Young Frankenstein

"The scariest comedy of all time!"

1974 1h 46m EN

🙌

7.9

BANGER

★7.9TMDB · 3,495

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A young neurosurgeon inherits the castle of his grandfather, the famous Dr. Victor von Frankenstein. In the castle he finds a funny hunchback, a pretty lab assistant and the elderly housekeeper. Young Frankenstein believes that the work of his grandfather was delusional, but when he discovers the book where the mad doctor described his reanimation experiment, he suddenly changes his mind.

“The scariest comedy of all time!”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Gene Wilder
Dr. Frankenstein
Peter Boyle
Monster
Marty Feldman
Igor
Madeline Kahn
Elizabeth
Cloris Leachman
Frau Blücher
Teri Garr
Inga
Kenneth Mars
Inspector Kemp
Richard Haydn
Herr Falkstein

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mel Brooks
Writers: Gene Wilder, Mel Brooks, Mel Brooks
Languages: English, German
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $86M — a 30.8× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

52 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Directed by Mel Brooks, shot by Gerald Hirschfeld. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Morris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John C. Howard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle and Marty Feldman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mel Brooks directs. Gerald Hirschfeld behind the camera. John Morris scores. John C. Howard cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $2.8M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Grossed $86M — a 30.8× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
352 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, German.
5Directed by Mel Brooks, shot by Gerald Hirschfeld. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by John Morris. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor John C. Howard shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle and Marty Feldman carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The scariest comedy of all time!".
10IMDB entry: tt0072431 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 17 themes, including "monster", "experiment", "assistant", "halloween".

The technical file

Cinematography: Gerald Hirschfeld
Original score: John Morris
Editing: John C. Howard
Production design: Dale Hennesy
Costume design: Dorothy Jeakins
Makeup / hair: Edwin Butterworth
Sound: Richard Portman
Runtime: 106 min · 1h 46m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $2,800,000
Box office: $86,273,333
Return: 3081% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: Young Frankenstein (1974)

Awards

Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
Nebula Award for Best Script
Saturn Award for Best Horror Film
Saturn Award for Best Set Decoration
Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
Saturn Award for Best Make-up
Saturn Award for Best Director

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Mel Brooks

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Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-03-22
★ 8/10
For what we are about to see next, we must enter quietly into the realm of genius. Young Frankenstein is directed by Mel Brooks who also co-writes the screenplay with Gene Wilder. It stars Wilder, Marty Feldman, Peter Boyle, Teri Garr and Madeline Kahn. Music is by John Morris and cinematography by Gerald Hirschfeld. Filmed in black and white, Brook's movie is an affectionate spoof of the Frankenstein movies that came out of Universal Studios back in the 1930s. There wolf, there castle. You are either a Mel Brooks fan or not, there doesn't seem to be any middle ground. However, even his most ardent fans admit not all of his productions have paid dividends, but when on song, as he was in 1974 (Blazing Saddles also released), it's justifiable that those fans proclaim him as a spoof maestro. Ineviatbly a bit tame when viewed today, Young Frankenstein is still a picture of high comedy and clinical execution of the film making craft. Everything works, from acting performances, the gags that are both visual and aural delights, to the set design of the Frankenstein castle. It also boasts a smooth storyline, this is not a hodge-podge of ideas lifted from those Universal monster classics, it has a spin on the story and inserts its own memorable scenes along the way (Puttin' on the Ritzzzzzzzz, Oh my!). Of its time for sure, but still great entertainment for the Mel Brooks fan. 8/10
Peter McGinn2021-02-12
★ 8/10
When I had the opportunity Ro watch this film again after decades, due to a Cloris Leachman tribute, I couldn’t resist, despite feeling there was a risk of a familiar problem: that of me not liking a program or movie as a mature adult as much as I had as a young man. I needn’t have worried. This is not Mensa material here, but it is a good example of what Mel Brooks did best, spoof movie genres or other cinematic cliches. Everyone seems to have great fun making this movie, and it shows. Some of the bits have become catch phrases: the horse neighing when a certain name is mentioned, the hilarious sight gag of the secret door (“Put the candle back!), and other classic lines. This doesn’t make any of my Favorites list, but it was well worth revisiting it for the laughs and a glimpse at what my younger self thought was funny, and older self agrees with him.
CinemaSerf2023-05-27
★ 7/10
I'd probably best start by saying that I love the writing of Mel Brooks, but I detest the acting style of Gene Wilder - so my views on this are somewhat mixed. It is a spoof - and James Whale ought to be writ large in the credits, as should Glenn Miller and a host of others who have inadvertently contributed to the wonderfully paced script that rarely draws breath. Wilder - the grandson of the eponymous, famously mad scientist - decides to visit Transylvania where he stumbles upon a formula that might just bring the dead back to life. In my view, the acting plaudits go to Marty Feldman, who is great as henchman "Igor" trying desperately to foil the over-the-top antics of the star - who just seems to play each role he takes on in the same, super-hammy, fashion with big eyes and loud, grand gestures that I find most unfunny. Coupled with Brooks, they are, however, on cracking writing form and as parodies go this sets up the whole genre - sometimes overtly and sometimes subtly, but regardless - when you listen to the dialogue you can't help but laugh. For me, it could have done with a less annoying star - but the writing has stood the test of time well and is still very much worth a watch.