Newly Restored Version of FRANKENSTEIN (1910) Available to Watch Online, Courtesy of the Library of Congress

In the 200 years since it was published, we've seen numerous adaptations (and countless movies influenced by) Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Directed by J. Searle Dawley and produced by Thomas Edison, the first screen adaptation of the classic story came almost one century after Shelley's book was first published, and it's now been newly restored and released online by the Library of Congress.

As detailed in a fascinating post by Mike Mashon on the Library of Congress' website (via Bloody Disgusting), the Frankenstein (1910) nitrate print was acquired by the Library of Congress in 2014, nearly one decade after the death of its previous owner, Alois F. “Al” Dettlaff.

After residing in Wisconsin for decades, the print was brought to the Library of Congress' film preservation lab, where it was given a "2K scan in advance of photochemical preservation," followed by a digital restoration that was made complete with help from the Edison Historic Site and composer Donald Sosin, the latter of whom provided a score for the short film.

You can now watch the newly restored version of Frankenstein (1910) below, courtesy of the Library of Congress. This isn't the first time the short film has been available to the public (it previously was shared on YouTube and has been sold on DVD at conventions), but this is certainly the best it's ever looked. We hope you enjoy this post-Halloween treat, and we'd like to thank Mashon and his colleagues for taking such painstaking measures to preserve this slice of essential horror history.

To keep up to date on the Library of Congress and their Silent Film Project, be sure to visit their website.