Son of Frankenstein (Universal Studios Frankenstein Double Feature)

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Staring: Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr., Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, Ralph Bellamy
Director: Erle C. Kenton, Rowland V. Lee
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Product Details
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: UNI DIST CORP. (MCA)
EAN: 9780783260303
Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
ISBN: 078326030X
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Studios
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2007-07-24
Running Time: 168
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: 1942-03-13

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Editorial Review
Product Description
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 07/24/2007

Amazon.com
Son of Frankenstein Basil Rathbone comes to Transylvania to inherit his father's estate in this second sequel to Frankenstein. The townspeople are suspicious, but young Frankenstein has no interest in reviving his father's work--until he discovers the monster hidden away in the castle, inert but very much intact and watched over by Ygor (Bela Lugosi), a sinister, snaggletoothed peasant with a broken neck. Convinced to revive the creature and vindicate his father's name, Frankenstein toils away in the lab not realizing that Ygor plans to use the monster to revenge himself on the jury that sentenced him to hang. Boris Karloff makes his final appearance as the Monster, now little more than a mute, lumbering robot under the hypnotic control of Ygor. Rathbone is a dignified, suave scientist and a marvelous match to Lugosi's mad Ygor, a richly malevolent performance that dominates the film. Lionel Atwill makes a marvelous addition to the Frankenstein gallery as the wooden-armed constable, a legacy of the monster's rampage 25 years before. (Mel Brooks's loving lampoon Young Frankenstein, a veritable remake of this film, features the constable and his lumber limb in a major role.) Universal abandoned horror films in 1936, but the success of this sequel single-handedly revived the genre. Though lacking the gothic splendor and macabre humor of James Whale's originals, Rowland V. Lee's handsome production remains an intelligent, well-made classic of the genre and Universal's last great horror film. Lugosi returns as Ygor in The Ghost of Frankenstein.

The Ghost of Frankenstein The monster lives! Again! Picking up where Son of Frankenstein left off, Bela Lugosi's gnarled Ygor survives yet another rampage by angry, torch-carrying villagers and frees the monster (The Wolf Man himself, Lon Chaney Jr., taking over from Boris Karloff) from his sulfur grave. The latest cinematic Frankenstein scion, brain surgeon Ludwig (Cedric Hardwicke), wants to dissect the creature, but the ghost of his father convinces him to save it by giving it a new, "good" brain. Ygor has his own devious plan and enlists Ludwig's shady assistant (Lionel Atwill) in a brain-switching scheme.

Ably directed by the pedestrian Erle C. Kenton, The Ghost of Frankenstein gives up the gothic mood and moral quandaries of the original films for the busy, action-packed plots that defined Universal horror films of the 1940s. The human characters are all rather dull (except for Lugosi's animated, eye-rolling performance), and Chaney has none of Karloff's pathos or subtlety under the make-up, but the film opens with a spectacular bang as the villagers dynamite the castle, and skips from one inspired scene to another. The monster rejuvenates himself during an electrical storm with a jolt of lightning, mutely undergoes a courtroom cross-examination (by a ridiculously intent Ralph Bellamy), and finally goes on a blind rampage in the fiery climax. Frankenstein's monster returns (this time with Lugosi as the creature) in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

THE SERIES IS LOOSING IT'S EDGE, BUT THEY ARE SO MUCH FUN!, 2007-09-19
OK, We all know that The Frankenstein series went from classic to campy though 7 Frankenstein films(I count Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein). Son of Frankenstein is a excellent film, but it could have been edited better. It's the longest in the series by far, clocking in at around a 100 minutes. Karloff is great, the sets are fantastic and it could have been a fitting end to the series. I'm glad it wasn't because I loved all of these films as a kid and they still hold fond memories for me. Ghost of Frankenstein is the first of the cheap sequels. Chaney is stiff as the monster, but the sets are still looking good. It's a lot of fun and sets up the sequel to both "The Wolfman" and "The Ghost of Frankenstein". Number 5 in the series "Frankenstein Meets The Wolfman" Who can resist that title! The DVD transfers are very good for both these films. Look for all six of the Legacy sets, they are worth every penny and you can relive the good old days.

