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Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus adaptations: books & films
Every version of Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus — the books & films, compared across media.
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus introduced one of fiction's most enduring dilemmas: a scientist who creates a sapient being and cannot bear the consequences. Victor Frankenstein's obsession with defying the limits of life — and the tragic isolation of the creature he abandons — has driven storytellers across books and film for nearly two centuries. These versions share that same creator, that same creature, and that same reckoning with what it means to play god.
Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus films
Film
Frankenstein
A brilliant but egotistical scientist brings a creature to life in an experiment that leads to the undoing of both creator and creation.
Film
Young Frankenstein
A young neurosurgeon inherits his grandfather's castle and, believing the old work was flawed, sets out to revisit it.
Film
Victor Frankenstein
Eccentric scientist Victor Von Frankenstein conducts an unorthodox experiment and brings a grotesque creature to life.
Film
Frankenstein
Henry Frankenstein pieces together body parts to create life, only for the creature to awaken with rage at a world that fears him.
Film
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
A young doctor, devastated by his mother's death, becomes obsessed with reversing death and creates a monster through his experiments.
Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus books
Frequently asked
Is Frankenstein based on a book?
Yes. All of these versions trace back to Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, an 1818 novel by Mary Shelley, which tells the story of scientist Victor Frankenstein and the sapient creature he creates through an unorthodox experiment.
How many film versions of Frankenstein are there?
This page collects five films: the classic 1931 Frankenstein, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), the comedy Young Frankenstein (1974), Victor Frankenstein (2015), and a 2025 Frankenstein, alongside the source novel.
Which Frankenstein adaptation should I start with?
If you want the original, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley is the source. For film, the 1931 Frankenstein is the most widely recognised screen version, while Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) returns to the novel's scientist-and-creature dynamic.