Following the success of Son of Frankenstein, Universal wanted to get out another sequel as soon as possible. Since Boris Karloff refused to come back to play the monster, they had to find a new actor. After The Wolf Man was a hit, it was decided that Lon Chaney Jr. would be donning the makeup. For the sequel, elements from the previous film were originally going to be used, but those were scrapped. Erle C. Kenton, who had previously helmed The Island of Lost Souls, was chosen to direct the film. Jack Pierce was brought back in to recreate the monster makeup he used for Boris Karloff on Lon Chaney Jr. Other actors from previous monster movies like Cedric Hardwicke, Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, and Evelyn Ankers returned for this film. After only two months of filming, The Ghost of Frankenstein was released in March 1942.
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Synopsis
After the last film, Ygor (Bela Lugosi) has been holed up in Frankenstein’s castle when the locals blow it up. In the explosions, the monster (Lon Chaney Jr.) is accidentally released from his sulfuric tomb and escapes with Ygor. After revitalizing the monster, Ygor takes him to Visaria to visit Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein (Cedric Hardwicke) and ask for help. Ygor asks Ludwig to heal the monster’s body and mind, but Ludwig refuses and Ygor threatens to reveal his ancestry. While studying his late father’s notes, Henry Frankenstein’s ghost visits and convinces Ludwig to give the monster a good brain. With the help of Dr. Theodore Bohmer (Lionel Atwill), Ludwig plans on giving the monster the brain of Dr. Kettering. However, Ygor manages to convince Bohmer to substitute Kettering’s brain with his own with the promise of ruling the world. As the villagers storm the manor, Ygor declares himself immortal.
Review
While Son of Frankenstein wasn’t as good as the first two, it was still a solid and well-made follow-up. It also gave Boris Karloff a decent send-off as the monster, even if he had a smaller role to play. The Ghost of Frankenstein, however, feels like it was made simply so they’d have another monster movie just because. Lon Chaney Jr., who was phenomenal as The Wolf Man, doesn’t work as the monster, but it’s not his fault. He mostly just lumbers about with a blank expression and doesn’t have the physicality that Karloff brought to the monster. Bela Lugosi, returning as Ygor, still does a good job, but nowhere near as creepy as in the last film. Admittedly, the scene where the monster speaks with Ygor’s voice near the end is definitely one of the film’s highlights. What it lacks in quality, it makes up for in small highlights.
The opening scene of the villagers destroying Frankenstein’s castle while Ygor tries fending them off is a good start. Also, the idea of performing a brain transplant on the monster was an interesting idea considering what happened before. Many of the other returning actors like Hardwicke, Atwill, Ankers, and Bellamy do a fine enough job in their roles. In terms of continuity, this one follows the events of Son of Frankenstein pretty well, though there are some inconsistencies. One other interesting moment is where the monster befriends a young girl, obviously playing off a similar scene from Frankenstein. Erle C. Kenton, who did a great job on Island of Lost Souls, does the best he can here. While this is certainly a drop-off from the previous films, there is still some fun to be had. Overall, The Ghost of Frankenstein is a fun B-picture but not a great Frankenstein film.
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