films except for The Horror of Frankenstein, in which the character was played by Ralph Bates. Cushing also played a creation in The Revenge of Frankenstein. David Prowse played two different Creatures.

The Hammer films are a series in the loosest sense since there is only tenuous continuity between the films after the first two (which are, by contrast, carefully connected). Starting with The Evil of Frankenstein, the films are standalone stories with occasional vague references to previous films, much the way the James Bond films form a series. In some of the films, the Baron is a kindly, even heroic figure, while in others he is ruthless, cruel and clearly the villain of the piece.

The Hammer Films series (and the actor playing the Creature) consisted of:

1. The Curse of Frankenstein (1957 – Christopher Lee)
2. The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958 – two Creatures: Michael Gwynn and Peter Cushing)
3. The Evil of Frankenstein (1964 – Kiwi Kingston)
4. Frankenstein Created Woman (1967 – Susan Denberg)
5. Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969 – Freddie Jones)
6. The Horror of Frankenstein (1970 – David Prowse) - a black comedy remake of The Curse of Frankenstein
7. Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974 – David Prowse)

In 1959, Hammer shot a half-hour pilot episode for a TV series to be called Tales of Frankenstein in association with Columbia Pictures. Anton Diffring played the Baron, and Don Megowan his creation. Curt Siodmak directed. The series was scrapped, largely because of the two companies' disagreement over what the basic thrust of the series would be: Hammer wanted to do a series about Baron Frankenstein involved in various misadventures, while Columbia wanted a series of science fiction stories loosely based around the idea of science gone wrong. Though unreleased at the time of its production, the episode is available on DVD from several public domain sources.

Other films

Depictions of the Monster have varied widely, from a savage, mindless brute to the depiction of the Monster as a kind of tragic hero (closest to the Shelley version in behavior) in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, The Bride, and Van Helsing. Throughout the Universal series, he evolved from the latter to the former.

Four films have depicted the genesis of the Frankenstein story in 1816: Gothic directed by Ken Russell (1986), Haunted Summer directed by Ivan Passer (1988), and Remando al viento (English title: Rowing with the Wind) directed by Gonzalo Suárez (1988) and Mary Shelley directed by Haifaa al-Mansour (2017). The opening scene of Bride of Frankenstein also dealt with this event.

Parodies and satires

• Between 1921 and 1922, H.P. Lovecraft wrote the serialized "Herbert West, Reanimator" in six parts, as a satirical send-up of Mary Shelley's original novel.
• In the Mighty Mouse's 1942 cartoon Frankenstein's Cat, a community of mice and birds are living and playing peacefully until the arrival of the title character: a mechanical cat who wants to eat everything that comes his way.^[15]
• In the 1964 cartoon Dr. Devil and Mr. Hare, a Frankenstein monster robot beats up both the Tasmanian Devil and Bugs Bunny.
• A 1965–1968 cartoon series featured the overly-nice Milton the Monster and "Fangenstein".
• In a 1968 episode of The Inspector entitled "Transylvania Mania", a smart Dracula-like character and a stupid Frankenstein-like creature try to steal the Inspector's brain to put it in a new creature that the vampire is building.
• The 1968 Beatles movie, Yellow Submarine, featured a scene with the Frankenstein Monster drinking a potion and becoming John Lennon.^[16]
