The Pops Gallery: The Bride of Frankenstein

One of the reasons I renamed "The Wednesday Theme" as "The Pops Gallery" was so that I could post these collections of images more than one day a week. Especially with Halloween coming, I have a number of topics that have been sitting on my hard drive since last October that I want to get out there so I can start working on my Christmas compilations!

Of the hundreds of characters in the horror genre that have served as inspiration to artists over the years, few are as iconic as THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. Many critics consider James Whale's 1935 sequel to Universal's smash adaptation of Mary Shelley's FRANKENSTEIN to be a superior film to the original. It's certainly one of the most striking movies of the era, and one of the main reasons is Elsa Lanchester's performance as the titular mate for the monster.

Makeup artist Jack Pierce (working closely with director Whale) created one of the most striking characters in film history. The 34 year old British actress may not have enjoyed working with the egotistical artist, but the results (based in part on the Egyptian queen Nefertiti) were arguably as indelible as the image of Boris Karloff's monster. Hardly as hideous as her "husband," the Bride was basically a gorgeous woman with a zany hairstyle and some pretty startling scars under her neck. Her simple garments—a white sheeted dress and bandages—add to the starkness of the image. 

What people often fail to remember is that the Bride is barely in the film. She pops up in only the last five minutes of the movie, rejecting her intended with a swan-inspired hiss and prompting another fiery unhappy ending for the mad doctor and his creations. But no matter. The Bride of Frankenstein is as legendary as the Monster, Dracula, the Wolfman, or any of the classic Universal monsters. Below is a collection of posters, stills, merchandise, and modern interpretations of this classic amalgamation of horror and glamour. For much more check out the amazing FRANKENSTEINIA blog.

Aly Fell

Arthur Adams

Bob Lizarraga

Bruce Timm

Chris Samnee

Coop

Damian Fulton

Dan Brereton

Dan Hipp

Daniel Horne

Danny Hellman

Dave Johnson

jared Moraitis

Jason Edmiston

John Lucas

Johnny Faria

Jordi Bernet

Kevin Nowlan

Marie Meier

Martin Ansin

Mia Maraujo

Mike Mignola

Kevin Tong

Oily Moss

Rhys James

Robbi Rodriguez

Sarah Joncas

Sarah Young

Obligatory Sexy Bride costume

William Stout

Me 

The Pops Gallery: The Exorcist

Ah, October, when a young man's thoughts turn to pumpkin spice, Charlie Brown, demons, and masturbating with crucifixes (crucifixi?). I am a very picky fan of the genre of horror, and it takes a lot to get me really spooked. For my money, the scariest film of all time remains William Friedkin's 1973 adaptation of William Peter Blatty's THE EXORCIST (just out in a swanky new 40th anniversary Blu-ray set). What makes my perpetual spine-tingle from this film so odd is that I cannot buy its premise. I don't believe in God, I don't believe in the devil, I don't believe in possession, I just think our brain does some crazy ass shit when it wants to.

Then again, I've always found much of the imagery and ritualism of the Catholic Church to be fairly creepy, so maybe that plays into what makes this film work for me no matter how many times I see it. For this Pops Gallery, I've cobbled together a gallery of imagery both from and inspired by the movie (kicking it off with my own alternate poster, done for an art show of redux movie pone-sheets in 2010). For more fun, go to Captain Howdy for everything EXORCIST! The power of Christ compels you!

Chris Dibari

David O'Daniel

Makinita

Devin Faraci

Adam Rabalais

Rejected poster by Bill Gold

Deadman visits by Steven Howard

Vee Chayakul