"All good books are different but all bad books are exactly the same."

[Eric Christopherson]

That's a quote (and literary allusion to the opening of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, I think) from Robert Harris's "The Ghost." His protagonist, a ghost writer, goes on to say that the way in which all bad books are exactly the same is: "they don't ring true. I'm not saying that a good book is true necessarily, just that it feels true for the time you're reading it." What do you think?

FYI, I am really enjoying this political thriller. It's such a treat to discover a new suspense fiction author with sharp prose skills.

[I. J. Parker]

I think it's only women.  Mind you, it's a pleasurable shudder:  the rape fantasy.

Men may respond to two aspects:  the threat to their virginal females and the challenge to slay the evil monster.  With Dracula, there are religious motifs also. He is the devil and the walking dead all in one. 

But both Frankenstein's monster and Dracula have invaded the real world.  That makes it a great deal harder to suspend disbelief, especially when asked to accept some rather weird and silly details.

[Caroline Trippe]

Men may respond to two aspects:  the threat to their virginal females and the challenge to slay the evil monster.

That's why this was a 19th century thing. There are almost no virginal females left.   As for rape fantasy.... (in other words being overpowered) hm. In the 19th century....I wonder how often rape occurred in the marital bed?  

Heck, I can suspend disbelief at a moment's notice!  :)  As for " monsters " invading the so-called real world....do you doubt it?  I don't.  Or is it they don't invade---they have always been here; they just become manifest at certain times. Now, that makes me shudder!

[I. J. Parker]

Ah, but I'm a rationalist.  It gives me all sorts of trouble with old Japanese materials, because they were anything but.

[Caroline Trippe]

In real life I'm a "rationalist" too--- mostly,  I guess, but there's some "wiggle" room when it comes to fiction.  No,  I don't believe in ghosts,  but I can entertain the possiblity of a person  being haunted, of ghosts being real to some people, and not just dreamers.

  People with certain kinds of mental or neurological disorders are said to see imaginary personages and hear voices that they believe are real . How this occurs I don't know---currently no one seems able to explain it, and we are inclined not to believe what we can't explain rationally, or what we ourselves don't experience.  So, no,  I don't believe in ghosts---but if one ever pays me a visit, I'll change my opinion. :)  And maybe ask it, "What are you made of, anyway?"

Even though I've never experienced this (in waking life anyway),  I don't deny it.  A lot of people really want to believe in the supernatural (like Fox Mulder of X-Files---"I Want to Believe" )--- it opens up a whole other dimension of possiblities---the possibility of life after death, of transcending death. 

For a rationalist you handle that well in your novels. Maybe I don't believe in ghosts not because they aren't real but because I've never had that experience. But I could always ask, "What if...."  Because in fact, I don't KNOW for sure that the believers aren't right.

[I. J. Parker]

There is always the reality of another person's perception.  One can stipulate that.  In fact, where would psychologists be if they didn't take their patients seriously.  I suppose writers are in a similar situation.

[Brian Hoffman]

But how many movies have been made from Shelley's or Byron's work?  Zip! Mary hit a deep psychological part of the mind, the fear of the unknown.  Fear of the strange and of ourselves.  The monster as a symbol for each of us and the monsters we harbor inside.  I think that's a pretty good one.

How many sequels have there been to Ozymandias?

How many sequels to Frankenstein?  Here is the list.  It proves that Mary's story touched many people.

A List of Movies Based on Frankenstein, 1910-1994

Since a complete list of films based directly or indirectly on Frankenstein would run into the thousands, it's convenient to exclude films with only a tangential relationship to the original novel: those, for instance, with only a mad scientist, a raising-from-the-dead theme, or a Creature cameo. This chronological list includes most of the major feature films between 1910 and 1994 based on Shelley's novel.

Frankenstein, Edison Film Company, 1910 (USA)

Directed by J. Searle Dawley, starring Charles Stanton Ogle, Augustus Phillips, and Mary Fuller.

Der Golem, Deutsche Bioscop, 1914 (Germany)

Directed by Henrik Galeen and Paul Wegener, starring Paul Wegener, Lyda Salmonova, Carl Ebert, Jacob Tiedtke, and Rudolf Bluemner.

Life Without Soul, Ocean Film Corporation, 1915 (USA)

Directed by Joseph W. Smiley, starring Percy Darrell Standing, William A. Cohill, Lucy Cotton, George DeCarlton, Jack Hopkins, and Pauline Curley.