Frankenstein turns into drive-in fodder, 2007-06-14
Hey I love the Universal Monsters. I love Boris Karloff as the Monster. The original Frankenstein, and the sequal Bride of Frankenstein (both directed by James Whale) are classics and are beloved movies. Universal kept the monster machine rolling with Wolfmen, Creatures from Black Lagoons, Vampires, hunchbacks, Invisible Men and Mummies. To escape the reall horrors of World War II, audiences went to the theater to see Universal Monster movies.

I will not get into the plots as other reviewers have. I want to talk about the goofiness of these two movies as individuals, and as they are watched together to form a storyline.

Son of Frankenstein was the last appearance of Boris Karloff as the Monster. Check out the fur coat we wears through the movie. Who's idea was that? All I can think of is that he should be wearing a straw hat and holding a penant on a stick that says 'Yale'. Now follow me on this, when Wolf Frankenstein and his family arrive into town, they are hated by the townspeople instantly. Then Wolf revives the Monster. The Monster kills the butler, two high ranking townspeople, and rips off the fake arm of the Police Inspector. The townspeople turn into a mob and storm the castle. Wolf swings like Tarzan and knocks the Monster into a boiling sulfer pit. THE VERY NEXT scene, Wolf is on the train that is pulling away out of town and the crowd is CHEERING! He wasn't arrested or lynched, he just leaves town after all the harm he's done.

OK on to Ghost of Frankenstein. Here Boris was off making The Mummy, so Lon Chaney Jr (the Wolfman) plays the Monster. You really have to pay attention in all these movies, the Monster has been played by Boris, Lon, Glenn Strange, and even Bela Lugosi himself!! So what happens in this movie?? Well the Police Inspector from 'Son' is now a scheming scientist with two good arms. One of the townspeople killed in 'Son' reappears quite alive in this movie playing the same role, only in another town. Bela is back as Ygor and still somewhat controls the Monster. The end of this movie has an interesting ending. Ygor's brain ends up in the Monster, so now the Monster has the same voice as Dracula. But Dracula is not Bela Lugosi anymore, it's another guy named John Carradine in the next sequal House of Frankenstein. Confused yet? Never fear Boris Karloff returns in House of Frankenstein. Does he play the Monster? Of course not Glenn Strange is the Monster, Boris is the evil doctor Nieman.

The Universal Monsters are great, but even a program won't help you keeo track of who is who.

Ghost Of Frankenstein Review, 2010-01-05
I just recently watched this movie for the first time and was blown away by how good it was! I am a horror / Universal fan, but I also appreciate good movies. When Ygor is describing the plot to the monster (and of course really to the audience) it sounds ridiculous. However, with the brillance of Bela Lugosi as Ygor, it makes sense and is not just sequel driven. To me it shows how twisted and somewhat evil the Frankenstein family really is. Although Bela is by far the best thing in this movie, Lon Chaney Jr does some proper underacting and is pretty convincing as a monster. There are plenty of scenes with Frankenstein's monster in it, unlike some movies that hide away the creature or killer. The few special effects are pretty decent and don't detract at all from the movie's story. Looking at the fact that this is considered one of the lesser of the Frankenstein films, it is miles above what today would be considered the best of the horror movies.

"SON" ONE OF THE GREATEST, 2008-11-05
All hail the presence of two of horror films greatest, Bela Lagosi and Boris Karloff. Karloff's last film as the man-machine-beast is again at his best when he moans and groans his way from infantile-innocent to indestructible-angry giant. You knew when the monster befriends the boy that harm was soon to come for being involved with the lad at all. This film ends the way the original film and Bride of Frankenstein ended with the man/monster being supposedly done away with...but we all know better don't we? Lagosi's performance as Ygor is a classic in horror filmdom as the nasty hunched, slack-necked assistant who didn't die the first time the villagers tried to do away with him. In fact Ygor exacts a little revenge on the lot that tried to off him in the first place. Karloff is Karloff. nuff said. The man made more than a 100 movies before the Frankenstein films but will always be remembered as the stilted bolt neck that he made so famous. The film is lit in that classic film-nior look that made the horror genre so eerie in most scenes. May there never be a sunny day when you watch Son of Frankenstein. This film is truly one of the greats.

