The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Erle C. Kenton

Writers:

Scott Darling (screenplay)
Eric Taylor (story)

Release Date:

13 March 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Stark Terror! Added Thrills! in a Spine-Tingling Experience !

Plot:

Ygor resurrects Frankenstein's monster and brings him to the original doctor's son, Ludwig, for help...

Plot Keywords:

Brain | Villager | Frankenstein's Monster | Lightning | Score Employs Stock Cues

Cast

Cedric Hardwicke	...	Frankenstein (as Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
Ralph Bellamy	...	Erik
Lionel Atwill	...	Doctor Bohmer
Bela Lugosi	...	Ygor
Evelyn Ankers	...	Elsa
Janet Ann Gallow	...	Cloestine
Barton Yarborough	...	Dr. Kettering
Doris Lloyd	...	Martha
Leyland Hodgson	...	Chief Constable
Olaf Hytten	...	Hussman
Holmes Herbert	...	Magistrate
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	The Monster (as Lon Chaney)

Runtime:

67 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-15 (2004) | Spain:13 | USA:Approved (PCA #8125) | Sweden:15 | Sweden:7 (re-rating) | Germany:12 | Finland:(Banned) (1948)

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Chaney would play the Monster a number of times later: footage from "Ghost" appears as stock shots in _House of Dracula (1945)_; he doubled Glenn Strange for three shots in _Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)_ when Strange twisted his ankle; he played the role in a half-hour version of "Frankenstein" on TV's _Tales of Tomorrow (1952)_; and he appeared (masked) in two comedy sketches with Abbott and Costello on a 1952 "Colgate Comedy Hour" show.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The first time we see the close-up for the wall plaque for "Dr. Frankenstein - Diseases of the Mind" outside his "mansion", it is hardly in such a place. If you look close to the left of the sign you'll see a ladder, wires on the ground, palm trees and a station wagon type of car.

Quotes:

[the monster is struck by lightning]
Ygor: The lightning. It is good for you! Your father was Frankenstein, but your mother was the lightning!

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Creature Features: The Ghost of Frankenstein (#1.35)" (1971)

A worthy fourth showing for Universal's Frankenstein

The third sequel to James Whale's 1931 masterpiece carries on with the idea put forward in Son of Frankenstein, in that the villagers from the settlement where Dr Frankenstein created his monster believe that their home is cursed. This leads us to Castle Frankenstein, where Bela Lugosi's Ygor is holed up. After the villagers burn the castle down, Ygor finds his 'friend', the monster; and the pair travel to the home of Frankenstein's second son Ludwig, whom Ygor hopes will be able to revitalise the monster. The events of Son of Frankenstein don't play too heavily on the plot of this film, and several important plot points have been ignored so that the plot is able to move as the writer wanted it too. This is somewhat annoying, but there are slight attempts to explain the reappearance of certain key characters that go some way to sorting it. The main plot idea is basically the same as Son of Frankenstein, in that it sees a descendant of the original doctor trying to heal his father's monster at the request of the sinister Ygor.

Watching this film, it's obvious where Hammer Horror got a lot of their ideas for the continued story of Frankenstein from. There isn't a lot of reference towards the classic Mary Shelly story, and like Hammer would go on to do; this is a new take on the classic horror story. The Ghost of Frankenstein is hugely enjoyable as long as you don't go into it expecting more than a B-movie picture. The cast give the film many of it's main plus points. Series star Boris Karloff doesn't appear in this instalment, but classic star Bela Lugosi makes up for his absence. Lugosi's Ygor is the main driving force behind this film, and he brings just the right amount of calculation and malevolence to his crippled character. Lugosi is joined by Lon Chaney Jr, who steps into Karloff's role as Frankenstein's Monster. Really, he doesn't have all that much to do; but he's a worthy replacement for Karloff. Cedric Hardwicke is the doctor this time around, and does a fairly good job; while Lionel Atwill swaps his role of the one-armed inspector in Son of Frankenstein for Doctor Frankenstein's immoral assistant. Overall, this isn't as good as the three films that preceded it; but it offers a good time, and if you're a fan of the series, you'll no doubt like this too.