The Golem, Pagu/UFA, 1920 (Germany)

Directed by Paul Wegener and Carl Boese, starring Paul Wegener, Albert Steinrück, Ernst Deutsch, Lyda Salmonova, Hanns Sturm, and Greta Schröder.

Il Mostro di Frankenstein, Albertini Film/UCI, 1920 (Italy)

Directed by Eugenio Testa, starring Luciano Albertini and Umberto Guarracino.

Frankenstein, Universal, 1931 (USA)

Directed by James Whale, starring Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Boris Karloff, Dwight Frye, and Edward Van Sloan.

The Bride of Frankenstein, Universal, 1935 (USA)

Directed by James Whale, starring Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, Elsa Lanchester, Una O'Connor, and Ernest Thesiger.

El Superloco, PCE, 1936 (Mexico)

Directed by Juan José Segura, starring Leopoldo Ortin, Carlos Villarias, Consuelo Frank, Ramón Armengod, Raul Urquijo, and "Indian" Fernandez.

Son of Frankenstein, Universal, 1939

Directed by Rowland V. Lee, starring Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Josephine Hutchinson, and Donnie Dunagan.

Man Made Monster, Universal, 1941 (USA)

Directed by George Waggner, staring Lionel Atwill, Lon Chaney Jr., Anne Nagel, Frank Albertson, Samuel S. Hinds, and William Davidson.

The Ghost of Frankenstein, Universal, 1942 (USA)

Directed by Erle C. Kenton, starring Lon Chaney, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi, and Evelyn Ankers.

Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, Universal, 1943 (USA)

Directed by Roy WIlliam Neill, starring Lon Chaney, Ilona Massey, Patric Knowles, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, and Maria Ouspenskaya.

House of Frankenstein, Universal, 1944 (USA)

Directed by Erle C. Kenton, starring Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney, John Carradine, J. Carrol Naish, Anne Gwynne, and Lionel Atwill. A sequel to Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943).

Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Universal-International, 1948 (USA)

Directed by Charles Barton, starring Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Glenn Strange, and Lenore Aubert.

Bride of the Monster, Edward D. Wood Jr. Productions, 1954 (USA)

Directed by Edward D. Wood Jr., starring Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson, Tony McCoy, Loretta King, Harvey Dunn, and William Benedict.

Castle of the Monsters (El Castillo de los monstruos), Producciones Stotomayor, 1957 (Mexico)

Directed by Julián Soler, starring Antonio Espino, Evangélina Elizondo, Carlos Orellana, Guillermo Orea, and Germán Robles.

The Curse of Frankenstein, Hammer Films, 1957 (UK)

Directed by Terence Fisher, starring Peter Cushing, Hazel Court, Robert Urquhart, Christopher Lee, Valerie Gaunt, and Noel Hood.

I Was a Teenage Frankenstein, American International Pictures, 1957 (USA)

Directed by Herbert L. Strock, starring Whit Bissell, Phyllis Coates, Robert Burton, Gary Conway, George Lynn, and John Cliff.

Frankenstein 1970, Allied Artists, 1958 (USA)

Directed by Howard W. Koch, starring Boris Karloff, Tom Duggan, Jana Lund, Donald Barry, Charlotte Austin, and Irwin Berke.

Frankenstein's Daughter, Astor Pictures/Layton Film Productions, 1958 (USA)

Directed by Richard Cunha, starring John Ashley, Sandra Knight, Donald Murphy, Sally Todd, Harold Lloyd Jr., and Felix Locher.

The Revenge of Frankenstein, Hammer Films, 1958 (UK)

Directed by Terence Fisher, starring Peter Cushing, Eunice Gayson, Francis Matthews, Michael Gwynn, Lionel Jeffries, and John Welsh. A sequel to The Curse of Frankenstein (1958).

Orlak, El infierno de Frankenstein, Filmadora Independiente/Columbia, 1960 (Mexico)

Directed by Rafael Baledon, starring Joaquin Cordero, Armando Calvo, Rosa de Castilla, Irma Dorantes, Andres Soler, and Pedro de Aguillon.

Frankestein [sic], el Vampio y CIA, Cinematografica Calderon, 1961 (Mexico)

Directed by Benito Alazraki, starring Manuel Valdés, José Jasso, Joaquin Garcia Vargas, Martha Elena Cervantes, Nora Veryán, and Roberto G. Rivera.

The Evil of Frankenstein, Hammer Films, 1964 (UK)

Directed by Freddie Francis, starring Peter Cushing, Peter Woodthorpe, Sandor Eles, Kiwi Kingston, Duncan Lamont, and Katy Wild.

