Libraries host Frankenstein marathon

To honor the 205^th anniversary of the original publication of “Frankenstein,” the novel by Mary Shelley, the Las Cruces Public Libraries is hosting a Frankenstein movie marathon downtown the first Saturday of January.

Shelley’s novel was published on Jan. 1, 1818 and has been served as source material for adaptations in sequels in prose, on stage and for film ever since. The first film adaptation was a 1910 silent film produced by the inventor Thomas Edison.

The screenings are all free to the public and will be in the Roadrunner Room on the second floor of Thomas Branigan Memorial Library, 200 E. Picacho Avenue.

The schedule, per the library’s web page, consists of three films, none of which are the 1931 iconic film starring Boris Karloff as the monster; nor any of the Hammer classics with Christopher Lee; nor the numerous adaptations for film and television in recent decades. The selections are, however, generally family friendly:

• 11 a.m.: Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein (1948). This was part of a series of comedies based on popular horror films of the area starring the comedic duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. The film is 83 minutes long and has no MPAA rating.
• 12:30 p.m.: Young Frankenstein (1974). One of Mel Brooks’ most famous comic films which also inspired a Broadway musical, the film was made in black and white and imitates the style of the Universal Studios Frankenstein movies with Karloff as the monster. The film is 108 minutes long and is rated PG.
• 2:30 p.m.: Van Helsing (2004). Also an homage to the Universal Studios movies of the 1930s, this film pits star Hugh Jackman against a mysterious cult in Transylvania where he encounters Count Dracula and the Wolf Man as well as Frankenstein’s monster. It runs for 131 minutes with a PG-13 rating.

Visitors are welcome to bring light snacks for the film showings, the city stated in a news release. More information is available via librarian Deanna Duffy at 575-528-4005 or email dduffy@lascruces.gov.