Young Frankenstein

A black-and-white comedic laboratory scene shows a disheveled man slumped over a body, while two other people stand beside him. Mechanical equipment and stone walls surround the group.

Mel Brooks gives the horror classic a riotous twist in this unforgettable parody of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel and its many film adaptations.

Respected young neurosurgeon Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) discovers that he has inherited the castle of his late grandfather, the infamous mad scientist Dr. Victor von Frankenstein. He travels to Transylvania to inspect the property, where he meets a funny hunchback named Igor (Marty Feldman), a pretty lab assistant (Teri Garr), and a curmudgeonly elderly housekeeper (Cloris Leachman). The young Frankenstein (pronounced "Fronk-en-steen") has long believed that his grandfather was delusional, but when he discovers his grandfather's notes describing his reanimation experiment, he suddenly changes his mind. He decides to pick up where his grandfather left off and, with the help of Igor, sets out to bring Frankenstein's Monster back to life.

A deeply irreverent take on the horror genre, Young Frankenstein pays a homage to Universal Pictures horror films of the 1930s by mimicking their visual style, including black-and-white cinematography and old movie-style scene transitions and even reusing some of the original laboratory equipment created by Kenneth Strickfaden for the 1931 Frankenstein.

Part of our "Happy Birthday, Mel Brooks!" series. Courtesy: 20th Century Fox/Criterion Pictures

Please visit our Content Advisory page to access resources for identifying sensitive content and evaluating the age-appropriateness of each film title.

Top