Most of us were first introduced to Frankenstein's monster by his portrayal in movies by Boris Karloff, which set the standard for the creature's appearance. We all recognize the monster by his squarish head, heavy brow, and bolted neck. The green skin tone was added to the stereotype later. But that version of Frankenstein's monster, although terrifying, was not the way Mary Shelley intended the creature to look, or to act. The monster was not the villain of the story, but its victim, and the horror came from the unholy hubris of recreating a man from dead body parts. Movies about Frankenstein and his monster have been made over and over, with varying creatures that exuded menace, evoked sympathy, and even drew laughter.
Who portrayed the monster the "best" depends on whether you believe the monster should hew closely to Shelley's original intent or just scare you to death. Movie Web selected ten very different interpretations of the monster that they believe are tops and ranked them according to their own opinions. Yet the list serves as a great gallery of the many different ways of looking at the monster. Whether you prefer Boris Karloff in the role, or Christopher Lee, Peter Boyle, Robert De Niro, or any of the others, you'll enjoy reading up on how they saw the monster. And you might even get ideas for a great movie to check out!