TV Reviews : Frankenstein Monster Takes Parody Route

Remember when Frankenstein’s monster wasn’t for kids, but rather killed them instead?

Probably not, if you haven’t seen the uncut 1931 James Whale movie in a while. In any case, the legend has passed from the pantheon of horror into the realm of parody for children, with the creature at his most benign and unhomicidal in the goofy TV movie “Frankenstein: The College Years” (at 8 tonight on KTTV Channel 11 and XETV Channel 6). It represents the most juvenile rung yet for the erstwhile dead guy, at least this side of Frankenberry cereal.

The manic slapstick story has two collegiate would-be scientists looking through their late professor’s life work and stumbling upon the easily reanimated corpse of, yes, Frankenstein’s monster--who, for purposes of college enrollment, they oh-so-cleverly dub Frank N. Stein. (“Funny, he doesn’t look Jewish,” goes the inevitable punch line.)

Naturally, Frank is an immediate big hit on campus, becoming the star football kicker, a hunk among the ladies, and someone who is instinctively able to “vogue” rather expertly on the dance floor.

The only thing standing between the creature and an active sex life and/or NFL contract is a greedy professor nemesis, who (like just about any comedy villain since the days of “Animal House”) has a bow tie and a portrait of Nixon on his office wall.

Though a few slightly saucy jokes make their way in, only younger tykes will get much of a kick out of the low-level cliche insult humor that makes up much of the script. Given the level of imbecility intended, some of the dialogue is reasonably snappy, and there are a few amusing throwaway gags--like the sight of one young researcher trying to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on an expired lab rat.

Mary Shelley might turn over in her grave, except it’s hardly worth the effort.