• The 1970 cartoon Groovie Goolies featured Frankie, a friendly version of the Monster. Howard Morris did the voice work.
• Franken Berry (1971), the mascot of the General Mills cereal of the same name, is a friendly parody of the Monster (cartoon and movie clip versions of the actual Frankenstein Monster have appeared in some commercials).
• The Mel Brooks and Gene Wilder comedy Young Frankenstein (1974) borrows heavily from the first three Universal Frankenstein films, especially Son of Frankenstein. The production used many of James Whale's original laboratory set pieces and employed the technical contributions of their original creator, Kenneth Strickfaden. Wilder portrays Dr. Frankenstein's American grandson, Frederick, while Peter Boyle plays the Monster. A Turkish remake, Sevimli Frankestayn was released in 1975. Brooks later adapted his film for musical theater. The musical Young Frankenstein opened on Broadway in November 2007.
• The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) was a musical parody of the story. In this twisted comedic tale, Dr. Frank N. Furter creates a creature for his own pleasure (named 'Rocky') and finds that his creature has heterosexual lusts as well.
• In the 1976 live action Saturday morning show, Monster Squad, three monster statues from a wax museum come to life to fight crime, Dracula, Bruce W. Wolf (a werewolf), and Frank N. Stein (Frankenstein's Monster). The monster was portrayed by Michael Lane
• The 1995 Disney Mickey Mouse short Runaway Brain features Mickey going to the nefarious Dr. Frankenollie and having his brain switched with a monster's.
• The 1982 young adult novel Frank and Stein and Me by Kin Platt has the protagonist meet the strange Dr. Stein and his hulking creature Frank while on the run from smugglers. In the novel Frank is described as an accident victim that Dr Stein has saved from death and rebuilt. The book features a running joke with Stein being confused by references to Frankenstein, being unfamiliar with the story.
• The 1985 teen comedy Weird Science stars two high school students, who are inspired by the original Universal film to create through a Memotech MTX512 home computer a virtual idealistic girlfriend, but the situation degennperates when they, hacking into a government mainframe for more power and engaging in a weird ritual, end up creating an actual girl. The film and the music video for the theme and the song of the same name by Oingo Boingo features a clip of the "It's Alive!" scene and frontman Danny Elfman doing an impression of Dr. Frankenstein in the music video.
• Frankenhooker (1990) is a parody of the Universal films in which Jeffrey Franken gathers body parts from various streetwalkers in order to build the "perfect" woman. This same concept was borrowed for 2006's Perfect Woman (mentioned above).
• The Tim Burton film Frankenweenie and it's 2012 remake bear many references to the Frankenstein story.
• A 2001 short film called Frankenthumb, directed by Steve Oedekerk, a parody of the 1931 film told with thumbs with superimposed faces and elaborate miniature sets.
• Return of the Killer Tomatoes (1988) includes a scene in which the lead character is watching a movie called Frankenstein's Mummy (as a spoof of the 1940s sequel titles) on nighttime television. Return also features a character named Igor who parodies the "hunchbacked assistant" cliche upon his first appearance in the film.
• Frank Enstein (1992) is a direct-to-video children's film about a robot named "Frank Enstein" who goes on an adventure.
• The Addams Family (2019) features a scene where Wednesday brings the dead frogs in science class back to life a la Dr. Frankenstein in a parody of the 1931 film.

