Science Museum Hallowe'en Late & Film: Bride of Frankenstein

 Appropriately, Hallowe'en weekend is all about The Hideout/Movie Roadhouse London (MRL)! Today, on Hallowe'en itself, The Hideout booked another field trip - following the success of Shocktober, we booked for Haunt Fest. However, disaster.. just a couple of days ago, we found out the company behind it has gone into liquidation! The organiser, who booked on our behalf to get the group rate, still hadn't got his money back, last I heard, but has already refunded us! Anyway, he's a bit under the weather, so stayed in tonight, but a number of us headed to the Science Museum Hallowe'en Late, including an optional screening of Bride of Frankenstein! I headed off early to eat at the nearby Stein's Berlin.

For once, a bus happened along just in time to take me to the station - so I said I might as well take it. And at this time, today at least, the Tube wasn't too busy - I got a seat most of the way. Unfortunately, the subway that connects South Kensington Station to Exhibition Road was closed.. so I had to trudge the whole way in what was persistent rain, pushing through crowds. (Our organiser was later to remark what a good job it was that Haunt Fest was cancelled, as in this weather we'd just have been running around in the mud.) And just as well I had taken that bus - I was just a few minutes early for my booking. Not too hard to find, the restaurant is nonetheless in one of those identical buildings that line the road - with the numbers prominently displayed, it does pay to have the address..

Service is faultlessly friendly. Decor inside is sparse, plain wooden tables and chairs. I was immediately shown to a table - with the place hardly occupied, I'd hardly needed to book. Didn't see anything I fancied from the starters - for main, I had the Schnitzel vom Huhn mit Kartoffelsalat (chicken schnitzel with potato salad), with a side of Hausgemachte Bratkartoffeln (homemade potatoes with bacon and onions, which I adore). I'm not a fan of potato salad. No Sauvignon Blanc on the menu, so I went for the Pinot Gris.

The wine was lovely. The schnitzel was served with a slice of lemon, which I squeezed over it - it was thin, and gorgeous, as were the potatoes. Interestingly, as I ate, I noticed a film being projected on the window blinds - something from the 50s, set in Cannes - lots of wasp-waisted women. The sound was down, so I had to guess at the subject matter. Also as I was eating, tonight's acting organiser was messaging that she'd be late - I figured I probably wouldn't have time for dessert anyway, and with me the first there, I was tasked with holding a place in the queue. (Perhaps just as well I only had one course, and one glass of wine, considering the price..)

Mercifully, when I exited - the rain had stopped! I placed myself somewhere that seemed sensible - they hadn't opened the queue barriers yet. When they did, I was practically in pole position! A new member of the group messaged, and I managed to spot him - I was in the process of directing him to the entrance of the queue, and to come up and join me, when the organiser arrived - and that was it for people that wanted to watch the film; the others wanted to join us afterwards.

We had company, at the top of the queue:

Hmm. I'm as much a supporter of the Palestinian cause as anyone, but this was a new one on me - seems the museum has links to the Adani group, which is involved in defence and aerospace, and has dealings with an Israeli arms manufacturer. Ok, I get it - the banner does seem OTT though. And wow, were they loud - their throats must ache tonight! They were yelling away merrily when the museum let us in, about 6.30.

A quick bag check, a quick run to the loo, and we went straight to the film, which was showing in the lecture theatre:

Pictured is, indeed, the eponymous "Bride of Frankenstein"- the creature destined to be the companion of Frankenstein's monster (rather than of Frankenstein himself); interestingly though, you can take both meanings from the name, because Baron von Frankenstein himself also marries at the start of the film. Funny - I always knew him as Victor Frankenstein - in this, he's called Henry. Ah well. Also interestingly, in the cast list as shown, the person playing the Bride of Frankenstein isn't named - turns out, if you look it up (or just notice), it's Elsa Lanchester, who also plays Mary Shelley in the opening scene, in which she's chatting to her husband and Lord Byron, and telling them the story of this sequel to her original novel, Frankenstein. Mind you, that summer they all spent together, she wasn't married yet.. The monster, as in the first film, is played by Boris Karloff, here listed as simply "Karloff".

This film covers many elements of the story that the first left out - his learning to speak, learning to love music, befriending an old blind man. So, he becomes more appealing all of a sudden - no wonder he wants someone to love. But as we agreed afterwards, this is a really funny film.. from the hilarious old woman, the Baroness' maid, who shrieks in horror at the creature, to the silly grin on the monster's face after his first taste of alcohol - it's a lovely, satirical piece, poking fun at pretty much everyone.

The scientific equipment is wheeled out once more to create a female version (and by the way, where are they supposed to have got several women's bodies to complete her? and why? was one not good enough?). And the scientific equipment is stupendous, really dramatic - as I said afterwards, isn't this emblematic of the awe in which electricity was held at the time! Hell, it was around these days that rural parts of Ireland were being connected to the national grid for the first time - my late father was involved in the process, and as my late mother remarked, it created a great frenzy for cleaning, around the neighbourhood, now that everyone had harsh electric light and could see all the cobwebs.. Someone else remarked that it looked very like the props in the SciFi films of the time - indeed, perhaps they just had it lying around!

And oh, Elsa Lanchester plays a blinder - she's not seen very much, just in that first scene and in what is pretty much the last one - but she's a compelling presence, looking absolutely iconic in that final scene. It's not a long film, but it's a memorable one.

