Gothics: Frankenstien

Frankenstein is a classic gothic that has been portrayed in pop culture, literature, films, and much more throughout the years. Frankenstein's monster has been known as a classic gothic character and is easily parodied and adapted. Some more contemporary spins on the tale I can think of are The Munsters and Young Frankenstein. Films like Weird Science pay homage to the story of Frankenstein, such as when they were building the perfect woman and bringing her to life. As well in the film by Tim Burton, Edward Scissorhands. In Edward Scissorhands, an inventor created a boy and before he could give the boy hands he died, leaving Edward alone in the castle as a monster with scissors for hands. Like most stories that involve the classic gothic monster who lives in a spooky castle, Edward Scissorhands and Frankenstein follow similar archetypes. In this film it follows many examples that are needed in a gothic, as well as some stereotypes. Edward is created by a mad inventor. Edward’s appearance is dark and is somewhat frightening, as any monster. He lives in a large dark scary castle overlooking town. Near the end of the film there is a mob that drives Edward back to his castle, which is a similar gothic trope when it comes to monsters. Though this film is not exactly like the story of Frankenstein it pays homage to the gothic yet makes a brand new story involving love and a “monster”. I would consider Edward Scissorhands to be a gothic because of how it uses the setting, plot, and character details. Edward Scissorhands is one of my favorite films the way it takes a quirky spin on a dark situation then involving love and self discovery as Edward sees the real world he was taught about by the inventor. I believe it is a perfect example of a contemporary gothic.