Music

• The 1962 novelty song "Monster Mash" is narrated by a Dr. Frankenstein-like character, who talks about his Monster learning a new dance.
• "Frankenstein" is a 1973 instrumental by the Edgar Winter Group - so named because it was constructed from bits and pieces of several different takes.
• The video for Yazoo's song "Don't Go" featured a Frankenstein theme.
• In the video for her 1983 song "Telephone (Long Distance Love Affair)", Sheena Easton is pursued through a haunted house by Frankenstein's Monster.
• In The Dead Milkmen video "Big Time Operator" lead singer Rodney is depicted as FrankenElvis.
• For their 1987 single, "Doin' It All for My Baby", Huey Lewis and the News used a Frankenstein theme in a video performance.
• The lyrics of T'Pau's 1987 song "China in Your Hand" reference Frankenstein.^[20]
• "Frankenstein" is a song by funk metal band Clutch from Pure Rock Fury.
• "Dr. Stein", a song produced by the power metal band Helloween for their 1988 album Keeper of the Seven Keys, Pt. 2, is based on Victor Frankenstein and his Monster.
• Hillbilly Frankenstein was the name of a band formed in 1988 in Athens, Georgia.
• Rock musician Alice Cooper recorded a song titled "Teenage Frankenstein" for his 1986 album Constrictor, and recorded "Feed My Frankenstein" for his 1991 album Hey Stoopid. The latter song was also featured in the 1992 film Wayne's World.
• Electric Frankenstein is an American punk rock band from New Jersey.
• Frankenstein Drag Queens From Planet 13, a horror punk band formed in North Carolina in 1996.
• How I Made This, the multimedia musical composition of Ukrainian-born Russian composer Evgeni Kostitsyn, won first place at the First International Competition for Composers in the Ukraine in 1998.
• Sam Cooke's song "Another Saturday Night" includes a verse that goes: "Another fellow told me / He had a sister who looked just fine. / Instead of being my deliverance, she had a strange resemblance / To a cat [guy] named Frankenstein."
• Frankenstein Girls Will Seem Strangely Sexy is the title of a 2000 album by the band Mindless Self Indulgence.
• "Frankenstein" is a song by American metal band Iced Earth from their 2001 album Horror Show, which features songs themed after classic movie monsters.
• "Some Kind of Monster" is a 2004 song by Metallica which uses themes from Frankenstein.
• "Jesse James meets Frankenstein's Daughter" is a song by American Folk musician Space Mandino.
• The Rammstein song "Mutter" is about a monster that kills its creator or mom in this case.
• The musical The Rocky Horror Picture Show includes a song called "There's A Light (Over At The Frankenstein Place)"
• The Abby Travis music video for her 2011 single Lightning Squared is a cartoon parody of the Frankenstein story, with the Monster and his Bride as doomed lovers forever on the run from an angry mob.
• The punk band Crass referenced Frankenstein in the song "Reject of Society".
• Dr. Frankenstein a concept album/rock opera written by Cuban/Mexican musician José Fors, was based on both the original novel and James Whale's films. It was released in 2009.
• East Bay hardcore punk band The Nerve Agents included a song called "Planet Frankenstein" on a split EP they released in collaboration with New York hardcore punk band Kill Your Idols in 2000.
• Toy Love released a 1980 single, "Bride of Frankenstein".
• The German band Oomph!'s song "Brennende Liebe" details a sort of Frankenstein scenario, and the video features Frankenstein, his wife, and the scientist and his associates.
• The rock band Glass Wave included a song about Frankenstein's Monster (entitled "Creature") on their 2010 album. The lyrics are sung through the Creature's voice.
• Kevin Max's song "Jumpstart Your Electric Heart", from his 2005 album The Imposter is a modern-day retelling of Shelley's Frankenstein.
• In the "Weird Al" Yankovic song parody, "Perform This Way", Frankenstein was mentioned on the lyrics.
• Pop singer Chisu released a single titled "Frankenstein" in 2012 with Finnish lyrics. It was also used as the theme song for a dark comedy TV series in Finland, Helsingin herra, in 2012.
• Bob Dylan's 2020 song "My Own Version of You", featuring a narrator who wants to "bring someone to life" using the body parts of disparate corpses, was inspired by Shelley's novel and makes several explicit references to it in the lyrics.^[21]
• In their song "Maniac" from the EP Oddinary (2022), Stray Kids encourages listeners to embrace the odd sides in themselves and show how maniac they can be using the metaphor of Frankenstein. They included the Frankenstein reference in their lyrics, choreography, and promotional photos.^[22]
• In Swedish House Mafia and ASAP Rocky's "Frankenstein" from Paradise Again, ASAP Rocky compares himself and frequent collaborator Tyler, the Creator to Victor Frankenstein and Igor, respectively, the latter of whom has an album called Igor which refers to the character's archetype.

Radio

• On August 3, 1931, Alonzo Dean Cole adapted the novel as a 30-minute episode of his program The Witch's Tale. It was redone on March 7, 1932 and July 17, 1935.
• In 1932, George Edwards produced a 13-part, 3-hour series for radio. It follows the structure and spirit of the novel closely.
• On January 8, 1944 it was adapted as a 30-minute drama on the syndicated program The Weird Circle.
• On December 13, 1947 it was adapted as a 30-minute drama on the program Favorite Story.
• In 1952, an adaptation was broadcast on NBC Presents: Short Story.
• A 30-minute drama version was broadcast on Suspense on November 3, 1952 starring Herbert Marshall and again on June 7, 1955 starring Stacy Harris.
• In 1994, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a two-part adaptation written by Nick Stafford and directed by Claire Grove, with Michael Maloney as Frankenstein and John Wood as the Creature.^[23]
• In 1999, the Radio Tales drama series presented an adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel for National Public Radio.
• In 2012, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a two-part adaptation as part of their Gothic Imagination series written by Lucy Catherine and directed by Marc Beeby, with Jamie Parker as Frankenstein, Shaun Dooley as the Monster and Susie Riddell as Elizabeth.^[24]
• In 2014, Big Finish Productions released an audio version by Jonathan Barnes directed by Scott Handcock^[25] starring Arthur Darvill as Victor Frankenstein, Nicholas Briggs as Waldman/the Creature, Geoffrey Beevers as Alphonse Frankenstein/DeLacey, Georgia Tennant as Elizabeth and Terry Molloy.

