I first read this H.G. Well’s classic novella in the 8^th grade as a reading assignment. I thought it was sort of good, you know, the stuff of homework that wasn’t so bad.  I was in my twenties the first time I paid attention to James Whale’s 1933 film The Invisible Man and I thought it was the stupidest thing ever! Years later, I watched it again and I loved it. It isn’t stupid, it’s just that some parts are intentionally funny.

Likewise, I revisited the novella in my later years. I enjoyed it more than I did as a pubescent young lad, but still, it doesn’t compare to the enjoyment of watching a pair of pants skip down the road while a disembodied voice sings “Here we go gathering nuts in May!”

I have not yet seen the highly recommended recent Invisible Man film.  I am looking forward to watching that one soon.

Winner: MOVIE

Fans of classic literature will hate me for this. Inspiring feminists will want be dead. How can I go with the movie on this one? Mary Shelley’s novel was so original and vastly different from film. All that lightning and laboratory stuff – that was sooo Hollywood!  Maybe so.  In the book, the details concerning the creation of the monster is purposely kept vague, as is the monsters’ appearance, allowing the imagination of the reader to get some exercise. And, I appreciate this. Shelley’s novel is a great piece, no doubt about it.

It’s James Whale’s fault. He be the director of the 1931 Frankenstein film and if he wasn’t such a damn good filmmaker then Shelley would win. I have come to appreciate his style; his use of shadows, his props and settings that bring an eerie life to his films. All this and more helped make the film a masterpiece.

Winner: MOVIE

I am comparing Bram Stoker’s epic novel to my favorite Dracula movie, which is Tod Browning’s 1931 Universal classic starring the great Bela Lugosi.  I saw Hammer Film’s Productions 1958 Dracula film starring Christopher Lee (it was good), sort of remembered enjoying the Francis Ford Coppola’s 1992 version of the infamous Count, and yes, I appreciated the great silent classic Nosferatu. In the end, it’s the Bela classic that does it for me!  However, the novel “does me more!”

The adventurous carriage ride through the Transylvania forests, the description of the breathtaking views of Dracula’s Castle even from far away. The imprisonment of one Jonathan Harker inside this castle. And of course, the initial account of the ancient and mysterious Count Dracula as he dwells in his domain; all this was captivating on a level that none of the films could reach.

Winner: BOOK