Frankenstein Conquers the World (Furankenshutain Tai Baragon), Toho/Henry G. Saperstein Enterprises/American International Pictures, 1964 (Japan, USA)

Directed by Inoshiro Honda, starring Nick Adams, Tadao Takashima, Kumi Mizuno, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Takashi Shimura, and Haruo Nakajima.

Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster, Vernon Films/Seneca/Futurama Entertainment, 1965 (USA)

Directed by Robert Gaffney, starring Marilyn Hanold, Jim Karen, Lou Cutell, Nancy Marshall, David Kerman, and Robert Reilly.

Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter, Embassy Pictures/Circle, 1965 (USA)

Directed by William Beaudine, starring Narda Onyx, John Lupton, Cal Bolder, Estelita, Jim Davis, and Nestor Paiva.

Frankenstein Created Woman, Hammer Films, 1966 (UK)

Directed by Terence Fisher, starring Peter Cushing, Susan Denberg, Thorley Walters, Robert Morris, Duncan Lamont, and Peter Blythe.

Fearless Frank, American International Pictures, 1967 (USA)

Directed by Philip Kaufman, starring John Voigt, Monique Van Vooren, Severn, Darden, Joan Darling, Lou Gilbert, and Nelson Algren.

Frankenstein's Bloody Terror (La Marca del hombre lobo), Maxper/Independent-International, 1967 (Spain)

Directed by Henry Egan, starring Paul Naschy, Diane Konopka, Julián Ugarte, Rossana Yanni, Michael Manz, and Joseph Morton.

Killing Frankestayna Karsi, Omur Film, 1967 (Turkey)

Directed by Nuri Akinci, starring Otkay Gursel, Oya Peri, Gultekin Ceylan, Ferhan Tanseli, Aynur Aydan, and Yasar Sener.

Dracula vs. Frankenstein (El Hombre que vino del ummo, Dracula jagt Frankenstein, Los Monstruos del terror, Assignment Terror), Jaime Prades/Eichberg Film/International Jaguar, 1969 (Spain, West Germany, Italy)

Directed by Tulio Demichelli, Hugo Fregonese, and Peter Riethof, starring Michael Rennie, Karin Dor, Craig Hill, Paul Naschy, Patty Shepard, and Angel del Pozo.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, Hammer Films, 1969 (UK)

Directed by Terence Fisher, starring Peter Cushing, Simon Ward, Veronica Carlson, Thorley Walters, Freddie Jones, and Maxine Audley.

Dr. Frankenstein on Campus, Astral Films/Agincourt, 1970 (Canada)

Directed by Gil Taylor, starring Robin Ward, Kathleen Sawyer, Austin Willis, Sean Sullivan, Ty Haller, and Tony Moffat-Lynch.

Dracula vs. Frankenstein, Independent-International Pictures, 1970 (USA)

Directed by Al Adamson, starring J. Carrol Naish, Lon Chaney, Zandor Vorkov, Anthony Eisley, Regina Carrol, and Greydon Clark.

The Horror of Frankenstein, Hammer, 1970 (UK)

Directed by Jimmy Sangster, starring Ralph Bates, Kate O'Mara, Veronica Carlson, Dennis Price, Graham Jones, and Bernrad Archard.

Santo y Blue Demon contra el Dr. Frankenstein, Cinematografica Calderon, 1970 (Mexico)

Directed by Miguel M. Delgado, starring Santo, Blue Demon, Sasha Montenegro, Jorge Russek, and Ivonne Govea.

Lady Frankenstein (La Figlia di Frankenstein), Condor International/New World Pictures, 1971 (Italy)

Directed by Mel Welles, starring Joseph Cotten, Sara Bay, Mickey Hargitay, Paul Müller, Paul Whiteman, and Herbert Fux.

Santo contra la hija de Frankenstein (La Hija de Frankenstein), Cinematografica Calderon/Azteca Films, 1971 (Mexico)

Directed by Miguel M. Delgado, starring Santo, Gina Romand, Znel, Roberto Canedo, Carlos Agosti, and Sonia Fuentes.

Blackenstein, Exclusive International, 1972 (USA)

Directed by William A. Levey, starring John Hart, Ivory Stone, Liz Renay, Roosevelt Jackson, Andrea King, and Nick Bolin.