Parodies have been broadcast on radio:

• On January 12, 1945 Boris Karloff guest-starred on Duffy's Tavern and appeared in a parody of Frankenstein.
• On January 27, 1957 The Goon Show broadcast The Curse of Frankenstein (which actually had nothing to do with the Frankenstein story except for the title).
• On March 10, 1968 the BBC Radio comedy series Round the Horne broadcast as part of its "Movies Gone Wrong" segment "Frankenstein's Monster".
• On August 7, 2008, in the Bleak Expectations episode "A Happy Life, Cruelly Re-Kippered", the antagonist Gently Benevolent is brought back to life using electricity by the mad scientist Francis Norman 'Frank N.' Sternbeater, one of many of Benevolent's step-siblings who serve as his evil accomplices.
• On November 20, 2014, in Series 4 Episode 6 of the BBC Radio comedy series John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme, when Finnemore's storyteller character is invited to Castle Krupenstein for a scientific demonstration, he is greeted by a slow, groaning character (voiced by Simon Kane) who he believes is 'Krupenstein's monster', but who is in fact her husband. Dr. Gretchen Krupenstein is revealed to have invented a time machine, not a means of reanimation.

Stage

• Presumption; or, the Fate of Frankenstein, written by Richard Brinsley Peake, was produced at the English Opera House in London in 1823.
• Frankenstein, or The Vampire's Victim is an 1887 musical burlesque composed by Meyer Lutz and written by Richard Henry.
• Frankenstein is an experimental theatre play created by The Living Theater, a company founded in 1947 and originally based in New York, but mainly touring in Europe in the late 1960s.
• A Broadway adaptation of the story by Victor Gialanella played for one performance on January 4, 1981 (after 29 previews) and was considered the most expensive non-musical flop ever produced to that date.^[26] However, the New York Times writer Carol Lawson observed that "critics have remarked that Mr. (Bran) Ferren's work on this play (the special effects and sound designer), which included the spectacular destruction of Dr. Frankenstein's laboratory by his Monster, had the lavishness that audiences have come to expect in films, but have never before seen in the theater." It is noteworthy for John Carradine's playing the part of the blind "DeLacey". Also starring were David Dukes as "Victor Frankenstein", Dianne Wiest as "Elizabeth", John Glover as "Henry Clervel", and Keith Joachim as "the Creature".^[27][28]
• The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis commissioned Barbara Field to write a response/adaptation to Shelley's novel. The play, called "Frankenstein - Playing with Fire," went on a national tour in early 1988^[29] before playing at the Guthrie during the summer of 1988.^[30] The Guthrie restaged the play in September–October 2018.^[31][32]
• Catalyst Theatre's musical adaptation premiered in 2007 in Edmonton and had subsequent productions in Banff (Eric Harvie Theatre), Vancouver (The Cultch), Saskatoon (Persephone Theatre), Calgary (Theatre Calgary/High Performance Rodeo), Whitehorse (Yukon Arts Centre), and Toronto (Canadian Stage). Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Christenson, from the original novel.
• Joined At The Heart is a musical with music and lyrics by Graham Brown and Geoff Meads, book by Frances Anne Bartam and directed by Frances Brownlie. It tells the love story of Victor Frankenstein and his step-sister Elizabeth, a young orphan girl taken in by Victor's parents and cared for as if she were their own daughter. When Victor's mother dies, he vows to end the suffering that death brings by pursuing eternal life. Joined At The Heart reached the final of the Worldwide Search for Musicals competition. The show was produced at The Junction 2 in Cambridge, UK from 1–4 August 2007 and at the Edinburgh Fringe in Scotland from 12–18 August 2007.
• Young Frankenstein, a musical theatre adaptation of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, opened in November 2007 and closed in January 2009.^[33]
• Frankenstein - A New Musical, a pop-opera adaptation which adhered closely to the original novel, opened at 37 Arts Theatre, New York, in autumn 2007 and closed in December 2007. The first UK performance was at The Stables Theatre Hastings in May 2009. Music was by Mark Baron, book by Jefferey Jackson and Gary P. Cohen.^[34]
• A performance storytelling production of Frankenstein is currently touring both in the UK and internationally. It is performed by storyteller Ben Haggarty and the composer, singer and musician Sianed Jones.^[35]
• Frankenstein, a play adapted by Nick Dear from the original novel, premiered at the Royal National Theatre in 2011. This production originally starred Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller alternating in the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature. A recording of the performance was broadcast live in cinemas worldwide in March 2011. It was later produced in the Sydney Opera House and the Denver Center for the Performing Arts.
• A Korean musical adaptation of the book, written and directed by Wang Yong-beom and songs by Lee Seong-joon, premiered on March 11, 2014.^[36] The show achieved unprecedented level of success for an original domestic production, and it has since been produced in Japan and China as well. Each country's top stars, such as Park Eun Tae and Akinori Nakagawa have been in it.^[37]
• FRANKENSTEIN, a musical theatre adaptation by Eric B. Sirota (book, music and lyrics) opened at St. Luke's Theatre, an Off-Broadway venue in NYC on Oct. 9, 2017, and continued to run there into its fourth calendar year until the pandemic. It is described as "a sweeping romantic musical about the human need for love and companionship."
• The Royal Ballet's production of Frankenstein in collaboration with San Francisco Ballet was produced and choreographed by Liam Scarlett, score by Lowell Liebermann and costume and set by John Macfarlane, with Federico Bonelli as Victor, Laura Morera as Elizabeth and Steven Mcrae as 'the Creature' on opening night. It was also broadcast live to cinemas on 18 May 2016. The production premiered 4 May 2016 and the run lasted until 24 May 2016. The ballet is being revived for the first time in the 2018/2019 season from the 5–23 March 2019 with a run of nine shows.^[38]

