''Son of Frankenstein'' is a 1939 American
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes.
Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
that was directed by
Rowland V. Lee
Rowland Vance Lee (September 6, 1891 – December 21, 1975) was an American film director, actor, writer, and producer.
Biography
Early life
Born in Findlay, Ohio, Lee was the son of a suffragette who founded a newspaper. He studied at Columbi ...
and stars
Basil Rathbone
Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...
,
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...
and
Bela Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ''Dracula'', Ygor in ''S ...
. The film is the third in
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
'
''Frankenstein'' series and is the follow-up to the 1935 film ''
Bride of Frankenstein
''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring Boris Karlo ...
''. ''Son of Frankenstein'' stars Rathbone as
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein who, with his wife Elsa (
Josephine Hutchinson
Josephine Hutchinson (October 12, 1903 – June 4, 1998) was an American actress. She acted in several theater plays and films.
Early years
Hutchinson was born in Seattle, Washington. Her mother, Leona Roberts, was an actress best known for h ...
) and son Peter (
Donnie Dunagan
Donald "Donnie" Roan Dunagan (born August 16, 1934) is an American former child actor and retired United States Marine Corps major. He is best known for portraying the young son of Baron Frankenstein in ''Son of Frankenstein'' and for providing t ...
), return to his late father's estate. Near the castle lives Ygor (Bela Lugosi), a crazed blacksmith whose neck was broken in an unsuccessful hanging attempt. Among the castle's remains, Frankenstein discovers the remains of
the monster (Boris Karloff) and decides to try to save his family name by resurrecting the creature to prove his father was correct. He finds, however, the monster only responds to Ygor's commands.
The film was originally announced in August 1938 after a successful theatrical reissue of ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'' and ''
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...
''. ''Son of Frankenstein'' was initially announced under the title ''After Frankenstein''. The screenplay written by
Willis Cooper was initially rejected and early script drafts included only the characters that would be used in the final film. The original budget was set at $250,000 but Lee increased it to $300,000 and had a 27-day shooting schedule. Difficulties in production arose when Lee was unsatisfied with the script. Production was delayed until November 9 due to inclement weather and other problems, and filming was completed on January 5, 1939, with a final cost of $420,000. The film was released on January 13, 1939, and received positive reviews from ''
The New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'', ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' and the ''
Monthly Film Bulletin
''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...
''. A sequel, ''
The Ghost of Frankenstein
''The Ghost of Frankenstein'' is a 1942 American horror film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi. It is the fourth film in the ''Frankenstein'' series by Universal Pictures, and the follow-up t ...
'', was released in 1942.
Plot
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, son of
Henry Frankenstein
Victor Frankenstein is a fictional character and the main protagonist and title character in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''.. He is an Italian-Swiss scientist (born in Naples, Italy) who, after studying ch ...
, relocates his wife Elsa and their young son Peter to the family castle. Wolf wants to redeem his father's reputation but finds this will be more difficult than he thought after he encounters hostility from the villagers, who resent him for the destruction his father's
monster
A monster is a type of fictional creature found in horror, fantasy, science fiction, folklore, mythology and religion. Monsters are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive with a strange, grotesque appearance that causes terror and fe ...
wreaked years ago. Wolf's only other friend is the local police Inspector Krogh, who wears an artificial arm because Frankenstein's creature ripped out his real arm when he was a child. While investigating his father's castle, Wolf meets Ygor, an embittered blacksmith who survived being hanged for graverobbing and has a deformed neck as a result. Wolf finds the monster's comatose body in the crypt where his grandfather and father were buried; his father's sarcophagus bears the phrase "Heinrich von Frankenstein: Maker of Monsters" written in chalk. He decides to revive the monster to prove his father was correct and to restore honor to his family. Wolf uses a torch to scratch out the word "Monsters" on the casket and writes "Men" beneath it.
