20 Films That Prove The 1990s Was The Worst Decade For Horror

20. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein

It was inevitable, following the success of Francis Ford Coppola's take on Dracula, that a similar take on Frankenstein couldn't be far behind. Enter actor and director Kenneth Branagh, whose Shakespeare movies had proved he was adept at bringing old-fashioned material up to date, and had also shown a flair for Gothic melodrama with offbeat film noir Dead Again.

Surely he could enjoy similar success with a new take on one of the greatest horror novels ever?

Well, we can say this much about Mary Shelley's Frankenstein: given that it sports John Cleese in an utterly straight role, and sees Robert De Niro share scenes with Richard Briers, the film most definitely has its share of novelty value.

To an extent it works, and in line with the title it's certainly more loyal to Mary Shelley's novel than any other Frankenstein movie. This doesn't change the fact that it's an over-familiar story which this adaptation fails to breathe new life into.

However, what really scuppers Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is Kenneth Branagh himself. The director miscasts himself as the mad scientist of the title, and on both sides of the camera his melodramatic proclivities get the better of him. Just as Branagh the actor is constantly whooping and wailing, his camera is constantly swooshing all over the place; everything is dialled up to 11, and it's impossible not to laugh at the patent absurdity of it all.