It really is the first, or most famous, Zombie story. Mary Shelley supposedly won a personal contest between Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley with Frankenstein for it being scary. However, the movie that was filmed in 1994 based, fairly closely, on the book is not a 'horror' movie. It is not filmed to be particularly scary; not in the instantaneous, creepy way that is expected in a horror movie and not to a modern audience.
Still, the concept should be more scary in todays world than in Shelley's: Science has become pretty much as arrogant as her novel predicts. We aren't re-animating people, but we do have a few wackos trying to 'cure' aging. Which could be an even scarier story. But still not in the 'horror' genre style.
Perhaps I am being to limiting to the genre, but Frankenstein feels more like a dark, scary, and a little gory drama movie and it drops the scariest element of Shelley's book. The 'monster' is vilified far more than Victor is, though he is rather stupid. Everything is grandiose, white and clean or dirty and evil, and very "Melodramatic". There were a few movies made in this visual style in the 90's and 00's, such as Van Helsing or Underworld; but it also reminds me a little of Kill Bill, though that was at least supposed to be a parody (I hope...).
I don't really like the movie. Victor Frankenstein is a little too much of a retarded scientific genius for me. The plot moves forward mostly because of his idiocy (which I don't remember from the book, but it has been several years) or for some sort of dramatic confrontation. But, it is cheaply entertaining. I would like to see the Old One.
Analysis (spoilers will follow):
In the end of the movie, Victor wants to save his late wife because she died when he took both pistols out of the room with him to hunt his monster instead of just staying there with his weapons and protecting her. So he decides to cut off her head, with her brain in it, and sew it on to the corpse of one of their friends.
When next you see her, There are jagged scars running over her face just like his first creature. Now, I wonder, why are those there? Just to make her look horrid and deformed? Why would you need to do anything to her face? Her head had all the components you could possibly want for a head. It was just her body that was without a heart.
This is what I mean by 'melodramatic' action. Most parts of the film are done for their dramatic potential as long as the audience isn't thinking too much or completely ready to accept anything the movie offers. My own ability to suspend disbelief is pretty good, but I would like a little credit for being a thoughtful individual.
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