Wolf revives the monster but it only responds to Ygor's commands and commits a series of murders, the victims of which were jurors at Ygor's trial. Krogh strongly suspects Wolf has created a murderous monster similar to his father's due to marks on the victims' bodies but Wolf denies it and tries to frame Ygor as the murderer. Krogh doesn't believe Ygor is the killer and so arrests Wolf for the disappearance of the Frankenstein family butler, Benson. Krogh then orders Wolf not to leave the castle. Nevertheless, Wolf is determined to throw Ygor off of his property and begins searching the castle for him. Later Wolf finds Ygor in the castle's laboratory and shoots him after Ygor threatens him with a hammer. Ygor collapses, apparently dead. The monster abducts Wolf's son in revenge but cannot bring himself to kill the child. Krogh and Wolf pursue the monster to the laboratory where a struggle ensues during which the monster tears out Krogh's false arm. Wolf swings on a chain and knocks the monster into a pit of molten
sulfur
Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...
beneath the laboratory, saving his son. Wolf leaves the keys of the Frankenstein castle to the villagers, who turn out to cheer the family as they leave by train.
Cast
Production
Development
Following the release of ''
Dracula's Daughter
''Dracula's Daughter'' is a 1936 American vampire horror film produced by Universal Pictures as a sequel to the 1931 film '' Dracula''. Directed by Lambert Hillyer from a screenplay by Garrett Fort, the film stars Otto Kruger, Gloria Holden in ...
'' in May 1936, all horror film productions were dropped from
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
production schedules. The studio resumed horror film production after a two-year break with the announcement of ''Son of Frankenstein'' in August 1938. Initially, Universal considered remaking their earlier films ''
The Old Dark House'' and ''
The Raven
"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a myste ...
'' but instead decided to make a new ''Frankenstein'' film after the success of the triple bill of ''
Dracula
''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...
'', ''
Frankenstein
''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' is an 1818 novel written by English author Mary Shelley. ''Frankenstein'' tells the story of Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist who creates a sapient creature in an unorthodox scientific ex ...
'' and ''
Son of Kong
''The Son of Kong'' (also known and publicized simply as ''Son of Kong'') is a 1933 American Pre-Code adventure monster film produced by RKO Pictures. Directed by Ernest Schoedsack and featuring special effects by Willis O'Brien and Buzz Gibson, ...
'' at Los Angeles' Regina Theatre on
Wilshire Boulevard
Wilshire Boulevard is a prominent boulevard in the Los Angeles area of Southern California, extending from Ocean Avenue in the city of Santa Monica east to Grand Avenue in the Financial District of downtown Los Angeles. One of the principal ...
. The screenings at the 659-seat theater packed houses for five weeks, leading Universal to reissue ''Frankenstein'' and ''Dracula'' on one program in theaters across the United States.
Pre-production
''Son of Frankenstein'' was first mentioned in trade papers on August 29, 1938, when an article in ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' said Universal was negotiating a two-horror-picture deal with
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...
, the first one being a sequel to ''Frankenstein''. By September 2, the magazine reported Universal had announced the film as ''After Frankenstein''.
Bela Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ''Dracula'', Ygor in ''S ...
and
Basil Rathbone
Philip St. John Basil Rathbone MC (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967) was a South African-born English actor. He rose to prominence in the United Kingdom as a Shakespearean stage actor and went on to appear in more than 70 films, primarily costume ...
were announced as cast members on October 20, and on October 24, Universal announced in ''The Hollywood Reporter'' plans to hire Karloff, Lugosi and
Peter Lorre
Peter Lorre (; born László Löwenstein, ; June 26, 1904 – March 23, 1964) was a Hungarian and American actor, first in Europe and later in the United States. He began his stage career in Vienna, in the Austro-Hungarian Empire, before movin ...
, but the latter had fallen through because the company could not borrow Lorre from
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
. According to the press release, Lorre had turned down the offer as he stopped working in horror films to become
Mr. Moto
Mr. Moto is a fictional Japanese secret agent created by the American author John P. Marquand. He appeared in six novels by Marquand published between 1935 and 1957. Marquand initially created the character for the ''Saturday Evening Post'', whi ...
and "did not want to risk being 'on another meanie'".
