The Legacy of Frankenstein.
Frankenhooker, AI Intelligence, and Mel Brooks–those were only a few of the topics touched on when six horror writers joined forces at StokerCon 2026 to discuss the ways that Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel remains relevant today.
Previewed in my previous post, the StokerCon panel took place at the height of the convention, at 1:00 pm on Saturday, June 6.
Moderator Crystal O’Leary Davidson, professor of Gothic and Horror Literature at Middle Georgia State University, kicked off the conversation by asking each panelist to speak about an early encounter with Mary Shelley’s creation.
Here are some highlights.
The Monster Wore Tennis Shoes
Writer-editor John Langan spoke of being forever changed by a Frankenstein monster in white tennis shoes, a portrayal of the creature that he encountered while watching his first Frankenstein movie with his father.
“I don’t mind you watching this,” his father told him. “But if you’re scared later, that’s your own problem.”
Fortunately for horror readers, John was frightened, and the experience continues to inspire him today. Nevertheless, despite the indelible impression left by the film, John cannot recall its title, nor has he been able to identify it through extensive research.
What he does recall is that the movie appeared to be a stage adaptation, in which “the monster at one point was wearing white tennis shoes.”
If you’re reading this and are able to identify the movie based on those clues, the comment box is open.
Once More to the Lake
By contrast, writer and educator Lisa Kröger first encountered Mary Shelley’s creature in a wax museaum in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
“It was dark,” she recalled. “I walked around a corner, saw the monster … and I screamed!”
The monster she saw was posed in a recreation of a scene from James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931), in which the creature encounters a little girl by a lake.
“I think my dad wanted to make me not scared,” Lisa explains. “So he was like, Look! It’s you! It’s a little girl.”
The Weirdness of James Whale
For her part, four-time Bram Stoker Award winner Gwendolyn Kist recalls being impressed by the weirdness of James Whale’s The Bride of Frankenstein (1934).
In addition to Else Lanchester’s memorable performance as both Mary Shelley and the monster’s bride, Gwendolyn cites the characters of Doctor Pretorious (Ernest Thesiger) and the miniaturized humans in glass jars as making indelible impressions.
Syampathy for the Outsiders
Actor and writer Teel James Glenn also cites James Whale’s Frankenstein as a powerful influence, but in a different way.
“My grandmother had a hunchback, so when I saw Fritz, I immediately connected with the movie.”
As a result, Teel found that the movie did not affect him as it did other people, and the sympathy that he felt for Fritz and the monster as outsiders would later inform his acting performances when he played Mary Shelley’s creation on stage.
Cartoon Creatures
As for me, thanks to the Warner Brothers cartoons that played constantly on television when I was a kid, I have always been aware of the Frankenstein monster.
On the panel at StokerCon, I shared some of my thoughts on such classics as Hollywood Capers (1935), Porky’s Road Race (1937), Hollywood Steps Out (1941), and others.
You can read more about those cartoons (and watch some videos) here.
… and There’s More!
If you’d like to know more about the panel and what folks had to say about the aforementioned Frankenhooker, AI Intelligence, and Mel Brooks, you can access a recording of the Frankenstein panel and many other StokerCon offerings on the convention’s virtual platform.
StokerCon videos are available now through June 14. Click here for more information.
And if you have a Frankenstein first impression to share, please send it along. As always, the comment box is open.
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