Close-up of Jessie Buckley as The Bride from the poster art.Image via Warner Bros. Discovery
By
Rob London
Published Feb 28, 2026, 7:40 PM EST
A cinematic obsessive with the filmic palate of a starving raccoon, Rob London will watch pretty much anything once. With a mind like a steel trap, he's an endless fount of movie and TV trivia, borne from a misspent youth of watching monster movies on TV, perusing the sun-faded goods at the local video rental shop, and staining his fingers with ink from the Video Movie Guide. Areas of interest include science fiction, film noir, horror flicks, '70s disaster pictures, Bond movies, '90s action, giant robots, dinosaurs, super heroes, and the exuberantly schlocky output of Cannon Films. He also enjoys both Star Trek and Star Wars when they're good, and maybe even more when they're bad. As a Canadian, he also has a vested interest in Canadian movies and TV shows, especially the cheesier ones dubbed "Canuxploitation."
An expert on Marvel Comics, he has also written for the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, and is a member of the Marvel Research Team. He can frequently be found pontificating on comic-book continuity or bemoaning the misfortunes of the Toronto Maple Leafs on his Twitter account.
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Jessie Buckley is set to become The Bride! in Maggie Gyllenhaal's new reimagining of Frankenstein next week. To prepare yourself, you might want to watch Bride of Frankenstein, the 1935 horror movie that introduced the world to the monster's better (or worse) half. If so, there's good news: The Universal horror hit that just turned 90 is headed to a new streamer next month.
HBO Max will host Bride of Frankenstein starting on March 1, 2026. It's a clever bit of cross-promotion, as the streamer's corporate parent, Warner Bros., will release The Bride! in theaters a few days later. The film has Boris Karloff-sized shoes to fill; Bride of Frankenstein was directed by James Whale, who had already filmed Frankenstein, The Old Dark House, and The Invisible Man. Steeped in Christian imagery, raw emotion, and genuine horror, Bride of Frankenstein is generally considered to be the greatest of all the Universal Horror movies of the 1930s and 1940s, surpassing its predecessor. The fleeting but indelible image of the creature's bride, swathed in bandages and with an electrified beehive hairdo, has become one of the most iconic sights in horror cinema.
What Is 'The Bride of Frankenstein' About?
Taking place after the explosive climax of 1931's Frankenstein, both Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive, Dracula) and his creation (Karloff) have survived. Frankenstein is nursed back to health by his fiancée, Elizabeth (Valerie Hobson, Kind Hearts and Coronets), while the monster wanders the wilderness. Still believing he is destined to unlock the secrets of life and death, Henry visits his old mentor, Dr. Septimus Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger, Scrooge), who wishes to create a mate for Frankenstein's monster. Although Frankenstein initially cooperates, he becomes increasingly unsettled by Pretorius' madness; however, he's press-ganged into assisting when Pretorius' goons kidnap his now-wife. Soon, the female creature (Elsa Lanchester, who also plays Mary Shelley in a fictional prologue about a continuation of Frankenstein) is ready to be brought to life, but the creature may have some objections...
The making of the film and Whale's later life were chronicled in the 1998 biopic Gods and Monsters, which starred Ian McKellen as Whale. It was written and directed by Bill Condon, who was attached to direct a remake of Bride of Frankenstein for the now-defunct Dark Universe.
The Bride of Frankenstein will stream on HBO Max starting on March 1, 2026. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Bride of Frankenstein
Like Follow Followed 17+ Horror Release Date April 22, 1935 Runtime 75minutes Director Bill Condon Writers David KoeppCast
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Boris Karloff
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Elsa Lanchester
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Bride of Frankenstein
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