Claude Rains
William Claude Rains (10 November 188930 May 1967) was a British actor whose career spanned almost seven decades. After his American film debut as Dr. Jack Griffin in ''The Invisible Man'' (1933), he appeared in such highly regarded films as '' ...
was also briefly considered for the role of Wolf Frankenstein, which eventually went to Rathbone. Lugosi spoke about the role with
Ed Sullivan
Edward Vincent Sullivan (September 28, 1901 – October 13, 1974) was an American television personality, impresario, sports and entertainment reporter, and syndicated columnist for the ''New York Daily News'' and the Chicago Tribune New York ...
shortly before the film's release, stating he had to stretch eight weeks of pay over one-hundred and four weeks due the lack of work. Lugosi received a call from Eric Umann to appear at the Regina Theatre for the screenings of ''Dracula'', ''Frankenstein'' and ''Son of Kong'', and shortly after was cast in ''Son of Frankenstein''. Lugosi said: "I owe it all to that little man at the Regina Theatre. I was dead and he brought me to life". Director Rowland V. Lee said his crew let Lugosi "work on the characterization; the interpretation he gave us was imaginative and totally unexpected ... when we finished shooting, there was no doubt in anyone's mind that he stole the show. Karloff's monster was weak by comparison".
Among the cast was
Josephine Hutchinson
Josephine Hutchinson (October 12, 1903 – June 4, 1998) was an American actress. She acted in several theater plays and films.
Early years
Hutchinson was born in Seattle, Washington. Her mother, Leona Roberts, was an actress best known for h ...
, who had signed on for a two-picture deal with Universal, first appearing in ''
The Crime of Doctor Hallet
''The Crime of Doctor Hallet'' is a 1938 American drama film, directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring Ralph Bellamy, Josephine Hutchinson, William Gargan, Barbara Read, John 'Dusty' King, and Charles Stevens. The film was released by Universal P ...
''. Hutchinson later stated, "doing a Frankenstein film is kind of a phony bit – you don't have to delve too deeply". The role of Peter was played by
Donnie Dunagan
Donald "Donnie" Roan Dunagan (born August 16, 1934) is an American former child actor and retired United States Marine Corps major. He is best known for portraying the young son of Baron Frankenstein in ''Son of Frankenstein'' and for providing t ...
, who had worked with Lee on ''
Mother Carey's Chickens''. Dunagan later called his performance "corny" and said: "They had this little kid in there with this loud voice. They kept saying 'Speak up!' because I didn't speak that loud then ... And as you speak up, your accent is always accentuated. So here's this little curly-headed jerk runnin' around there with this very deep Memphis-Texas accent! They had the courage to do that".
The director and producer for the film was
Rowland V. Lee
Rowland Vance Lee (September 6, 1891 – December 21, 1975) was an American film director, actor, writer, and producer.
Biography
Early life
Born in Findlay, Ohio, Lee was the son of a suffragette who founded a newspaper. He studied at Columbi ...
, who was 45 years old and had been working in the film industry since he was 19. It was Lee's second film for Universal.
Wyllis Cooper
Wyllis Oswald Cooper (January 26, 1899 – June 22, 1955) was an American writer and producer.
He is best remembered for creating and writing the Golden Age of Radio, old time radio programs ''Lights Out (radio show), Lights Out'' (1934&ndash ...
, the creator of the radio show ''
Lights Out'', submitted an original screenplay for ''Son of Frankenstein'' that was initially rejected. This screenplay, which was dated October 20, 1938, involved Wolf, his wife Else and their young son Erwin arriving at Castle Frankenstein to claim their inheritance. Wolf's father's will stipulates the monster remain out of commission for at least 25 years following the watchtower explosion before any inheritance can be claimed. Cooper's original script had several other references to ''Bride of Frankenstein'', including the finding of the skeletal remains of
Doctor Septimus Pretorius
Septimus Pretorius is a fictional character who appears in the Universal film ''Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935). He is played by British stage and film actor Ernest Thesiger. Some sources claim he was originally to have been played by Bela Lugosi or ...
and the
Bride of Frankenstein
''Bride of Frankenstein'' is a 1935 American science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film ''Frankenstein''. As with the first film, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' was directed by James Whale starring Boris Karlo ...
