Bride of Frankenstein: Encyclopedia II - Bride of Frankenstein - Sets and special effects

Bride of Frankenstein - Sets and special effects

The financial success of the original Frankenstein movie enabled the producers to put much more money into the production than its low-budget predecessor. The laboratory is now not just barely equipped, it is overflowing with sparks, dials, and coils. The scene in which the mate is brought to life with a bolt of lightning is greatly improved over the original. Most critics consider "Bride" to be a generally better movie, but especially so for its production values.

The impressive village prison set would be reused for Bela Lugosi's lair in The Raven of the same year, also starring Boris Karloff. The watchtower staircase was featured in Universal's popular Flash Gordon serials starring Buster Crabbe, as well as Dracula's Daughter (1936). Kenneth Strickfaden, who created and maintained the laboratory equipment, shared it in the Mel Brooks homage/spoof, Young Frankenstein (1974). The European village set, left over from All Quiet on the Western Front of 1930, was used and maintained for dozens of other studio features, until it was accidentally destroyed by fire.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Sets and special effects", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki