A few years ago,
in 2014, I dedicated the entire month of October exclusively to reviews of
classic Universal Monster movies. Both the 1931 “Frankenstein” classic,
and the 1995 sequel “The Bride of Frankenstein” got their much-deserved
reviews, but I didn’t go into any further sequels. While a number of sequels
followed the two original classics, I only feel that one other deserves a
stand-alone review, and it’s the 1939 sequel titled “Son of Frankenstein”.
While this film takes some liberties with the continuity, it’s still the third
and final film to feature Boris Karloff in his signature role of the monster,
and thus I’ve always viewed it as the conclusion to a trilogy. Also, while this
film isn’t exactly a staple of the genera like the first two movies, it is the
only other Frankenstein sequel that I feel is on a higher bar of quality then
it’s successors. So, let’s take a quick look back at the conclusion of the
original Frankenstein trilogy.
Just
as the title would suggest, this story follows the descendant of Dr.
Frankenstein … more specifically his son, Wolf Frankenstein. He and his wife
have inherited the castle of Wolf’s late father, and they journey off to his
home town to raise their family. More importantly for Wolf, he aims to follow
in the scientific ambitions of his father.
Unfortunately, their arrival is met
with much resentment, as the name Frankenstein has been shunned from their
local community. The most resentful of all being the Chief Police Inspector
named Krogh, who’s had to live with a wooden arm sense he was a little boy …
courtesy of Frankenstein’s monster. Equally alarming are reports of a string of
murders, the likes of which hasn’t been committed sense the days of when the
Frankenstein monster terrorized the village. However, lurking in the shadows is
someone worse than the monster … a fiendish hermit who’s simply referred to as Ygor.
In a nut-shell, he was a criminal sentenced to death by hanging, and despite
his twisted neck, he survived his execution, and now views himself as an
un-dead monster. The plot thickens when it’s reveled that Ygor has been keeping
the original Frankenstein monster preserved and alive after all these years.
While the monster is currently in a coma, Wolf see’s this as an opportunity to
perfect his fathers work, bring honor to his family name, and prove to the
world that his father was the creator of a man … not a monster. Thus, the board
is set for a three-way game of wits between the ambitious Dr. Wolf
Frankenstein, the scheming villain Ygor, and the leery wooden armed Inspector
Krogh.
Of
all the old Universal Monster movies, this one has always stood out in a
special and unique way ... it’s the only film in which I’m more invested in the
ensemble of human players as opposed to the big monster.
Seriously, this movie
features my favorite cast of character performances from any of the original
Universal Monster movies. Basil Rathbone is excellent in the role of Baron Wolf
von Frankenstein, and brings the character a sense of class. He’s also
genuinely engaging to watch just as a screen presence, as you can tell he’s
someone with a great deal of experience as a stage actor. The way he carries
himself in the film, and punctuates his lines is all very theatrical, yet never
too over dramatic. Josephine Hutchinson plays his wife Else, and puts her all
into the role, even though she’s unfortunately not given much to work with. The
one character who sadly doesn’t work for me at all is the Doctor’s son Peter,
who’s played by Donnie Dunagan … the same child actor who voiced a certain
young deer in Disney’s “Bambi”. Putting aside the obviously lacking
child performance, I never felt the movie made a strong enough connection
between father and son, which is crucial sense the boy will provide the
emotional stakes of the movie. In my view, the character performance who
completely steals the show is Lionel Atwill as Inspector Krogh. This is another
restrained, yet theatrical performance that commands attention whenever on
screen. Beyond a solid portrayal, chilling backstory, and consistent
involvement in the plot, this is hands down my favorite human character to be
featured in any of the Universal monster movies. He may not be a monster, but
he has a distinct look and presence that makes him feel at home on a rolodex of
all these iconic monster designs and features.
While Boris Karloff reprises his signature
role as the monster, he’s noticeably downplayed, and more of a plot devise to
move our individual human characters around. Karloff still plays the role well,
and there’s thankfully still subtle moments in which the creature displays his
own character traits. The scene when Wolf and the monster meet face to face for
the first time is a slow build, and the two convey a lot without a single
spoken line of dialog. Basically, the two make a silent connection that they’re
both the children of Frankenstein … which gives the title of the movie a double
meaning. There’s another great moment in which the monster is initially afraid
of his own reflection, only to be disgusted that he’s looking at himself in the
mirror. I just wish the monster continued to develop his intellect like he was
previously doing in “Bride of Frankenstein”. Also, his design in this
movie always annoyed me … not so much the facial makeup, but that out-of-place
fussy coat he’s always wearing in this film.
Of course, the real monster who steals the
show is Ygor, who’s played with chilling perfection by horror legend Bela
Lugosi. Of course, his name will always be associated with a certain vampire
from another 1931 classic … “Dracula”. However, he really was a man of
many talents, and always brought something different to his various villain
roles. His portrayal of Ygor is no exception, as he infuses the character with
a sense of wicked cheer, yet he’s still very sinister and unpredictable. While
the good doctor aims to bring out the man in his father’s creation, Ygor means
to use the monster as a tool to enact vengeance on the lawmen who initially
sentenced him. There are some great spooky shots of the monster’s shadowy silhouette
against a wall as it takes the lives of its victims. Less chilling is Ygor’s
methods of controlling the monster … by playing a musical instrument … it’s
kind of silly. Lastly, as a fan of old-time horror, it's great to see the two
biggest titans of the age Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff in the same movie
together.
This
movie also had a larger budget then it’s two predecessors, which is shown off
in the films lavish set-designs. I think this is all around one of the most
visually striking of the Frankenstein movies. Heck, there’s so much visual
appeal just from the moments when characters stair out the window, looking at a
vast canvas of skeleton tress, and delightfully cheesy lightning effects. It’s
also worth noting that this film had the longest run-time of any classic Frankenstein
movie. Most others clocked in just a hair over an hour, where as this one came
closer to an hour forty. For the most part, the lengthy run time is earned, but
there are admittedly some slow moments that deflate the experience. Most
notably, I feel the movie loses its momentum whenever there’s a lengthy scene
of the doctor running tests on the monster ... they go on for way too long.
Fortunately, the movie sure knows how to
bounce right back with some exciting highlights, and consistently engaging
performances. There’s also a growing sense of dread, as events escalate into
the final act. Ygor’s murderous body count keeps rising, angry villagers are
ready to storm the castle, the inspector discovers more and more startling
clues, the wife get’s more paranoid, and Wolf finally snaps … gunning down Ygor
to put an end to his sinister schemes. Unfortunately, with Ygor dead, there’s
no-one left to control the monster, and he’s itching for vengeance. It all
builds to an exciting climax, in which the monster kidnaps the little boy,
luring both the Inspector and Wolf into the busted lab for one final showdown.
In one of the most satisfying monster deaths ever, Wolf drop-kicks his
figurative monster brother into a pit of bowling sulfur.
All around, this movie may not be a
staple of the genera, but it’s a solid sequel in its own right, and I’d even go
so far as to call it a minor-classic. Boris Karloff may have been sidelined in
this film, but it’s still a fitting sendoff to his classic monster, and it
works as part of a complete trilogy of films. After this, the series would
devolve into self-parody, although there were still some enjoyable monster
cross-overs as a result. If you’re a fan of the original “Frankenstein”
classic, I’d absolutely recommend giving this underrated sequel a watch. It
looks great, has its subtle highlights, and the greatest ensemble of character
actors in one monster movie.
Thanks for reading my review of the
1939 sequel “Son of Frankenstein” … and treat yourself to one good scare this October.
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