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: Universal Studios
EAN: 9780783260303
Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
ISBN: 078326030X
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Discs: 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

"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.

First-class horror sequels (details), 2010-05-25
I was pretty happy with the overall quality of this pair of classic horror films. The prints are good quality and the sound is up to par.

"Son of Frankenstein" (1939, 99 minutes, directed by Rowland V. Lee) -- Baron (Doctor) Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone, Sherlock Holmes - The Hound of the Baskervilles) returns to his ancestral castle with his lovely wife and young son after an absence of many years... but he is hardly welcomed home by the locals! The village police inspector (Lionel Atwill, Fog Island) warns the Baron that the natives are indeed restless, due to the nightmarish horrors which were perpetrated on the local inhabitants by the Baron's father, Henry, the creator of the Frankenstein Monster.

The enigmatic Ygor (Bela Lugosi, Dracula (75th Anniversary Edition) (Universal Legacy Series)) introduces the Baron to the Monster (Boris Karloff, Voodoo Island/The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (Midnite Movies Double Feature)) and the Baron is much astounded that the creature continues to live -- but he does need some repair. So you know what happens next.

Ygor belts out evil instructions to his pal, the Monster, by means of his primitive and sonorous horn much as an aboriginal shaman would yield up a story using his didgeridoo. The Monster had always killed his victims by squeezing them and bursting their hearts (!!!) which is how all of Ygor's enemies suddenly begin to die.

Atwill's tongue-in-cheek parody of Kaiser Wilhelm II, (the Prussian monster of WW I), is priceless -- the writers must have enjoyed a good chuckle at German expense in this 1939 feature. I'm surprised that they didn't manage to work in some buffoonery on Hitler himself, which would have been somewhat more timely.

I couldn't decide if Rathbone overplayed his role or perhaps, maybe the other actors could not match his energetic talent, (probably a little of each.) In any event, this film never drags and it stands up adequately to the legacy which was established by the original Colin Clive film.

"The Ghost of Frankenstein" (1942, 67 minutes, directed by Erle C. Kenton) -- In this entry, (the sequel to "Son of Frankenstein,"), Universal Studio was faced with the dilemma that the Monster (played in this one by Lon Chaney, Jr., Spider Baby) and Ygor (again played by Bela Lugosi) were both killed off in the previous film. Of course the Monster is always a breeze to revive through shrewd manuscript writing but Ygor was just a simple human, albeit he was a tough old cob having previously survived being hanged by the villagers! Ygor's rise from death is explained simply enough: Baron Wolf von Frankenstein's bullets simply weren't adequate in snuffing him -- so now he's back, chumming around with his Monster pal.

Ygor retrieves the damaged Monster and heads for the estate of Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein (Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Salome [VHS]) in Vesaria to extort him into repairing his crusty and murderous old comrade. During the journey, lightning hits the Monster which significantly revives the creature, giving rise to Ygor's memorable line, "Your father was Frankenstein but your mother was lightning!"

Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein has built successfully upon a botched brain experiment of his former teacher and associate, Dr. Bohmer (Lionel Atwill), the latter of whom is covertly pathologically jealous of his former medical student's ultimate fame as a renowned brain surgeon. Right away, the Monster gets into difficulty in the nearby village when it tries to befriend a little girl and the police lock him up. But he soon breaks his chains and Dr. Frankenstein faces the greatest moral dilemma of his career: does he give the Monster a good brain or simply destroy it forever? Either of these choices would have been superior to what Ygor and Dr. Bohmer have planned!

Atwill yields a stellar performance as the mad doctor-scientist, a role for which he always seemed particularly suited. We also cannot distinguish much between the Karloff Monster and the Chaney Monster, so that aspect fully supported the film's continuity.

Both films are on a single DVD and I personally think that pairing is a great bargain. Highly recommended.

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.

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.

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.

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