Frankenstein kehrt wieder

No one envied George Lazenby when he became the first actor to play James Bond after Sean Connery bowed out of the role. I can only imagine that Lon Chaney Jr. must have felt the same sort of pressure when he was signed to take over the role of Frankenstein's Monster from the great Boris Karloff.

Ghost of Frankenstein is, for some reason, one of the more obscure of the Frankenstein series -- I guess in the same way Lazenby's On Her Majesty's Secret Service is considered one of the lesser known Bond films. Coming on the heels of the Karloff trilogy, it does have a second-hand feel to it that doesn't allow the film to reach the heights of its predecessors.

This is unfortunate because the movie isn't that bad, actually. In terms of inter-film continuity it probably has the strongest ties with the previous film, Son of Frankenstein, thanks to the continuing presence of Ygor (who, for reasons never explained, survived being shot in Son of Frankenstein). Ygor continues to act as Svengali/Pied Piper to The Monster, and Bela Lugosi turns in a performance that in my opinion rivals if not surpasses Dracula. Anyone who thinks Lugosi was a one-note ham actor capable of only variations on Dracula should check out this film and Son of Frankenstein for a revelation.

As the Monster, Lon Chaney isn't bad. Being considerably stockier than Karloff, he somehow appears smaller (blame the sulfur pit, perhaps?). Chaney also chooses to play the role completely mute, a departure from Karloff's growling portrayal. There are several moments where he manages to evoke the types of emotion Karloff was capable of showing under the flat-top -- including a rather puzzling moment where the Monster recognizes Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein, the son of the original Dr. Frankenstein (maybe there's some backstory that we are unaware of?).

Cedric Hardwicke as Ludwig Frankenstein tries hard but is unable to produce the same sort of near-madness that his predecessors Colin Clive and Basil Rathbone exhibited, while Lionel Atwill (playing a different role than the policeman from Son of Frankenstein) has a fairly thankless and somewhat confusingly written role to play in the eventual fate of The Monster.

Universal was not known for its inter-film continuity, and although Ghost manages to tie in quite successfully with Son (if not the earlier films) there are still a few jarring continuity gaffes, the most notable being the use of a different actor for the scene when the original Dr. Frankenstein pays a ghostly visit to his son (hence the source of the title in case you're wondering) -- even though Colin Clive, the original (but by the time this film was made, sadly deceased) actor is clearly shown in a flashback sequence.

Ghost of Frankenstein is far from being the best of Universal's Frankenstein series, but as a middle-of-the-pack entry, it's quite worthwhile. And for serious fans of The Monster who feel that the later "team-up" entries in the series are abominations (that is to say Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, House of Frankenstein, House of Dracula, and Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein), then this film is pretty much the end of the Frankenstein Monster story.

Squeezing every little bit of profit out of a popular film franchise is not a new practice. It may feel like a modern convention to run a franchise into the ground as long as the audience is willing to shell out the cash, but it's been going on for decades. Universal Pictures struck gold with their classic series of movie monsters and, as a result, they were sure to release as many films as audiences would pay to see. THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN was the fourth film from Universal with their famous shambling abomination. It was at this point that the series was starting to lose a bit of steam. I suppose there is only so much you can do with a creature like Frankenstein's monster without retreading the same ground. The movie opens with the inhabitants of the village of Frankenstein demanding justice. They believe they've lived under the curse of Frankenstein long enough and a rash decision is made to burn Frankenstein's castle to the ground. In the process, the mob makes the unfortunate mistake of freeing Frankenstein's monster from the sulfur pit in which he's trapped and unleashing him again on the world. Knowing the village will never let them rest, the eternally loyal Ygor helps the monster escape to the town of Vasaria. In Vasaria, Ygor seeks the aid of Frankenstein's other son, Ludwig. A successful neurosurgeon, Ludwig might be just the help Ygor needs in utilizing the monster's incredible power for his own needs. His goal: to transfer his brain into the body of the monster and gain his strength.

