Working marvelously as both a silly spoof and a heartfelt tribute to the original films, Young Frankenstein became a classic in its own right. Mel Brooks actually joined the project late in the writing process, developing an idea that originated with star Gene Wilder; their collaboration, like the subject matter, would take on an absurd life of its own. This telling of the tale focuses on Victor’s grandson, Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, a neurosurgeon who has distanced himself from his family’s demented history—to the point of changing the pronunciation of his last name. Yet upon inheriting his grandfather’s estate in Transylvania, his ancestor’s obsessions are reawakened, initiating a hysterical retelling of the famous story with scenes, effects, music and tropes from Whale’s films impeccably, and often artfully, satirized along the way—even using the laboratory set from the original. Alternating between broad comedy and subtler jokes, the brilliant ensemble cast also features Peter Boyle as the sensitive monster, Teri Garr as Frankenstein’s curvaceous lab assistant Inga and Marty Feldman as Igor, who elicits most of the films laughs and according to Wilder was, “the true heart and soul of the film.”