. The script continues with the monster surviving the explosion at the end of the 1935 film and confronting Wolf to make a friend for him, and threatening to kill Elsa and Erwin if Wolf disobeys.
Wolf's antagonist in this script is Inspector Neumüllerr, who vows vengeance against the monster for killing his father. After Wolf fails to make a friend for the monster using corpses, the monster steals Erwin, intending to take him to the lab and carry out brain surgery on him. He is stopped as Wolf enters, and Neumüller and his forces shoot the monster, who falls into a pit. The script was changed to keep most of the characters intact; Neumuller becoming Krogh, who has lost an arm instead of a father, and changed the child's name to Peter. The new version also eliminated the monster's ability to speak and added the character Ygor. The film was originally set at a budget of $250,000 but this sum was increased to $300,000 and received a planned 27-day shooting schedule. Lee briefly considered shooting the film in color but this idea was abandoned after Karloff's makeup looked poor in George Robinson's color tests.
Filming and post-production
Production of ''Son of Frankenstein'' began on October 17, 1938, but filming was delayed until November 9 due to Lee's dissatisfaction with Cooper's screenplay. The cast was already on salary so the studio gave orders for Lee to go ahead, which led to the budget growing to $500,000. The lack of a completed script led to actors receiving freshly written pages minutes before scenes were set up to be filmed. The finishing date of the production was postponed from December 10 to 17. According to actor Josephine Hutchinson, director Lee did some rewriting on set.
Filming was further delayed by problems including rain and cold weather, which forced Lee to halt some filming. In the November 30 issue of ''The Hollywood Reporter'', Universal announced the staff working on the cutting and scoring of ''Son of Frankenstein'' had been doubled to meet its scheduled release date. The head of the editorial, sound and music departments -
Maurice Pivar
Maurice Pivar (11 August 1894 in Manchester, United Kingdom – 14 June 1982 in Los Angeles, California, United States) was an English-American film editor, producer and writer. He edited 21 films, oversaw editing of 59 films, produced 4 films ...
,
Bernard B. Brown
Bernard B. Brown (July 24, 1898 – February 20, 1981) was an American sound engineer and composer, who wrote the scores for many early animated cartoons produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions for distribution by Warner Bros. Pictures. ...
and
Charles Previn
Charles Previn (January 11, 1888 – September 21, 1973) was an American film composer who was active at Universal in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. Before being based in Hollywood, Previn arranged music for over 100 Broadway productions.
...
respectively - alerted their staff about the possibility of working until the New Year holiday to meet the shipping date of the first 20 prints of the film. By December 24, filming had not been completed, and the cast and crew worked until 6:15 pm rather than the usual noon finish.
Production on the film was completed on January 5, 1939. Dunagan said the film took a toll on Karloff, that the monster make-up "was punishing him" due to its weight, and that "when we got through with that movie, my sense was that he did not like that role. And I can promise you he didn't like the costume, which had to hurt him physically". ''Son of Frankenstein'' was Karloff's final appearance as the monster in the series; he only portrayed him again for unique appearances on the television show ''
Route 66
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66) was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. It was established on November 11, 1926, with road signs erected the following year. The h ...
'' and at an all-star baseball game. In 1948, Karloff said: "After ''Son'', I decided the character no longer had any potentialities – the makeup did all the work. Anybody who can take that makeup every morning deserves respect".
Post-production units only had a few days before the set January 7 preview dates. The first cut of the film ran over 100 minutes and was reduced. The final cost of the production was $420,000.
Release
![SLNSW 24728 Twentyfour sheeter for Son of Frankenstein at Balmain Theatre](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/SLNSW_24728_Twentyfour_sheeter_for_Son_of_Frankenstein_at_Balmain_Theatre.jpg)
''Son of Frankenstein'' was distributed theatrically by Universal Pictures on January 13, 1939.