The Tail End of a Cinematic Legacy, 2008-07-21
While "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein" defined and redefined the American horror genre for all time to come, "Son of Frankenstein" and "The Ghost of Frankenstein" fall far shorter, at best merely keeping the franchise going and, at worst, driving a stake through it's heart and bringing the series to a screeching halt.

"SON OF FRANKENSTEIN" was clearly the recipient of a surprising amount of effort on the part of the studio, but that effort didn't get it very far. In addition to the legendary Boris Karloff, Universal brought screen legend Basal Rathbone and Universal's own legend, Bela Lugosi (Dracula) to the project. Additionally, the director seemed to have a clear artistic vision for the film, utilizing a mixture of Modernism and Expressionism in his sets, lighting, and over-all shot composition, apparently attempting to depict the three disconnected worlds of the new Baron Frankenstein (modern, scientific, detached), the villagers (medieval, worn, cramped), and the old Laboratory (chaotic, asymmetrical, unnatural). Unfortunately, the script fails to deliver, giving us characters with fantastically intriguing potential, but ultimately no internal conflict nor character development. Nothing is ever truly at stake in this film beyond the lives of a few villagers and the freedom of Dr. Frankenstein. Whereas the first two Frankenstein films were intense character studies (one could even argue that, like the Incredible Hulk, Dr. Frankenstein and the monster represented conflicting aspects of the same person), there is absolutely no depth of character to be found in this film. Even Karloff, who gets thrown a bone with two short, emotional scenes that are almost entirely irrelevant to the plot, does not get to act until almost an hour into the film, and spends most of the remaining time as a thoughtless henchman serving another villain. Karloff, in his final appearance as the Frankenstein monster, is relegated to supporting cast in a franchise that should have been centered entirely upon his character. This is a decent film for a lazy Sunday viewing, but I would hesitate to call it memorable or even a worthwhile inclusion in this franchise. Side note: Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein" is based almost entirely upon this installment in the Frankenstein series.

"GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN" is, undoubtedly, the weakest installment in the Frankenstein series. By this point, the premise has completely lost its way, borrowing heavily from the previous film and practically ignoring the heavy themes, astonishing artistic value and, above all else, humanity contained in the first two films. In this uninspired tale, the Frankenstein monster, still befriended by Ygor (from the last film) has become far more casual about killing and terrorizing than in previous installments. Whereas the creature once sought understanding and only met violence with violence, he now kills whenever someone puts a hand on his shoulder or happens to be in his way. Perhaps this is a logical progression after so many disastrous encounters with people over the years, but director Eric Kenton fails to lend any sense of tragedy to this fact, treating the monster as a cold, viscous killer whose only redemptive quality is that he befriends children. Gone is any sense of the overwhelmingly earthy protagonist from the first two films. He truly has become little more than a monster. Perhaps I could have forgiven the film if that had been all the damage it dealt to such a beloved character, but it goes much further. By the end of the film (no spoilers here), the Frankenstein monster has been utterly ruined beyond salvation, surgically changed into a far more generic, dramatically void antagonist that was never going to earn another sequel. An otherwise brilliant franchise was stopped dead by one truly tasteless installment.

There's something to be said for the appeal of B horror films, but these are not B films. They were backed with decent Hollywood budgets and featured talented A list stars. That, as well as the fact that they follow two of the greatest horror films ever made, makes this volume an honest tragedy, entirely lacking the enjoyable recklessness of silly B films that never had a chance to begin with.

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