<span class="SFPTagline"> From SCIFIPEDIA </span>

Bride of Frankenstein Soundtrack Widely regarded as not only one of the best horror films ever made, James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein is also that rare sequel that actually manages to be better than the original. Many critics feel that it actually manages to transcend the genre, to become a classic on its own terms. Even today the movie delights, being chock full of amazing sights and sounds, great action set-pieces, and vivid characters. Once seen, the Machiavellian Dr. Pretorius, for example, cannot be forgotten. And the Bride herself, with her electric hair and twitching mien, has become as instantly recognizable an icon as her intended.

The art of orchestral film scoring had been around for only seven years in 1935 when German-born composer Franz Waxman created the music to this sequel to Whale’s Frankenstein. Waxman would go on to score such classics as Captains Courageous, The Philadelphia Story, Rebecca, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, God is my Co-Pilot, Sunset Boulevard, and A Place in the Sun.

The “Processional March” is a stately cue, with a hint of what certainly sounds like a Theremin but isn’t, that instrument not having been invented yet. And listen to the swirling string buildup in “The Tower Explodes and Finale.”

It’s a safe bet that one of the few memories casual viewers will have of this movie is the amazing “Bali Hai”-esque fanfare, church bells and all, accompanying the Bride’s “unveiling.” It’s so silly that it shouldn’t work – but it does. And it’s only one moment among many. Hearing the score now, one may be tempted to think of it as rather clichéd – but Waxman established the benchmarks. Considering the relatively primitive state of recording techniques in those days, it’s clear that Waxman was as much a master of the soundstage as he was of the score. All of the characters have their own motifs, such as the ominous five-note figure for Karloff’s Frankenstein monster. His string pastorals here are nothing less than lovely, which is one reason why the score never goes over the top: his control is absolute.

Franz Waxman would later win Academy Awards for Sunset Boulevard and A Place in the Sun. But today’s horror fans will certainly know him best for the amazing Bride of Frankenstein.