And so, to the rest of the events:

Faced with the impossibility of doing everything, we hit on the Hallowe'en Object trail - we had to find six objects around the museum and their associated letters (stuck onto the display cases). As we were currently on the middle floor of three, we started there - and all the objects were in the Medical Gallery:

As we went around, we started to notice more and more people in costume, which was cool. And for goodness' sake, look - a protective demon that I didn't see in Dark Secrets!

There's a large section that's apparently on loan from the Wallace Collection:

And a fantastic model (1/6 scale) of a hospital - in a few wards, the bedclothes were supplied by members of the royal family, who contributed their handkerchiefs!

We saw so many things we'd never seen before - such as this iron lung:

and this little model of the cell of a tubercular patient, demonstrating the value of good ventilation!

We finally came across one of our clues - a trepanned skull! 

And how about this for a curiosity - a "mortsafe", a kind of lockbox that you could keep your relative's corpse in, and keep the bodysnatchers out! Windows allowed you to see when the corpse had decayed, and would be of no further use to robbers:

We duly met another group member - and with a catwalk show for costumes, we headed that way. It was popular:

I particularly liked the "mothmen", with their glowing red eyes:

We had the Joker:

We had Maleficent:

The crown, however, went to the one dressed as Princess Diana:

..who had serious trouble ascending the catwalk in those shoes!

Unfortunately, while we were busy with that, another member of the group happened along - it was loud, it was crowded, and she cried off shortly afterwards. Anyway, the remainder of us headed for whatever else we could find on the now-expired Object Trail - one item was a moon rock, which brought us into the fascinating Space Section: where I see they put the IMAX! Good to know. There's a terrific globe display that switches between displaying the Earth and the moon:

Interesting facts:

And a wee bit of history:

Combine that with a cool video about General Relativity, of all things, and you get my fave section of the museum. Anyway, we found our rock - but by that stage, the letters had been removed, so we couldn't finish. Just as well we'd already figured out the answer was "museum"..

A couple of us wanted a drink afterwards, but all the local pubs were rammed, so we called it a night. Have to say though, it was an interesting evening! which I finished off at home, polishing off wine and finding a decent little horror film.

Tomorrow, planning to go with MRL to the 40th anniversary screening of Back to the Future in the Cineworld Imax - finally got a ticket booked, after some internet trouble. As usual, eating in Bella Italia, meeting the group in Victory House.

And on Sunday, I'm back with The Hideout for a new horror, Shelby Oaks, in Cineworld Leicester Square. Now, someone just reminded me of the Selfridge's exhibition around the new film, Guillermo del Toro's Frankenstein - tickets are free, but going fast! It's only running to the 9th, and the best option I could find was early on Sunday afternoon.. when the time was announced for the film, I actually had to change my exhibition time - no problem, tickets are free (with Eventbrite) and were still available - I'm now going an hour earlier.

Finally, on Monday, eighth Meetup in a row, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) for Fatherland at Hampstead Theatre. Set in Mayo ("God help us", as the saying goes, due to its poor land..)

For Tuesday, thinking film again, and thinking of The Mastermind (which MRL saw on Wednesday), a 70s art crime heist drama starring Josh O' Connor, closest showing in the Genesis Cinema, which I've never tried. Funnily enough, after my terrible review of Flat Iron Denmark Street, the management offered me a free meal for two at a Flat Iron of my choice! Closest to the cinema is Flat Iron Spitalfields - so I'm headed there with my companion who so loves them, before the film. Given their miniscule steaks, management advised me to order several sides. Huh, at £4 a pop! So much for "reasonable prices". I actually think I'm going to order two steaks, that night.. they don't publish the weight on their menus, but I looked it up online and management confirmed it - their steaks weigh just over 7oz.. that's the smallest steak I've ever seen in a restaurant.. I'll easily manage two!

On Wednesday, I'm back with Over 40 Living the Life, for the first time in a few months, to see a musical called The Coven, about a famous English witchcraft trial! Showing in The Kiln - and it's nearly two years since I've been there!

On Thursday, thinking of getting to Urchin - only reasonable showing time that day seems to be in the Picturehouse Hackney.

Then I'm heading back to Ireland for the weekend, on my last trip this year, my weekends are looking so busy! On the 10th, a Meetup group called London Loves Jazz is advertising a concert by Kim Cypher in Pizza Express Soho. I liked the music I heard online, and bought a ticket - but baulked at joining the group, what with the joining fee, and the intensive questionnaire, including whether I was prepared to be "an active member".. so I'm just going alone. I didn't have a great experience with my last jazz group.

On the 11th, back with UITCS for Kindling in the Park Theatre. It's a comedy about a group of perimenopausal women who go on a camping trip to scatter their friend's ashes.

On the 12th, back with storytelling - Winter's Night Wonder Tales, with Alys Torrance, is back at The Palmerston. Tickets through Eventbrite.

On the 13th, I'm with yet another new Meetup walking group - Walks and Tours - for a Xmas Lights walk around Mayfair. Meeting in the Mercato Mayfair. And as it's a Thursday, I'll be lugging my laptop, ouch!

On the 14th, back with The Hideout for Keeper, directed by Osgood Perkins - details TBA, but it'll be somewhere around Leicester Square.

The 15th is another ex-colleagues meeting - or probably just another meeting with James! We haven't seen Ivan since June, and Martin since last Christmas.. Probably in The Phoenix again.

And on the 16th, back with Mandy and London Herstory Walks for Rebel Women of the South Bank.