Funko POP! Universal Monsters: Bride of Frankenstein (glow in the dark variant)

Series: POP! Movies

Year: 2014

RRP: $16.95

Bride of Frankenstein is one of the most critically-acclaimed horror films out there, expanding well beyond its incredibly schlocky origins (“Frankenstein was a hit – make me another!”) to live on in our collective cultural consciousness as an iconic and influential film, perhaps even more so than the original that spawned it.

Its themes have been analysed heavily, probably well beyond any real degree of common sense – is it Christian-themed? Anti-Christian? Is it all about being gay? Director James Whale preferred the company of men in real life, which has naturally fuelled a lot of speculation along the lines of the last theory. Of course, I’ve never actually seen it – or the original Frankenstein, for that matter – so I can’t pretend to shed any real light on the matter (though I do plan to watch both soon; it’s a disgrace that I haven’t already).

But weighty themes aside, there’s one thing that overshadows everything else when it comes to the Bride of Frankenstein – dat hair.  Working with make-up artist Jack Pierce, Elsa Lanchester set a bar for updos and beehives that no one has ever really equalled, though many have tried.  

This POP! replicates that with a remarkably solid piece of plastic, complete with the signature white streaks up the side. As might be expected, the Bride is an entirely new sculpt. Her head is disportionately large, even by Funko standards, mounted on a tiny body. The head comes complete with the scars on the cheeks and under the neck. To ensure she doesn’t overbalance, her dress is one solid piece. The bandaged arms are glued on separately.

All in all, it’s a good likeness, though for me it’s not quite as fun as some of the others in the set have been. I’ve now got every character in this series save for the Phantom of the Opera – and though she’s pretty great, she’s a close contender for least favourite with said Phantom. I’ve never felt a particularly close connection with the creature design; it’s just missing that x-factor for me. Nonetheless, she’s a lot of fun and will make a good addition to any horror collection, Universal or otherwise.  

There are two versions of the Bride available – regular and glow in the dark. As with Frankenstein’s Monster, the Glow in the Dark version looks virtually identical to the “regular” one, so if you have the choice I’d say go for the glow! Her face glows green in the dark -- it's more effective than Frankenstein's glow, but not as good as the more overtly glow-y Creature from the Black Lagoon.