How Frankenstein Monster Was Made on the Set of “Frankenstein” Movies

During the filming of his three Frankenstein movies (Frankenstein, 1932, Bride of Frankenstein, 1935, and Son of Frankenstein, 1939), Boris Karloff had to check in each morning at Universal Pictures at six o’clock sharp, where he was met by a sleepy-eyed Jack Pierce, the ace makeup specialist. For Karloff, or for any actor in his position, the next six hours were the most grueling.

From six o’clock till noon, Pierce was plastering on Karloff’s facial and arm makeup. Karloff, practically strapped to the makeup chair, sat motionless while Pierce applied the thick, greenish-gray greasepaint. Bloody scars were trenched on Karloff’s forehead, scalp, neck, and wrists; and collodion and cotton made the fire-wrinkled skin of cheek and hand. There were aluminum neck spikes (popularly known as the Monster’s electrodes), and steel braces for the arms.

At twelve o’clock, Pierce would begin fitting on the shoes. which weighed 11 pounds, five ounces apiece. They were size 24. Then came the final touch in creating Frankenstein’s monster — helping Karloff on with the padded suit two inches thick, which he wore under his clothes from neck to ankles.

As a rule, one o’clock signaled the completion of makeup, and “Dr. Frankenstein” Pierce and his monster breathed a sigh at weary relief as they sat down to a hasty lunch before it came time for Karloff to thump of to the set for eight hours of acting.

All told, Karloff’s makeup as the Frankenstein Monster weighed 62 pounds. On screen, he towered seven feet, seven inches. Of this height, seven inches had been added to his head, and nine inches to his feet.

Each day, from 30 to 45 minutes were spent in making up his hands alone! So heavy was this makeup that if Karloff attempted to open his left hand unaided he would have broken the fingers. When Karloff made Bride of Frankenstein, he had to receive Infra-Red Ray treatment and massage to stimulate circulation in his legs and arms and to relieve pain in his injured left side. He had hurt his side in the first scene of the film, where he drowned the burgermaster in the flooded celar of the mill.

A typical shooting day saw Karloff home about nine in the evening, with just enough time to study the next day’s script, then catch some well-earned sleep before the four o’clock alarm rang off.

With the production of a monster film running anywhere from three weeks to three months, and with the monster actor having to be subjected each day to the agonizing and tiresome ritual of an eight-hour makeup job, an actor’s endurance is sorely tested. To quote the authority, Mr. Boris Karloff, “You’ve got to have patience!”