Dracula Prisoner of Frankenstein, Fenix Films et al., 1972 (Spain, France, Lichtenstein, and Portugal)

Directed by Jess Franco, starring Denis Price, Howard Vernon, Mary Francis, Albert Dalbes, Genevieve Deloir, and Josiane Gilbet.

The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein, Comtoir Français du Film Production/Fenix-Film, 1972 (France, Spain, and Portugal)

Directed by Jess Franco, starring Denis Price, Howard Vernon, Anne Libert, Britt Nichols, Albert Dalbes, and Luis Barboo.

Frankenstein '80 (Mosaico), MGD Film Productions/MPI, 1972 (Italy and West Germany)

Directed by Mario Mancini, starring John Richardson, Gordon Mitchell, Renato Romano, Xiro Pappas, Dalila Parker, and Bob Fiz.

Flesh for Frankenstein (Il Mostro e in Tavola ... Barone Frankenstein, Carne per Frankenstein, Chair pour Frankenstein), Pagnia Cinematografica Champion/EMI, 1973 (Italy and France)

Directed by Paul Morrissey, starring Joe Dallesandro, Monique Van Vooren, Udo Kier, Arno Juerging, Dalila di Lazzaro, and Srdjan Zelenovic.

Frankenstein, Dan Curtis Productions, 1973 (USA)

Directed by Glenn Jordan, starring Robert Foxworth, Susan Strasberg, Heidi Vaughn, Bo Svenson, John Karlen, and Philip Bourneuf.

Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, Hammer, 1973 (UK)

Directed by Terence Fisher, starring Peter Cushing, Shane Briant, Madeline Smith, John Stratton, Bernard Lee, and Clifford Mollison.

Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks (Il Castello della paura), Classic Film International/Cinerama, 1973 (Italy)

Directed by Robert H. Oliver, starring Rossano Brazzi, Michael Dunn, Edmund Purdom, Christiane Royce, Gordon Mitchell, and Alan Collins.

Frankenstein: The True Story, Universal, 1973 (UK)

Directed by Jack Smight, starring James Mason, Leonard Whiting, David McCallum, Jane Seymour, Nicola Pagett, and Michael Sarrazin.

Young Frankenstein, Twentieth-Century Fox, 1974 (USA)

Directed by Mel Brooks, starring Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, Marty Feldman, Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Kenneth Mars, and Gene Hackman.

Frankenstein -- Italian Style (Frankenstein all' Italiana), Euro International/RPA, 1975 (Italy)

Directed by Armando Crispino, starring Aldo Maccione, Jenny Tann, Ninetto Davoli, Ginrico Tedeschi, Anna Mazzemauro, and Lorenzo Guerriero.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Twentieth-Century Fox, 1975 (UK)

Directed by Jim Sharman, starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien, Patricia Quinn, Nell Campbell, Meatloaf, and Charles Gray.

Victor Frankenstein (Terror of Frankenstein), Aspekt Film, 1976 (Sweden and Ireland)

Directed by Calvin Floyd, starring Leon Vitali, Per Oscarsson, Nicholas Clay, Stacey Dorning, Jan Ohlsson, and Olof Bergström.

Doctor Franken, NBC, 1980 (USA)

Directed by Marvin J. Chomsky and Jeff Lieberman, starring Robert Vaughn, Robert Perault, David Selby, Teri Garr, Josef Sommer, and Cynthia Harris.

Frankenstein Island, Chriswar, 1981 (USA and Mexico)

Directed by Jerry Warren, starring Robert Clarke, Steve Brodie, Cameron Mitchell, Robert Christopher, Tain Bodkin, and Patrick O'Neil.

Mystery! Frankenstein -- Legend of Terror (Kaiki Furankenshutain), Toei/Terebi (TV) Asahi, 1981 (Japan)

Directed by Yugo Serizawa. Animated, with voices by Nahci Nozawa, Mami Koyama, Hosei Komatsu, Kei Tomiyama, Ichiroh Nagai, and Minori Matsushima.

Frankenstein's Great-Aunt Tillie, Tillie Productions, 1983 (Mexico)

Directed by Myron J. Gold, starring Donald Pleasence, Yvonne Furneaux, June Wilkinson, Aldo Ray, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Rod Colbin, and Chandler Garrison.

Frankenstein, Yorkshire Television, 1984 (UK)

Directed by Victor Gialanella, starring Robert Powell, Carrie Fisher, David Warner, John Gielgud, Terence Alexander, and Susan Wooldridge.

