Son of Frankenstein (1939)

One of the sons of Frankenstein finds his father's monster in a coma and revives him, only to find out he is controlled by Ygor who is bent on revenge.

Director:

Rowland V. Lee

Writers:

Mary Shelley (suggested by the story written in 1816) (as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley), Wyllis Cooper (screenplay) (as Willis Cooper)

Stars:

Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Basil Rathbone	...	Baron Wolf von Frankenstein
Boris Karloff	...	The Monster
Bela Lugosi	...	Ygor
Lionel Atwill	...	Inspector Krogh
Josephine Hutchinson	...	Elsa von Frankenstein
Donnie Dunagan	...	Peter von Frankenstein
Emma Dunn	...	Amelia
Edgar Norton	...	Thomas Benson
Perry Ivins	...	Fritz
Lawrence Grant	...	Burgomaster
Lionel Belmore	...	Emil Lang
Michael Mark	...	Ewald Neumüller
Caroline Frances Cooke	...	Frau Neumüller (as Caroline Cooke)
Gustav von Seyffertitz	...	Burgher
Lorimer Johnston	...	Burgher (as Lorimer Johnson)

Storyline

Wolf von Frankenstein returns to the Baronial manor from the United States with his wife Elsa and son Peter. He not made welcome by the locals who are still terrified of his father's works and the monster he created. The local Burgomaster gives him a sealed briefcase left by his father and inside, Wolf finds his father's scientific notes. At the manor house he meets his father's assistant Igor who has a surprise for him: the monster his father created is still alive, though in some sort of coma. Wolf's initial attempts to re-animate the creature seem to fail but when Peter says he saw a giant in the woods, it appears he's met success. When people are mysteriously killed in the village there is little doubt that the monster is responsible.

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Plot Keywords:

sequel | shot to death | scientist | castle | broken neck | 

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Taglines:

New TERROR Loosed Upoon a Startled World!

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 January 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

El hijo de Frankenstein

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Universal Pictures produced this third Frankenstein film after a re-issue of the 1931 original Frankenstein and the Bela Lugosi Dracula as a double feature proved hugely successful in 1938. The even greater success of Son of Frankenstein prompted Universal to get back into "The Monster Movie Business," and the studio continued churning out Frankenstein, vampire, mummy and werewolf sequels throughout the next decade.

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Goofs

When Wolf von Frankenstein is arguing with Krogh in the castle lobby (73 minutes), he removes his hat and throws it at the high-backed chair to the left of the fireplace. It lands on the floor in front of and to the left of the chair. Later in the scene, the hat switches to the right of and behind the chair. Later still, in the same location, the hat has now flipped upside down. Frankenstein's coat, which was thrown on the floor to the left of the chair also shifts position (to the seat of the chair, in this case).

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Quotes

[first lines]
[a child picks up a rock to throw at Ygor's window]
Younger Brother: Ain't you afraid?
Older Brother: Of old Ygor? No!
[Ygor stares from the window]
Older Brother: Oh!

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Alternate Versions

The British release print runs approximately two minutes longer.

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Connections

Featured in The Frankenstein Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster (2002)

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Soundtracks

Sailing, Sailing, Over the Bounding Main
(uncredited)
Written by Godfrey Marks
Sung a cappella by Donnie Dunagan

User Reviews

Karloff, Lugosi and Rathbone in one movie? Someone please pinch me.

What a delightful sight, seeing Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi all together in this movie. Seeing the three of them in one shot gave me a special feeling, these three guys are among the biggest screen legends of all time.

Basil Rathbone is always a big pleasure to watch in a movie, he was a true great 'classic' actor. Bela Lugosi was almost unrecognizable in his role as Ygor and he played his character with lots of passion. Unfortunately the age was showing for Karloff. He was well over 50 years old when he played the Frankenstein monster for the last time in this movie. His 'old' age is truly notable, even through his make-up. I think it was a good thing that he never played the famous classic horror character again after this movie.

The story is still interesting enough to make this movie original, even though the depth and emotions of the previous two Frankenstein movies is missing.

It's a bit strange that the first two Frankenstein movies with Karloff are very well known but this movie is not. This movie is truly excellent and should deserve so more recognition and appreciation. The atmosphere is just as good as from the previous two movies and the monster is still one powerful horror character, even though his role is rather limited compared to the first two movies. This time the real main part is Baron Wolf von Frankenstein played by Basil Rathbone. Some people might be disappointed by this but being a fan of Rathbone I'm not complaining about this.

The movie has enough originality and the story is surely interesting enough to call this movie a worthy addition to the Frankenstein movie legacy. But what made this movie truly interesting and amazing to me, were the three main actors of the movie Rathbone, Karloff and Lugosi.

9/10

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