Novels

The story of Frankenstein and "Frankenstein's monster", has formed the basis of many original novels over the years, some of which were considered sequels to Shelley's original work, and some of which were based more upon the character as portrayed in the Universal films. Yet others were completely new tales inspired by Frankenstein.

• 1913: Edgar Rice Burroughs' The Monster Men features a scientist going to a remote Indonesian island, there to try to create an artificial human being. He actually creates no less than thirteen of them - but there are many problems.
• 1957: French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière wrote six Frankenstein novels in 1957 and 1958 for Angoisse, the horror imprint of publisher Fleuve Noir, under the house pseudonym of Benoît Becker (with plotting assistance from Guy Bechtel for the first novel).
  • 1. La Tour de Frankenstein [The Tower of Frankenstein] (FNA No. 30, 1957)
  • 2. Le Pas de Frankenstein [The Step of Frankenstein] (FNA No. 32, 1957)
  • 3. La Nuit de Frankenstein [The Night of Frankenstein] (FNA No. 34, 1957)
  • 4. Le Sceau de Frankenstein [The Seal of Frankenstein] (FNA No. 36, 1957)
  • 5. Frankenstein Rôde [Frankenstein Prowls] (FNA No. 41, 1958)
  • 6. La Cave de Frankenstein [The Cellar of Frankenstein] (FNA No. 50, 1959)

Carrière followed the footsteps of the Monster, christened Gouroull, as he made his way back from Iceland, to Scotland, and then Germany and Switzerland, from the late 1800s to the 1920s. The plots have the Monster pursuing his own evil agenda, unafraid of the weaker humans. Even people who try to help or reason with him are just as likely to be killed by the inhuman fiend. Two further novels were published in the series by Black Coat Press. The books, The Quest of Frankenstein and The Triumph of Frankenstein, were written by Frank Schildiner.