The problem with the Frankenstein movies is that they all follow the same pattern: monster on the loose, angry mob with torches, evil science that is an affront to nature. We all know the drill. The first movies were great but I wish the later movies had either tried to break out of the mold or put the monster to rest. GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN finds yet another relative of the original mad scientist being brought into the mix. He is, of course, a talented scientist in the field of neuroscience, having removed a brain for surgery and replaced it successfully back in the skull. This is too good an opportunity for the devious Ygor, portrayed by Bela Lugosi. Lugosi is the best part of this movie as the evil hunchback. He is conniving and simple-minded, desperate to protect his only "friend", the monster. All he wants is to be forever unified with his friend and, if he happens to become immortal and all-powerful in the process, all the better. Lugosi is the only stand out performance in the movie. Cedric Hardwicke is nothing special as the tortured Ludwig, forced into a position where he must resort to extreme measures. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders, but why he would agree to save the monster from dissection (the only means of truly killing it) is beyond me. Even more baffling is the motivation behind the less-then-noble Doctor Bohmer (Lionel Atwell). Ygor offers him power, wealth, and the respect of his field if he agrees to sneak Ygor's brain into the surgery, but why would Bohmer, an intelligent man in his own right, believe the empty promises of an evil man such as Ygor? I don't know. He just does. Roll with it.

It's all good though. I'm not worried about some poor character decisions. It all works within the scope of the movie. It's a classic creature feature with all the usual tropes we've come to expect. It doesn't rise to the level as the original, and certainly not as high as BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN. It's still an entertaining film, even if it feels a tad generic at this point. Lugosi is great, and Lon Chaney Jr. stands in well enough since Boris Karloff had left his iconic role at this point. If you're a fan of the classics, you can't go wrong with this fun little time-waster. As far as I'm concerned, even the weakest Frankenstein movie is still a more enjoyable tale than a lot of modern films.

"Ghost of Frankenstein" ended the 11-year run of Universal's classic horror films, which began with "Dracula" and the original "Frankenstein". Bela Lugosi repeats his role as the lugubrious "handyman" Ygor from "Son of Frankenstein", giving the movie a sense of continuity. Boris Karloff had migrated to Broadway for a few years, and so was unavailable for the title role he'd created. The chores, and the patented Jack Pierce makeup, go to Lon Chaney Jr. He's not bad. A different monster than Karloff, he's more beefy, physically menacing, and, so, scarier in a way. It has hints of a true ghost story, with detective tale elements, although there is no mystery, of course, with a title like this. And what a cast! Interestingly, Atwill does NOT repeat his role as the maimed police official from "Son..." and he's at his malicious best in this one. For classic horror completists, a must. After this entry, the Universal monster series deteriorated to the "monster reunion" films in which they'd all show up to contribute mayhem - "Hey, Dracula! How ya doin', Wolfman!"

`Son of Frankenstein,' the third Frankenstein movie from Universal, started a trend. In the first two movies, the Monster was an active force in the story – his actions carried the story along. By the third film, he became a background character, more prop than participant (which is what Boris Karloff feared would happen). By the fourth film in the series, `Ghost of Frankenstein,' the transformation is complete: the Monster is now a supporting character in his own movie.

The real star of the movie is Bela Lugosi as Ygor, continuing his role from `Son of Frankenstein.' Miraculously recovered from death by gunshot wounds, he finds the Monster (now played by Lon Chaney Jr) and sets off the restore his friend to full power. He locates Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein (Cedric Hardwicke), a respected physician in the nearby town of Visaria, and blackmails him into helping with his father's creation. But Ygor is also plotting with Dr. Frankenstein's fellow scientist Dr. Bohmer (Lionel Atwill in his second Frankenstein film) to alter the experiment a little…

`Ghost of Frankenstein' comes across as insubstantial when you compare it to the first three Frankensteins. The acting is decent: Bela Lugosi does a good job hamming it up as Ygor (a far cry from the elegant Count Dracula), and the other players go through their paces admirably. Lon Chaney makes a competent Monster; he can lurch pretty well, and has a few moments of pathos, but he doesn't get much a chance to really act. Of course, that's not really his fault; the script didn't give him much to do.

I suppose `ghostly' is the best word to describe this movie after all. It manages to generate atmosphere and thrills when you're watching it, but it dissipates in the light of day.

I watched this last night (on DVD) for the first time in years. It was like seeing an old friend! I remember enjoying this on WOR-TV (NYC's channel 9) years ago.

Bela Lugosi steals the show as Ygor (just as he had in SON OF FRANKENSTEIN), but the entire cast is superior for what is essentially a B-picture. Beautifully photographed and scored, the film is well cast, well acted and a joy to watch. And Lionel Atwill's "miscalculating" Doctor Bohmer is the icing on the cake. Look for familiar (and unbilled) faces among the angry villagers: Brandon Hurst, Dwight Frye, Richard Alexander, Harry Cording, Lionel Belmore and Michael Mark!