What is the name of the director of the 1931 film Frankenstein?

The director of the 1931 film Frankenstein was James Whale. The Universal Pictures production became one of the defining horror films of the early sound era and helped establish the visual language of cinematic Frankenstein stories.

Whale was an English director who moved from theatre into Hollywood. Universal gave him considerable freedom to choose his next project, and he selected Frankenstein after the success of Dracula. The film starred Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein and Boris Karloff as the creature, with Jack Pierce creating the monster's iconic makeup.

The movie was adapted through a stage version and screenplay rather than directly reproducing every element of Mary Shelley's novel. That is why the film's scientist is Henry Frankenstein instead of Victor Frankenstein, and why the creature's famous bolts, flat-top head, and laboratory equipment are largely products of the Universal adaptation. Whale also directed the acclaimed 1935 sequel, Bride of Frankenstein, making him central to the series' early identity.