One of the many enduring images of Halloween is the towering, shambling figure of Frankenstein’s monster, made most famous by a series of films from Universal Pictures in the 1930s. The monster is the creation of Dr. Frankenstein, a mad scientist who seeks to recreate life by piecing together body parts from the deceased. Both originate from the Gothic novel *Frankenstein* by author Mary Shelley, first published in 1818.
Since that original novel, adaptations of the story have been numerous, both on the stage and in film. More recently, an adaptation from director Guillermo del Toro has hit theaters and is due to begin streaming on Netflix soon.
Though these various adaptations over the years have played loose with certain elements of the novel, one of the consistent themes is that of ambition gone too far. In assembling this new lifeform and pushing the known boundaries of science (and ethics), Dr. Frankenstein discovers that he has no control over his creation.
In this month’s edition of *The Bigger Picture*, where *Houston Matters* explores social and cultural topics in film, we consider whether there are examples in Houston where our ambitions have gotten away from us as a city and region.
In the audio above, producer Joshua Zinn talks about the legacy of *Frankenstein* in film with Charles Dove, director of the film program at Rice University.
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/shows/houston-matters/the-bigger-picture/2025/10/24/534217/the-bigger-picture-does-houston-have-its-own-frankensteins-monster/?utm_source=rss-the-bigger-picture-article&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=hpm-rss-link
