In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Creature is introduced as a Romantic hero, with human emotions and needs and a grotesque appearance. The image of the Creature has since changed repeatedly...Show moreIn Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, the Creature is introduced as a Romantic hero, with human emotions and needs and a grotesque appearance. The image of the Creature has since changed repeatedly through mass-media adaptations of Shelley’s novel. For example, the current standard image of the Creature bears a strong resemblance to Boris Karloff’s Creature (Frankenstein, 1931) in appearance and personality. This thesis examines the form and function of “the Creature” in contemporary cinematic adaptations of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818). By analysing the appearance, abilities and behaviour of the Creature in the original Frankenstein (1818) and in cinematic adaptations from various genres, it is shown how the representation of the Creature is influenced by internal and external genre cues of the adaptation in which he is featured. The genres that are explored are the horror genre and the action genre, represented by the movies Frankenstein: Day of the Beast (2011) and I, Frankenstein (2014), respectively.Show less
