The film is only loosely based on Mary Shelley’s 1816 novel, as well as the play by Peggy Webling.

The presence of Karloff on the original film poster, right beneath the title of the film, led many to believe that the monster was called Frankenstein.  In Son of Frankenstein Basil Rathbone refers to this popular case of mistaken identity, but the films themselves also contributed, especially with the titles of The Bride of Frankenstein and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.  However, is this behaviour entirely incorrect?  Since Henry Frankenstein gave life to the monster, he could in a sense be said to have fathered him, in which case the monster would take his family name.

The direct Universal sequels were The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), Ghost of Frankenstein (1941), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945). See the Universal Monster Movies page, for more on these.