Frankenstein 90, A.J. Films/TF 1 Films/AMLF, 1984 (France)

Directed by Alain Jessua, starring Jean Rochefort, Eddy Mitchel, Fiona Gelin, Herma Vos, Ged Marlon, and Serge Marquand.

Frankenweenie, Walt Disney Productions, 1984 (USA)

Directed by Tim Burton, starring Shelley Duvall, Daniel Stern, Barret Oliver, Joseph Maher, Roz Braverman, and Paul Bartel.

The Bride, Columbia, 1985 (France and UK)

Directed by Franc Roddam, starring Sting, Jennifer Beals, Geraldine Page, Clancy Brown, Anthony Higgins, and David Rappaport.

Gothic, Virgin Vision, 1986 (UK)

Directed by Ken Russell, starring Gabriel Byrne, Julian Sands, Natasha Richardson, Myriam Cyr, Timothy Spall, and Alec Mango.

Dr. Hackenstein, Marketing Media/Vista Street, 1987 (USA)

Directed by Richard Clark, starring David Muir, Stacey Travis, Catherine Davis Cox, Dyanne DiRosario, John Alexis, and William Schreiner.

Frankenstein General Hospital, New Star Entertainment, 1988 (USA)

Directed by Deborah Roberts, starring Mark Blankfield, Leslie Jordan, Jonathan Farwell, Kathy Shower, Hamilton Mitchell, and Irwin Keyes.

Frankenhooker, Shapiro Glickenhuas Entertainment, 1990 (USA)

Directed by Frank Henenlotter, starring James Lorinz, Patty Mullen, Shirley Stoler, Louisa Lasser, Charlotte Helmkamp, and Lia Chang.

Frankenstein's Baby, BBC-TV, 1990 (UK)

Directed by Robert Bierman, starring Nigel Planer, Kate Buffery, Yvonne Bryceland, William Armstrong, Sian Thomas, and Gillian Raine.

Frankenstein Unbound, Warner Bros., 1990 (USA and Italy)

Directed by Roger Corman, starring John Hurt, Raul Julia, Bridget Fonda, Catherine Rabett, Jason Patric, and Michael Hutchence.

Frankenstein: The College Years, FNM Films, 1991 (USA)

Directed by Tom Shadyac, starring William Ragsdale, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Larry Miller, Andrea Elson, Voreaux White, and Patrick Richwood.

Last Frankenstein, Bandai/BF Film/Rittor Music/Shochhiku, 1991 (Japan)

Directed by Takeshi Kawamura, starring Akira Emoto, Yoshio Harada, and Naomasa Musaka.

Frankenstein, Turner Pictures, 1992 (UK, USA, and Poland)

Directed by David Wickes, starring Patrick Bergin, John Mills, Randy Quaid, Lambert Wilson, Fiona Gilles, and Jacinta Mulcahy.

Frank Enstein, International Family Classics, 1992 (USA)

Directed by Douglas Richards. Animated, with voices by Laura Gabriel, David Nettheim, Lee Perry, and Alan Glover.

Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, America Zoetrope/TriStar Pictures, 1994 (UK and USA)

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, starring Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, Helena Bonham-Carter, Aidan Quinn, Tom Hulce, and John Cleese.

[Brian Hoffman]

To be fair:

Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley

 

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed:
And on the pedestal these words appear:
'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!'
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away."

[Caroline Trippe]

It doesn't need a sequel. Ozymandias, he gone.

Maybe a prequel? :)  Hollywood would.

[I. J. Parker]

Jesus!  That list is so long it's an irritation.  I don't know what point you're making. Films do not prove quality.  Mass appeal does not prove quality.  Fear of the Unknown starts in early childhood with imaginary things under the bed.  A large number of people clearly enjoy reliving their childhood.  Is it an enriching experience?  Does one learn something from it?  I don't think so. You may, of course, stipulate that Mary all along wished to give us a warning about the dangers inherent in pursuing scientific research.  Frankly, facts about her life don't bear that out.

[Jon Loomis]

Mostly she was making fun of her husband, and playing around with the romantics' idea of the sublime, which didn't mean then what we think it means now.

I hope to God my books are not enriching.  I hope also that they're not didactic in any way.  Not sure what anyone would learn from them, except maybe that GLBT people are people.  I suppose that might comes as a surprise to some Americans, still.  God help us.

[John McFetridge]

This is just an aside (trying to keep it light here ;), but when I sold my first piece of fiction my brother, a police officer, said, "I guess it runs in the family, you write creative stories and I write creative reports."

[I. J. Parker]

LOL.