• 1972: Popular Library published a series of nine novels called The Frankenstein Horror Series. Despite the title of the series, only the first book, The Frankenstein Wheel (catalog #01544), by Paul W. Fairman, actually concerns the further exploits of Frankenstein's creation. The remaining eight books were unrelated stories using different horror themes.
• 1973: Frankenstein Unbound, by Brian Aldiss, combining the titles of Mary Shelley's novel with Percy Bysshe Shelley's Prometheus Unbound (1820), sends a time traveler from the 21st century back to Geneva in 1816, when Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin (as she was known then) was engaged in writing the original Frankenstein story.
• 1975: Robert J. Myers wrote a sequel to Shelley's novel called The Cross of Frankenstein (ISBN 0-397-01086-9), in which the illegitimate son of Victor Frankenstein finds the Creature alive and well and plotting the destruction of mankind in the wilds of America in 1816. Myers followed up the novel in 1976 with a second novel called The Slave of Frankenstein (ISBN 0-397-01126-1), where racism is added to the Creature's long list of sins as Frankenstein's illegitimate son again thwarts his plans to create a race of perfect slaves in the pre-Civil War America of 1859. A third novel in the series was announced, but never published.
• 1978: Allan Rune Pettersson wrote two novels in 1978 and 1989
  • Frankenstein's Aunt
  • Frankenstein's Aunt Returns
• 1986: In The Frankenstein Papers, Fred Saberhagen retells Shelley's story (with significant modifications) from the Monster's point of view. It is revealed that the novel had actually taken place during the American Revolution and Benjamin Franklin and his son play a major role in the novel. It is revealed through a series of letters, as well as the Monster's journal, that the Monster is actually an amnesiac humanoid alien who was disfigured by the electric explosion used in Victor's experiments, and that the creature that Victor had stitched together never in fact came to life. It is also revealed that Victor had performed the experiments under the behest of the sinister British nobleman Roger Seville, who had wished to create a race of supermen so as to form a colony of slaves and to defeat the American rebels. It is also implied that Seville and his hunchbacked assistant Small had murdered Victor's family in order to blackmail him, and that the novel was actually written by Robert Walton (who wanted to profit from the slave business) as a means to spread distrust to the Monster. However, Benjamin rescues the alien and helps him regain his memory with the help of Cagliostro; the book ends with the alien departing Earth, and deciding that, despite the cruelty men like Seville are capable of, men like Benjamin Franklin are the true examples of the human race.
• 1986: In Stephen King's It, the monster "It" takes the form of Frankenstein's Monster.
• 1986: Margaret Tarner wrote an adaptation of the novel for elementary students as part of the Macmillan Readers series from Macmillan Publishers (ISBN 978-0435271060). An audiobook of this version was published in 1992 (ISBN 978-0435272876).
• 1994: Leonore Fleischer wrote a novelization of the Kenneth Branagh film.
• 1997: Frankenstein According to Spike Milligan is one of a series of parody novels by Spike Milligan. In this, Milligan crafts a bizarre story, with many gags based on specific moments and instances from the text of the novel, such as "I am self-educated: for the first fourteen years of my life I ran wild on the common. At the end of that time I fell exhausted to the ground."
• 2003: Jim Benton has written a series of children's chapter books about a female mad scientist that goes by the name Franny K. Stein
• 2004: Dean Koontz has written a series of Frankenstein novels titled Dean Koontz's Frankenstein. These stories are set in modern-day New Orleans, looking at Victor Frankenstein and his Monster (now known as Deucalion) having survived to the present day, with Deucalion recruiting a pair of New Orleans detectives to oppose the plans of Victor Helios (Frankenstein's modern alias) to destroy humanity and replace them with his 'New Race'.
• 2005: Joseph Covino Jr. wrote the first novel in a planned trilogy adapting and combining the characters and scenarios of the horror classics Frankenstein and Dracula, preserving the original stories of both perfectly intact without corrupting or distorting either: Frankenstein Resurrected.
• 2007 Larry Correia's Monster Hunter International series features a government agent known as Special Agent Franks, who is eventually revealed to have been a golem created in the 1700s by Johann Konrad Dippel that inspired Mary Shelley. In contrast to the novel, Dippel educates Franks before sending him out into the world.
• 2008: Peter Ackroyd's The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein is a postmodern retelling of the original story in which Victor Frankenstein encounters Percy Bysshe Shelley while studying in London. (ISBN 978-0-7011-8295-3)
• 2012: The Fear Index by Robert Harris uses artificial intelligence as a metaphor for Frankenstein's Monster.
• 2015: Mackenzi Lee's debut novel,This Monstrous Thing, is a young adult retelling of Frankenstein set in an alternate fantastical world. The novel's protagonist, Alastair Finch, uses clockwork technology to resurrect his (deceased) brother. Interestingly, Shelley's Frankenstein is published in Finch's world, so both men (human and Monster) hide as society tries to identify the "real" subjects in Shelley's tale. (ISBN 978-0062382788)
• 2016: The Patchwork Devil by Cavan Scott features Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson post-World War One investigating a severed hand that was found on a battlefield in fresh condition three years after the man in question (identified by the hand's fingerprints) was known to have died. Their investigations reveal that various parties in the government were attempting to recreate Victor Frankenstein's experiments, their efforts coordinated by a living descendant of the doctor. Holmes and Watson also meet the original monster, who seeks to die but has so far found no way of killing himself, although they express doubts about the truth of that tale or the veracity of the experiments.
• 2017: William A. Chanler's Son of Terror: Frankenstein Continued, a direct sequel to Frankenstein that begins in the Arctic shortly after Victor's death. (ISBN 978-1541343085)
• 2017: In Monstrumfuhrer by Edward M. Erdelac Joseph Mengele discovers Frankenstein's lab journal and is ordered to recreate his experiments in his laboratory in Auschwitz. A young Jewish boy escapes and heads north to find the original Creature in the hope that he can convince him to stop Mengele.
• 2017: The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter by Theodora Goss depicts Adam as an antagonist to a group of "monstrous" women, each of whom "must contend with the monstrous bodies they've been given, in most cases against their will, by men acting on ideological impulse."^[39] As well as Adam himself, the protagonists include Justinia Frankenstein, the "bride" Frankenstein created in the novel from the corpse of the family's dead servant, who was brought back to life without her original memories.