The film performed well at the US box office; according to ''The Hollywood Reporter'', the film had reaped greater returns than any prior horror film in key city openings. The first-weekend revenue in Los Angeles, Boston and Richmond exceeded those of previous Universal film openings in those three cities.
In 1948,
Realart Pictures Inc. secured the reissue rights to the majority of Universal Pictures' library, which included the Universal monster movies. In 1952, the company re-released ''Son of Frankenstein'' theatrically.
In late 1957, a television subsidiary of
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
put together a package of Universal's films and screened them in a series called ''
Shock Theater
''Shock Theater'' (marketed as ''Shock!'') is a package of 52 pre-1948 classic horror films from Universal Studios released for television syndication in October 1957 by Screen Gems, the television subsidiary of Columbia Pictures. The ''Shock The ...
'' across the United States. This series included ''Son of Frankenstein''. According to the book "Universal Horrors", the
baby boomers
Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. Th ...
generation primarily discovered these films through this television series. In 1987, Universal/MCA found an uncut print of ''Son of Frankenstein'' and debated whether to release it or the more familiar edited version on home video. The company decided on the latter. The film was released on DVD as part of "The Monster Legacy Collection" and "Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection" on April 27, 2004.
Reception
Gary Don Rhodes
Gary Don Rhodes (born 1972) is an American writer, filmmaker, and film historian. His work includes research on early 20th century films and key figures such as filmmakers and actors involved in the process. He is best known for his contribution ...
wrote that ''Son of Frankenstein'' received "stronger reviews than generally met other horror films". Among contemporary reviews, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' said the film was "a knockout of its type of production, acting and effects" because Lee's direction "keeps a chillingly sombre mood, and the grim humor that's in it, he handles very well indeed". ''
The Motion Picture Herald The ''Motion Picture Herald'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1931 to December 1972.Anthony Slide, ed. (1985)''International Film, Radio, and Television Journals'' Greenwood Press. p. 242. It was replaced by the ''QP Herald ...
'' said the film "is a masterpiece in the demonstration of how production settings and effects can be made assets emphasizing literary melodrama". Kate Cameron of ''
The New York Daily News
The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...
'' said Lee "created an eerie atmosphere for the story and he has put into the working out of the plot enough horror to send the chills and shivers racing up and down the spectators' backs". B. R. Crisler of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said the film could be considered "the silliest picture ever made", yet implements "a very shrewd silliness, perpetrated by a good director in the best traditions of cinematic horror, so that even while you laugh at its nonsense you may be struck with the notion that perhaps that's as good a way of enjoying oneself at a movie as any". In a ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' review, the film was called "well mounted, nicely directed, and includes
cast of capable artists".
The ''
Monthly Film Bulletin
''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...
'' stated "since the whole atmosphere of the film is so far removed from everyday reality it is impossible to take the horrors very seriously", noting for a film of its genre, "the production is good and of a high technical quality", and praised the performances of Rathbone and Atwill.
According to the authors of the book ''Universal Horrors'' (2007), ''Son of Frankenstein'' is "the last of the great Frankenstein films", and "every aspect of the picture, from the acting to the technical departs, is first-rate", concluding the film is "grandiose in scope, magnificent in design, it supplanted the quaint romanticsm and delicate fantasy flavoring of ''Bride of Frankenstein'' with a stark, grimly expressionistic approach to horror".
Jim Hoberman
James Lewis Hoberman (born March 14, 1949) is an American film critic, journalist, author and academic. He began working at ''The Village Voice'' in the 1970s, became a full-time staff writer in 1983, and was the newspaper's senior film critic ...
of ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...
'' in 2011 praised Lugosi's performance as Ygor, writing he "pretty much steals the movie in his last really juicy role". Richard Gilliam of
AllMovie
AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne.
