Why do we care for or enjoy scary movies? Is it the acceleration of our hearts pounding in our chests or is it the chill we get on the backs of our necks that makes us watch them? This feeling we get when we watch a scary movie makes people fascinated, especially with the story of Frankenstein because of the story line that is depicted. This tale deals with three different subjects that audiences love to watch and dream about which is the theme of "playing god", the science fiction subject of genetic engineering, and the role of horror in society. The reason scary movies are so popular because people who enjoy this share the same human characteristic, which is to explore the boundaries of the unknown. This is present in Mary Shelly's, Frankenstein where Victor's life story of exploring the unknown is the heart of this book. .
As a young boy, Victor studied outdated and ancient subject of alchemists where this background of information he learned was irrelevant once he attended the University of Ingolstadt. There he learns modern science and after a few years studying, he is fascinated with the "secret of life". This obsession is the driving force Victor experiences to explore new ideas. Once he discovers this secret he brings a "hideous" monster to life and he is forced to live in abandonment and is shunned by the public.
This idea Victor had of creating life from dead tissue has been studied, worked upon, and documented for many years because technology is being developed by humans to have the ability of "playing god". This theme of having the ability to create life is one of the most controversial topics ever being discussed from stem cell to human cloning. With this technology rapidly increasing to the point where the boundary of the unknown is no longer that far away, people are fascinated and terrified at the same time regarding the capacity of creating life. .