Comics

The Monster has also been the subject of many comic book adaptations, ranging from the ridiculous (a 1960s series portraying The Monster as a superhero; see below), to more straightforward interpretations of Shelley's work.

Toys and games

Frankenstein's Monster appears in the Konami video game series Castlevania numerous times, with its name being "the Monster" or "the Creature", often as a major boss, but sometimes as a regular enemy. The Monster usually has the appearance of the Karloff/Universal version; however, the 2010 series reboot Castlevania: Lords of Shadow features a completely different-looking boss known as the "Mechanical Monstrosity", created some time prior to 1047 by "Friedrich von Frankenstein".

Several other video game version are also available, including Bride of Frankenstein (Commodore 64 and ZX Spectrum), Frankenstein: Through the Eyes of the Monster - A Cinematic Adventure Starring Tim Curry (PC CD-ROM) and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, (Super NES, Genesis, Sega CD) based on the 1994 film of the same name. Other games featuring the monster include Frankenstein: The Monster Returns for the original Nintendo Entertainment System and Frankenstein's Monster for the Atari 2600.

In the 1995 Super NES game Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!, Kong's archenemy, King K. Rool, assumes the persona of Baron K. Roolenstein.

A Frankenstein-like monster called Victor von Gerdenheim is a playable character in the fighting game series Darkstalkers, along with many other monsters from popular culture.

Frankenstein's Monster also appears in the video game adaptation of the film Van Helsing. He only appears as a non-playable character.

The role-playing game Promethean: The Created by White Wolf Publishing, focuses on beings created from human remains and animated by "the Divine Fire" who seek to attain humanity. One of the "Lineages" (groupings) of said creatures is that of the Frankensteins, who, like their namesake, are crafted from the best parts of multiple corpses and brought to life by lightning. The Monster himself, going by the name John Verney, appears in some of the book's fiction and illustrations.

In 1989, the line of action figures for The Real Ghostbusters featured figures of several Universal Monsters, including Frankenstein's Monster.

In 2002, LEGO released a Dr. Frankenstein and Monster set as part of the LEGO Studios toy line. In 2011, a new green-skinned Minifigure called Monster resembles the creature.

The 2008 video game Fable II contains a quest in which a man named Victor is attempting to reanimate the body of a deceased woman, both homages to the book. Upon completion of the quest, if the player buys the house, it unlocks an area known as "the Shelley Tomb", a reference to the author of the novel.

In the 2009 Wii game MadWorld, Frankenstein's Monster appears as a boss battle at the base of a dungeon, and is simply called "Frank" with bolts in his back, rather than in his neck as common stereotypes depict. He is also shown as being regenerative when connected to an electric chair, and his size well exceeds the usually large 7'0" to go as much as 20'0".

In Atlus' popular Persona series, the residents of the "Velvet Room", a supernatural room that is "Between mind and matter", are named after characters from the Frankenstein series, namely Igor, Elizabeth, Margaret, Theodore, Marie, Lavenza, Caroline, and Justine.

In 2019, Plaid Hat Games released Abomination: The Heir of Frankenstein, a board game sequel to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, taking place 20 years after the events of the novel. In Abomination, the Creature lives and recruits scientists in Paris (the role of the players) to carry on the work of Victor Frankenstein, while Captain Walton seeks to stop the competition and fulfill his vow.^[44]

Also in 2019, Steel Wool Studios released Curse of Dreadbear, a Hallowe'en-themed downloadable content pack to their virtual reality game Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted. The eponymous Dreadbear is a Frankenstein version of series mascot Freddy Fazbear, and was initially named "Franken Freddy" during Curse of Dreadbear's development. Dreadbear is included in merchandise and cameos in Five Nights at Freddy's: Security Breach on cardboard cutouts.

Frankenstein's Monster appears in the horror fighting game Terrordrome 2: Reign of the Legends. This version of the Monster considers himself the legitimate son of Victor Frankenstein, explaining why the game calls him 'Frankenstein' instead of 'Frankenstein's Monster'.

The Creature of Dr. Frankenstein appears as the main character in the 2019 video game 'The Wanderer: Frankenstein's Creature' (Nintendo Switch, PC, iOS/Android). The game was co-produced by La Belle Games and Arte and is a point-and-click narrative adventure which features a story based more closely on Mary Shelley's novel than a number of modern popular culture references to Frankenstein.^[45]

The popular Fashion-Doll line Monster High (the concept of the line being children of famous monsters attending a high school) has a character called "Frankie Stein", who is the daughter of Frankenstein's Monster and his Bride.

