One of the most popular horror stories in the world is that of Frankenstein's monster, the imaginary creature created by the novelist Mary Shelley. The monster was said to have been made from the pieces of dead bodies collected by an obsessed scientist named Victor Frankenstein. Besides being frightening to look at, this creature had the strength to tear people apart with its bare hands. The monster was usually peaceful until people drove it into a rage.
Biggie Size: When Victor Frankenstein was searching from pieces from which to build his monster, he took the largest body parts he could find from several different corpses. The result was a monster that was much larger than an average human.
It's Alive!: This monster was brought to life with electricity. When Mary Shelley wrote the novel, she based this idea on experiments in which scientists had made the limbs of corpses twitch by passing electric currents through the bodies.
He's No Dummy[]
The doctor was a real cut-up when it comes to his monster.
Frankenstein's monster is often portrayed as a vicious killer without much ability to think. In the original story, however, the nameless creature was highly intelligent. It was eager to learn about life and human emotions; it spoke well and even learned to read. In the novel, the people around it turned Dr. Frankenstein's creation into a monster. Everyone who looked upon Dr. Frankenstein's creature turned in horror from it's hideous appearance, and it shunned human contact. Forced with such a lonely existence, the monster swore vengeance upon its creator.
Made Man: Bent on revenge, Frankenstein's monster made its creator's loved ones its target. The creature killed its doctor's younger brother and framed a friend for the crime. Knowing he was responsible, Dr. Frankenstein was tormented by guilt.
No Love: Dr. Frankenstein agreed to make a female companion for his monster, but destroyed the new creation before it was finished. In a fit of rage, the monster strangled the doctor's best friend and fiancé to make sure he lived a lonely life as well.
Northern Exposure[]
After accepting its isolation, Frankenstein's monster flees to the extreme north to live out the rest of its lonely life. Unable to live with the idea that the monster is still out there, and may kill again, Victor Frankenstein chases after it. The miserable doctor is unable to catch up with his creation, and dies from exposure to the Arctic cold. The monster carries its creator's body away.
Trivia[]
- It is one of only two Monsters of the Mind not have a Trading Card, along with Mr. Hyde.
- Coincidentally, both are fictional creatures from 1800's literature.
- Frankenstein's monster featured on several Monster Mania cards:
- It is one of the suspects on the Monster Mania 63 card, A Monster Special, one of the mysteries investigated by the Weird n' Wild Detectives.
- It is later featured in Literary Legends on Monster Mania 73.
- The subheading "It's Alive!" comes from the monster's 1931 movie, and is also used on the Gigantopithecus knowledge card.