As of May of 2025, a body of 190 known films feature some version or interpretation of the character

Frankenstein's monster Frankenstein's monster, commonly referred to as Frankenstein, is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' as its main antagonist. Shelley's title compares the monster's ...

, first created by

Mary Shelley Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley ( , ; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel ''Frankenstein, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an History of science fiction# ...

in her 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''. Frankenstein's Monster is a retelling of the cultural

Golem A golem ( ; ) is an animated Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic being in Jewish folklore, which is created entirely from inanimate matter, usually clay or mud. The most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late 16th-century ...

myth. This list does not include creatures more directly inspired by The Golem, but focuses on those that Shelley's novel directly inspired. A key distinction is that The Golem is made from clay by mystics, but Frankenstein's monster is made from flesh by a scientist. Not all

undead The undead are beings in mythology, legend, or fiction that are deceased but behave as if they were alive. A common example of an undead being is a cadaver, corpse reanimated by supernatural forces, by the application of either the deceased's o ...

creatures and characters are versions of Frankenstein, as they fall into other categories of Reanimation such as a

Zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...

. Frankenstein's monster has appeared in many forms and inspired many similar characters. it has been gender-swapped, made into an animal, and given different personalities—but certain thematic elements remain, such as abandonment, the desire to be loved, and a dynamic love or hate relationship between creator and creation. The 1818 novel describes the creature's appearance as: "His yellow skin scarcely covered the work of muscles and arteries beneath; his hair was of a lustrous black, and flowing; his teeth of a pearly whiteness; but these luxuriances only formed a more horrid contrast with his watery eyes, that seemed almost of the same colour as the dun white sockets in which they were set." However, the 1931 Frankenstein film by

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

and its sequel

Bride of Frankenstein ''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American Gothic science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring ...

have had an immense influence on the appearance and wider cultural understanding of the character. This rendition of the creation is the most pervasive and appears in pop culture and advertising very frequently, giving it an iconic image and status. While the imagery of Frankenstein's monster in relation to the Universal appearance is clearly inspired by Frankenstein, it is also frequent that characters of this appearance lack any relation to the novel and depart heavily from the themes and personality of the original work. Nevertheless, characters made in the likeness of the Universal Monster are still Frankenstein's Monster, even if the only likeness is to a

pastiche A pastiche () is a work of visual art, literature, theatre, music, or architecture that imitates the style or character of the work of one or more other artists. Unlike parody, pastiche pays homage to the work it imitates, rather than mocking ...

version of the character. On the other hand, some characters such as

Mewtwo Mewtwo (; Japanese: , Hepburn: ) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's ''Pokémon'' media franchise. It was first introduced in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', and later appeared in subsequent sequels and spin-off ...

and Stitch exhibit similarities in personality, plot, and shared themes despite their lack of physical similarity.

List of films (chronological)

References

* {{Frankenstein Frankenstein's monster, list of films featuring *

List of films (chronological)

See also

References