The noun a “monster” can be defined in two precise ways, an imaginary creature that is typically large, ugly, and a frightening or an inhumanly cruel or wicked person.
In class we’ve been slowly answering our driving question: Why is horror such an effective way to reflect and comment on our society? We have been creating and finding answers to more specific questions about horror and society to gain a deeper understanding before we attempt the driving question.
In this post I will reflect on Mary Shellys novel Frankenstein and the two films 1931’s Frankenstein and 1998’s Gods and Monsters to answer the question: Who is the real monster?
Mary Shelly’s novel Frankenstein was a huge hit at the time for many reasons.
One is that the story of Frankenstein coming back to life, was inline with a huge medical development being the use of electricity to save life’s. This made the horror of this story very real to some who were worried about the effects this may have.
The concept of being an outsider in society is something that was not only relatable then but now, which is why this novel is a classic and the character Frankenstein is still well known today.
While watching the films I took notes in the analysis chart above interpreting specific scenes to help answer the driving question and acknowledging the parts of the film that creates the horror such as set and sound that we should include in the film we will be making as a class.
The common monster in this book and movies is always thought to be creature Frankenstein, but after experiencing and analyzing each I don’t believe that’s the correct. In reality the monster is mankind with Dr. Frankenstein paving the way. This creature that dr. Frankenstein developed never meant to cause any harm but was led to the anger and confusion that caused his terrible actions by not being excepted and cared for. In society the stereotypes on social, ethnic, and racial groups can have the same effect of unjust exclusion.