Other usages

In the 1920s, carbon monoxide was regarded as the Frankenstein of civilization in the context of humankind's industrial production of the gas and widespread problems with carbon monoxide poisoning leading to the notion of carbon monoxide as "the automaton that turns on its maker, pursues him to the ends of the earth and finally destroys him”.^[46]

Science fiction author Isaac Asimov coined the term Frankenstein complex for the fear of robots.

Frankensteining is a term used by abusers of crystal methamphetamine to calm themselves by diassembling and reassembling objects. The term is used in that subculture and is recently gaining wider currency: it has been used in an episode of CSI: Miami and has four different definitions in Urban Dictionary, all with the same meaning of assembling parts from diverse sources.

Frankenstein or Franken- is sometimes used as a prefix to imply artificial monstrosity as in "Frankenfood", a politically charged name, coined by the American academic Paul Lewis, for genetically manipulated foodstuffs. The Franken- prefix can also mean anything assembled haphazardly from originally disparate elements, especially if those parts were previously discarded by others—for example, a car built from parts salvaged from many other cars. For many years Eddie Van Halen played a guitar built in such a manner which he called the "Frankenstrat".

In 1971, General Mills introduced "Franken Berry", a strawberry-flavored corn cereal whose mascot is a variation of the Monster from the 1931 movie.

"Frankenstein" is the name of a character in the 1975 movie Death Race 2000 and its 2008 remake Death Race. The first incarnation was portrayed by veteran actor David Carradine and the second by Jason Statham.

The 1984 novel Gothic Romance by Emmanuel Carrère is about the writing of Frankenstein, told from John William Polidori's perspective.^[47]

George A. Romero's 1985 film Day of the Dead features a scientist conducting experiments on zombies nicknamed "Frankenstein".

The hit song China in Your Hand by the British rock band T'Pau employs the story of Frankenstein, and Mary Shelley's writing of it, in its role as a classic cautionary tale.

In David Brin's science fiction novel Kiln People, defective golems that become autonomous are called "frankies".

Mewtwo of the Pokémon franchise has been likened to Frankenstein's Monster in regards to being born through an artificial means and discontent with the fact.^[48][49]

Stitch, the main protagonist of Disney's Lilo & Stitch franchise, was somewhat influenced by the Monster, as he was created by a scientist from miscellaneous alien DNA. Unlike Shelley's Monster, however, his intentions were initially evil until he discovered an inner loneliness, causing him, and eventually his creator, to turn from crime to justice. Throughout the franchise, Stitch also demonstrates the Monster's Herculean strength and childlike curiosity.

In season 3 of Beast Wars Megatron clones Dinobot, making a Frankenstein's Monster out of the clone by transmetallizing him with the Transmetal Driver and adding the half of Rampage's mutant spark he cut out earlier. The result was an extremely mutated Transmetal II minion under the influence of his "half-brother's" evil.

In 2006, the book The 101 Most Influential People Who Never Lived listed Dr. Frankenstein's Monster (sic) at #6.^[50][51]

The California Medical Association, in a rather humorous gesture, chose Halloween 2006 to announce that Dr. Richard Frankenstein had been elected president of the organization.^[52][53] He had previously been president of the Orange County Medical Association in 1995-1996.^[54]

Frankenstein is a character in the Korean web-comic manhwa Noblesse. He, like that of the actual character Frankenstein, is a scientist, but the similarities end there. Through his research he has gained immortality and immense power. He now serves the most powerful of all vampires, the Noblesse.

Pop artist Eric Millikin created a large mosaic portrait of Frankenstein's Monster out of Halloween candy and spiders as part of his "Totally Sweet" series in 2013.^[55]

The character Professor Franken Stein from Soul Eater is a composite of Victor Frankenstein and the Monster, covered in stitches with a screw through his head as the result of self-experimentation.

In Hellsing, Alexander Anderson is based on Frankenstein's Monster, given that his name came from a song that has a reference about Frankenstein's Monster, his abilities are similar and he is referred to as God's Monster after using the nail of Helena.

Frankenstein's Monster appears as the Berserker class Servant of the Black Faction in the Fate/stay night spin-off Fate/Apocrypha. This depiction of the Monster is a young female homunculus in a wedding gown.

The 2015 film Ex Machina is a film noir retelling of the Frankenstein story with a 21st-century femme fatale android.