I feel like I've owned this game long enough to make a detailed evaluation, rather than reviewing a routed machine that may or may not have issues that impact my impression of it. I had to overcome my Bally/Williams bias and the ugly Frankenstein toy before purchasing but I'm glad I did.
It quickly became one of my favorite machines. There are lots of things to like about it, the first being the ability for each player to select which music they want - the movie soundtrack or the Edgar Winter version (I prefer the drama of the movie soundtrack and Edgar Winter still plays during Geneva multiball). There's Creature 2 ball multiball which can be turned into six ball multiball by locking one at the North Pole and then hitting any hole, the ramp, or the right orbit quickly; delay and the number of balls will be reduced. There's also 3 ball Geneva Multiball. The modes are generally fun and achievable, with my favorite being Graveyard, where you have to assemble body parts from hitting various shots. Save Justine requires a shot through the bumpers which can be really challenging. There's only 1 ramp, but there are 4 pop bumpers, 3 holes, a spinner, a North Pole VUK, a kickback, and a monster that moves his head and throws balls right at you!
The shots generally feel good. In many ways this game reminds me a little of Whitewater without the ramps. One big creature toy sits in both machines and interacts with the ball. The North Pole shot with the VUK is similar to White Water's No Way Out. Some days I can drill a shot up that narrow passage anytime I want, and other times all can hit is the targets in front of it. The same goes for the ramp next to it. Hitting that ramp consistently will start Creature multiball more quickly. On my machine the monster throwing the ball hits the glass just like Insanity Falls does in White Water. Unlike White Water, Frankenstein's upper flipper isn't super important, but if you can consistently hit the Ice Cave with it you will get good bonuses. The bumpers are placed close enough to get good action, although a ball will occasionally exit this area and go SDTM. The DMD animations are excellent and the big DMD is a great feature, but expensive to replace, and Color DMD is $469 and not fully developed - I think the current version only supports changing the color, not supporting multicolor yet (except for Baywatch). I also love the big knife switch used to launch the skill shot, very steampunk! The machine is very forgiving for bad aim, as errant shots often bounce of rubbers and slings, easily caught on the flippers, while side drains are fairly rare. Getting 6-Ball Victor in multiball gets its own initials at end of game, which then appears on the cover of a journal on the DMD in subsequent games, the first time the ramp is hit...a neat feature. There are also some hidden features like the secret passage shot (again like White Water), a diverter behind the North Pole, add-a-ball during multiball, and restart multiball with a North Pole shot.
Some issues I have with the game are modes are a little inconsistent, with countdowns for the Creature Ramp, Frozen, and Save Justine creating tension, but Voltage and Millions don't feel quite the same, while Stoning is absolutely dull. Another issue is that while 6 ball multiball is exciting, the flippers tend to be slightly underpowered during this mode and can become frustrating. Some of the callouts are great, such as "Live again!" for extra ball and the buildup to Creature multiball is great; others such as "Who am I?!" are quite annoying. One other negative is that the game is very dark and unplayable in low light conditions. Putting in a few spotlights would help immensely. I also recommend a Pinsound for home users that utilizes Hazzard's mix, it's much better than the stock sounds! There is mini-wizard mode entered by completing all modes that really amps up scoring, lights extra ball, and and starts CREATION multiball, but it is a timed mode that ends after 60 seconds so it can be intense while it lasts but also a bit disappointing when it ends.
Overall it's a solid, trouble-free game (I've had zero maintenance issues) that keeps me coming back for more. The movie wasn't very good, but the pinball machine overcomes that and works well in small or large collections, especially those that are horror or monster themed. Since White Water is my favorite game, some of the similarities I mentioned above between it and Frankenstein might explain why I like Frankenstein so much. It's just a lot of fun, and it won't be leaving the collection anytime soon.