Frankenstein Lives: The Legacy of the World's Most Famous Monster

by Paul Ruditis

It’s alive! …Again! Frankenstein Lives brings to life the enduring legacy of Mary Shelley’s Creature in thrilling images and captivating commentary.

Beginning with the story of Mary Shelley’s conception of the novel on a stormy night on the shores of Lake Geneva, Frankenstein Lives traces the Creature’s transformation from a nameless literary monster to an international sensation, appearing in films, television shows, and commercial merchandise. The Creature has even appeared on a cereal box!

Frankenstein’s monster has been a hero and a villain, a star in both comedies and dramas. He has gone head-to-head with both Dracula and the Wolf Man, tap danced with Gene Wilder, joked around with Abbott and Costello, served as the butler for the Addams family, and continues to star in films today. With special attention placed on the 1931 film starring Boris Karloff staggering through the mad scientist’s laboratory, the book explores the classic—and often misunderstood—character. This visual guide includes photos of Shelley’s manuscript pages, Boris Karloff on set as the Creature in the 1931 film, and much more! Frankenstein Lives brings the history to life,

Mary Shelley’s background and inspirationFilm portrayals of Frankenstein’s monster, including upcoming film adaptionsCommercial merchandizing of the monster, including costumes and video gamesProfiles of the Bride, Igor, and DraculaAnd much more!
Relive the Creature’s greatest pop culture moments in this visually stunning and comprehensive guide to the green monster that we can’t stop loving.

Genres: Nonfiction

176 pages, Hardcover

Published August 5, 2025

About the author

Paul Ruditis also writes under the name P.J. Ruditis.

I was born and raised in Philadelphia where I lived a typical childhood with a far more interesting fantasy life. I mean, how many other eight year olds were sticking their Star Wars action figures in Ziploc bags filled with water and putting them in the freezer to recreate the ice planet of Hoth? (Really? That many? Never mind.)

After college, I moved to Los Angeles and was very lucky to get a job as a page at Paramount Pictures only months after I got into town. I worked as a tour guide and usher, and I performed temp office work around the lot.
Eventually, I took a position working in the studio's licensing department where I quickly worked my way up to middle management.

After a while, one of my friends in the publishing industry offered me the opportunity to write a Buffy, The Vampire Slayer short story for a collection she was editing. Well, when I heard how little money I could make as a writer, I immediately quit my job to try it full time. (Stupid, I know, but it kind of worked for me.)

I started out by writing books based on such wonderful TV shows as Star Trek, Roswell, and Sabrina, The Teenage Witch. I have since written over 30 books based some of the best shows on TV, adding The West Wing, Alias, and Prison Break to that ever growing list.

While I continue to work on these media tie-ins, I have also been focused more on my own original fiction, including my teen series DRAMA! and the Simon Pulse Romantic Comedy Love, Hollywood Style.

- Abridged Bio - Official Website.

Reviews

[MKF · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish that the author hadn't spent the majority of the book focusing on the films about or related to Frankenstein. The chapters about Mary Shelley and Frankenstein in books, music, and pop culture doesn't get the same amount of attention. There is a lot of information that's repeated which is probably the only other issue with this book. I enjoyed it but I think the author could have included more by leaving out anything that may have some vague connection to the book.

[Eduardo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not a horror fan, in general, but it IS October, so I thought that this book about the history of Frankenstein’s Creature in popular culture might be fun. And it was! This book not only discusses the creation of the original novel by Mary Shelley, but also how it was adapted to stage, and eventually film, and how the films solidified certain elements in the popular consciousness, even if they weren’t in the original novel.

This book is also pretty darn new, and fairly up-to-date on pieces of media that were released in the last few years, along with things in the pipeline. The upcoming Guillermo del Toro film gets a couple of shoutouts, for instance! And I thought that was pretty impressive.

And there’s a reference to a Taylor Swift music video??

Were you ever curious as to where the character of Igor came from? And how he’s in like every “Frankenstein” story now? This book can answer that. When did they decide to make the creature green? It’s in here. How did the Bride of Frankenstein idea get rolling in movies? The book’s got it.

Now, I will admit to being a bit puzzled on which works were chosen for discussion. Obviously, the big ones like the Boris Karloff films have to be mentioned. But when it comes to other works? “Once Upon a Time” has a full, meaty paragraph describing the episode where Frankenstein’s backstory is depicted, but there’s only a couple of sentences dedicated to the major comic books. Given that Frankenstein’s creature and the Bride are characters on the recent “Creature Commandos”, connections to things like “Justice League Dark”, and other versions, I thought it might merit some more explanation. But nope! Just a brief line about how both Marvel and DC used the character. Mike Mignola’s “Frankenstein Underground” gets *nothing*.

Also frustrating to me were references to Prometheus. Now, yes, the subtitle of the original novel is “The Modern Prometheus”, but it seems Ruditis keeps referencing how Prometheus stole fire in Greek mythology, the forbidden knowledge/power of the gods. Okay, but I think it’s probably more relevant that Prometheus is credited in mythology with creating humanity. Maybe no one else cares, but it bugs me!

Otherwise, it’s a pretty impressive volume. As I said, it refers to pretty recent movies, and some that haven’t come out yet. If you ever were looking for a very comprehensive book about the pop culture history of Frankenstein’s monster, or really, adaptations of Frankenstein, and anything related–this book has got you covered. I imagine horror fans would be fairly pleased.

[Lizzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty pathetic editing- some stuff that should’ve been caught with a basic spellcheck! For such a slim book, it’s often repetitive and a bit meandering. Some good information but the poor editing makes it feel less trustworthy. A good starting point on the topic perhaps, but a bit underwhelming, like most of the effort was put into formatting and making the book look good so it would sell, while the text itself is rushed. And then weird tangents about the invention and history of cinema itself- why, padding? Some wild tangents too - talking about Opennheimer and Taylor Swift - with very tenuous connections. The same amount of space is spent on a Taylor Swift music video as is on Scooby Doo! Some of the history is thorough and some is just a random list of things related to Frankenstein without much depth or analysis. Why is so much text devoted to adaptations that HAVEN’T come out (like the Bride)? Why not wait a year to publish this if you want to talk about those with any nuance? (I assume some marketing/sales reason). Photos also seem rather arbitrary- why are Mulder and Scully in a photo but not really an image from the iconic episode being referenced?

[The Romance Book Disciple (Samantha) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, holistic look at all things Frankenstein. Exploration of the origins and some of the misconceptions, along with the edits done by Shelley herself (and those who helped her). Then moves into the media regarding Frankenstein and how he evolved one screen. Interesting for those who are into classic horror to see how much Frankenstein's monster has changed from the original story version to today's movie edition.

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is ok, lots of interesting history but as it moves closer to modern day, it feels more like a box-checking exercise than any kind of thorough examination of Frankenstein’s legacy.

[Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars