Summoned by a will to his late grandfather's castle in Transylvania, young Dr. Frankenstein soon discovers the scientist's step-by-step manual explaining how to bring a corpse to life. Assisted by the hunchbacked Igor and the curvaceous Inga, he creates a monster who only wants to be loved.

A has-been movie director (Mel Brooks) intends to make a comeback by making a silent movie, and in the process, save his film studio from a takeover by a New York-based conglomerate.