History
AllMovie was founded by popular-cult ...
said the film is unusual because of its high quality despite being the third film in the series, and noted the "strong story, fine inherited production motifs, and an excellent cast" and that the film is still a step-down from the two previous ''Frankenstein'' films.
In the book ''Horror Movies'' (2018),
Kim Newman
Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic and fiction writer. Recurring interests visible in his work include film history and horror fiction—both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's ''Dracula (1931 ...
said Lugosi was in "his finest screen role", while Atwill and Rathbone made up for the lack of the British presence director
James Whale
James Whale (22 July 1889 – 29 May 1957) was an English film director, theatre director and actor, who spent the greater part of his career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. He is best remembered for several horror films: ''Fran ...
had. Less positive reviews mentioned Whale's absence as the film's director; Phil Edwards in ''
Starburst
MicroPro International Corporation was an American software company founded in 1978 in San Rafael, California. They are best known as the publisher of WordStar, a popular early word processor for personal computers.
History Founding and early su ...
'' in the early 1980s said ''Son of Frankenstein'' is "not particularly novel and the somewhat hackneyed story points the way to the sad direction which later Universal horrors would follow".
James Marriott dismissed the film as inferior to James Whale's earlier films in the series, finding the plot "wildly uneven" and that "Karloff sleepwalks through his performance, leaving Lugosi to outshine him.".
Legacy
After the success of ''Son of Frankenstein'', Universal announced a follow-up film, ''
The Ghost of Frankenstein
''The Ghost of Frankenstein'' is a 1942 American horror film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi. It is the fourth film in the ''Frankenstein'' series by Universal Pictures, and the follow-up t ...
'', on November 13, 1941, saying they had been searching for a new lead to play the monster. The next day, producer
George Waggner
George Waggner (September 7, 1894 – December 11, 1984) was an American actor, director, producer and writer. He is best known for producing and directing the 1941 film '' The Wolf Man''. For some unknown reason, Waggner sometimes configured his ...
was instructed to order the same type of makeup Karloff wore for the new actor, with instructions that changing the appearance may "kill the interest of Frankenstein follower".
Lon Chaney, Jr.
Creighton Tull Chaney (February10, 1906 – July12, 1973), known by his stage name Lon Chaney Jr., was an American actor known for playing Larry Talbot in the film '' The Wolf Man'' (1941) and its various crossovers, Count Alucard (Dracu ...
was chosen to play the monster. ''The Ghost of Frankenstein'' was released on March 13, 1942.
See also
*
Bela Lugosi filmography
Bela Lugosi (1882–1956), best known for the original screen portrayal of Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1931, was in many movies during the course of his 39-year film career. He appeared in films made in his native Hungary, Germany and New York before ...
*
Boris Karloff filmography
Boris may refer to:
People
* Boris (given name), a male given name
*:''See'': List of people with given name Boris
* Boris (surname)
* Boris I of Bulgaria (died 907), the first Christian ruler of the First Bulgarian Empire, canonized after his ...
*
''Frankenstein'' in popular culture
*
List of films featuring Frankenstein's monster
There is a body of films that feature Frankenstein's monster, first created by Mary Shelley in her 1818 novel ''Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus''.
List of films (chronological)
See also
* ''Frankenstein'' in popular culture
* ''Frank ...
*
List of horror films of the 1930s
A list of horror films released in the 1930s.
History
The American horror film was properly created in the 1930s, most notably the Universal Horror film productions. '' White Zombie'' is considered the first feature-length zombie film and has ...
*
List of Universal Pictures films (1930–1939)
This is a list of films produced or distributed by Universal Pictures in 1930–1939, founded in 1912 as the Universal Film Manufacturing Company. It is the main motion picture production and distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of t ...
References
Footnotes
Sources
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External links
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Son of Frankensteinat
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Son Of Frankenstein
1939 films
1939 horror films
Frankenstein films
American films about revenge
Films directed by Rowland V. Lee
Universal Classic Monsters films
Films set in Europe
Films set in castles
American sequel films
Universal Pictures films
Films scored by Frank Skinner
1930s English-language films
1930s American films