After 1935's Bride of Frankenstein Universal Studios decided that they wouldn't make anymore monster movies. When a couple of years later they found that their revival screenings of Dracula and Frankenstein were doing really well they decided to resume production of their iconic monster films and begin what is commonly referred to as the "second phase" of Universal Horror. There is no doubt that the majority of the films made in this phase were of a lower quality of those in the first phase. A lot of this had to do with World War 2 which took away some of the talent in front of and behind the camera. The films of this phase would eventually be mostly B films but Son of Frankenstein, which kicked things off, certainly was not.
Son tells the story of the son of Henry Frankenstein returning to his homeland and soon finding that he can't help but delve into his father's past experiments, you can imagine where it all goes from here but there is certainly a lot of fun along the way. Those familiar with the classic Mel Brooks film Young Frankenstein will be delighted to see that much of the source of that film comes from this one. Certain references that I did not get before in Young Frankenstein are now clear to me and it only makes that film even better. Son is a pretty good film in its own right and has a great cast. Basil Rathbone is perfect in the role as the son of Doctor Frankenstein and Bela Lugosi does a fine job as the assistant Ygor. It is interesting to not that Ygor did not appear as a character in the first two films. Lugosi was never really able to recapture his Dracula performance but Ygor might be the closest he came to a comeback. Karloff is fantastic in his final turn as the monster but unfortunately is not given as much time on the screen here as he was given in the previous outings. The monster is also less emotive besides one scene involving a mirror. Karloff could tell that soon the monster would be nothing more than a machine in these films and he picked the right time to exit the series. Lionel Atwill plays a police inspector in this film and he gives a great performance. Atwill is one of those character actors who pops up in every B horror and mystery film you can think of. It is notable that he eventually faced-off against Rathbone's Sherlock Holmes as professor Moriarty.
Son benefits from its great actors and fantastic sets. The sets are done in an expressionistic style which reminds one of old silent German cinema. The make up is, as always, exceptional and all the actors work well together. Unfortunately, Son of Frankenstein does not work as well as the previous two efforts. It's plot is alright but it isn't enough to justify the film's 94 minute run time, which is the longest of the three films. the film begins well and then drags a little bit in the middle. The conclusion however is one of the best parts of all three films so far. It is gripping and suspenseful and really allows Karloff to shine on the screen in what was arguably his greatest character. In the end, Son of Frankenstein is a really good Frankenstein film and it should definitely be watched and enjoyed even if it isn't as good as the first two 3.5/5
I don't have much to say about Ghost of Frankenstein. By the time it was made in 1942 Universal's monster movies were now strictly "B" pictures. The budget is lower and Karloff is no longer playing the Monster. The film shows a definite drop in quality and despite a few decent moments Ghost is an utter failure.
The story involves the "other son" of Frankenstein taking control of the monster and this time he wants to give it a better brain. This idea is a logical one when you think about the mythos the films had created, but it is not enough to hinge a plot on, even if the film is only an hour and seven minutes long. This time the cast is not as good as the previous ones. Lon Chaney Jr. plays the monster in a way that really makes you wish Karloff had continued and maybe gotten the script changed. Chaney just isn't Karloff and he sticks out like a sore thumb. Lionel Atwill gets far too little screen time in his new role as a villain and Ralph Bellamy plays a completely uninteresting romantic lead. In fact, the romantic sub plot of this film doesn't even exist really and yet the two romantic leads are shown escaping in the last shot of the film. The woman at least gets a couple scenes where she is the main one on screen but Bellamy's character is completely undeveloped. They could've at least put together a cheesy love scene to make the end of the film have ANY emotional impact. Even Lugosi seems tired as Ygor and this is only his second appearance.
As it stands there are a couple of interesting scenes involving the monster but they are mostly one's we've seen before. There is an interesting twist at the conclusion which at least keeps the whole thing from being soporific. In the end, on its own, it probably is a fun little "B" picture but when viewed in context it really demonstrates a lowering in quality 2/5
Stay tuned tomorrow for my review of the monster mash-ups Frankenstein Meets the wolf Man and House of Frankenstein!
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