Franchises: Universal's Frankenstein Series. The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

I have two interesting personal stories about this one. While not the absolute first, it was definitely one of the first Universal horror films I ever got a glimpse of. When I was very little, possibly only six years old or so, I saw the last bit of it on TV at my grandmother's house. I remembered it vividly: the Frankenstein monster rampaging through the house and laboratory, speaking in a growling voice, and then suddenly going blind. I was disappointed that the movie ended right there, with the Monster apparently dying when the house burned down around him, as I wanted more. But I never forgot that part and, up until that weekend in 1998, it was one of the only Universal Horrors I had seen even a little of. I almost saw it again in my teens, specifically, I believe, when I was fifteen. I say "almost" because I bought it on VHS but the actual videotape wasn't looped around the spools, so it wouldn't play, and I, instead, had to go to one of the other videos I'd recently bought. It wasn't until I was seventeen and got the Universal Legacy DVD set that I finally saw The Ghost of Frankenstein for the first time since I was a kid. While it is very much a B-movie, made on a much smaller scale than the previous Frankenstein movies, and has it fair share of contrivances and retcons, it's also one of the most entertaining entries in the series. It's another very short film, clocking in at just 67 minutes, and moves at a brisk pace, hitting the ground running with an exciting sequence of the villagers dynamiting the Frankenstein estate. It then quickly leads on to one fun setpiece after another, with rather short dialogue scenes in-between them. In addition, it has some good performances by the actors, is well-made, despite its B-movie status, and, most significantly, it's the final Universal horror film to focus solely on the Monster, as well as the last one where he's at all sympathetic.

The residents of the village of Frankenstein are still suffering various hardships and feel they are cursed by Dr. Frankenstein's legacy, despite his monster having supposedly died in the sulfur pits below the old castle. What's more, even though he was shot repeatedly by Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, Ygor has been seen alive and well, roaming the grounds. In order to appease the villagers, the Burgomaster allows them to do as they will with the castle, and they decide to destroy it with dynamite. Ygor attempts to stop them but is forced to retreat from the explosions. He then discovers that they've unearthed the Monster, who's still alive and preserved in the dried sulfur pits. He digs him out and they escape before the castle is destroyed completely. They travel to the village of Visaria, searching for Ludwig Frankenstein, Henry Frankenstein's second son, who lives in a large manor with his daughter, Elsa. A well renowned physician, Ludwig, along with his assistants, Bohmer and Kettering, has succeeded in removing a brain, performing surgery on it, and then placing it back in the body. When Ygor and the Monster arrive, the latter befriends a young girl, Cloestine Hussman. But while carrying her up to a rooftop to help her retrieve her ball, he kills two villagers who try stop him. After retrieving the ball and returning the girl to her father, the Monster is captured by the police and imprisoned. A local attorney, Erik Ernst, who's engaged to Elsa, tells Ludwig of the "madman" and asks him to examine him. Before he leaves, Ludwig is visited by Ygor, who blackmails him into taking the Monster in and making him well. After escaping the courthouse, the Monster finds his way to Ludwig's home, where he kills Dr. Kettering. Subduing him, Ludwig initially intends to destroy the Monster through dissection, but then decides to remove the criminal brain and replace it with Kettering's. However, Ygor schemes to have his own brain placed in the Monster's body and manipulates Bohmer to ensure that it happens.  

The Ghost of Frankenstein was among the first Universal movies for director Erle C. Kenton, who'd previously made a couple of action-adventure movies for the studio, including North to the Klondike, which happened to be Lon Chaney Jr.'s last movie before The Wolf Man. Kenton was no stranger to the horror genre, having directed Island of Lost Souls over at Paramount in 1933, but he was very much a journeyman director, having worked for a number of studios since the 20's, doing all sorts of movies, particularly slapstick comedies. While not an auteur by any means, he would prove with Ghost his ability to get the most out of a small budget, as well as to make a movie that, while not high art, was certainly true entertainment. He would go on to direct several more films in the waning years of Universal Horror's second wave, including two more of their Frankenstein films.

As if Lon Chaney Jr. didn't have enough pressure living up to his father's legacy, here, he was tasked with filling Boris Karloff's considerable shoes (he even said as much when interviewed late in his life). While he certainly had Karloff beat physically, coming off as much more imposing when his naturally enormous size was added on to with the costume, his performance as the Monster has often been criticized, and for good reason. Chaney is really stiff, with the same dour, sleepy expression on his face, and is absolutely silent, never once grunting or growling. But, as Don G. Smith points out in Lon Chaney Jr.: Horror Film Star, 1906-1973, the screenplay made it clear that the Monster is meant to be sick and weak from having been trapped in the sulfur for so long, and he shows a number of scene directions from it where this is described in great detail. In other words, Chaney was simply doing what the script called for. But that doesn't mean the Monster is completely without emotion. In fact, Chaney's monster has an attitude that's almost the exact opposite of Karloff's portrayal in the previous film. Whereas Ygor had complete control over him before, here the Monster has instances of single-mindedness where he outright defies him, sometimes shoving him aside. During a scene where the Monster takes Cloestine Hussman from her home and brings her to Ludwig Frankenstein's home, Ygor confirms his lack of control, telling Dr. Bohmer, "Do you think I had any idea what he was going to do, or that I could stop him?" 

As has often been the case, the Monster is sympathetic towards children, especially little girls, and immediately befriends Cloestine upon arriving in Visaria. But his interest in her is taken to a ghoulish level when, after the prospect of a new brain is made clear to him, he actually brings her to Ludwig and, using hand gestures, tells him that he wants her brain. Fortunately for the girl, the Monster allows Ludwig to take her away. Speaking of Ludwig, the Monster is not only cognizant enough to remember the name of his creator but,

when the two of them meet for the first time at the Visaria courthouse, he appears to recognize a similarity between Ludwig and Henry (even though, like Basil Rathbone, Sir Cedric Hardwicke looked nothing like Colin Clive). He also seems to understand human speech much more than he did in the previous film, as he becomes enraged when Ludwig denies knowing him and, breaking out of his chains, tries to kill him. Moreover, when Ygor later tells the Monster that he will get a new brain,

he clearly understands and wants it, as he walks up to Ludwig and pats his shoulders as a gesture of gratitude. Ygor even tells Ludwig that he's happy for the first time in his life. But when Ygor later tells him that his own brain will be put into his skull, the Monster, while holding Cloestine and intending to take her into the laboratory, clearly doesn't like that. He ends up severely wounding Ygor in a rage when he tries to stop him.

Despite the different actor, the studio informed producer George Waggner that they were to use the same makeup design, as they were afraid changing it would kill the series. Thus, Jack Pierce (who finally gets a credit here) had to customize it to fit Chaney, most notably in a rubber headpiece that made the top of the head flatter than it had ever been. However, Chaney had an even harder time dealing with this makeup than that of the Wolf Man, as he developed a nasty allergic reaction to it which caused him to miss several days of shooting,

and he also said it smelled horrible, which is probably why he always has that uncomfortable expression. As if that weren't bad enough, during his first scenes as the Monster, Pierce coated him with dust and powder in order to simulate the effects of being imprisoned in the sulfur. Chaney even claimed that, when they got him in the hole in the wall where Ygor finds him and covered him up, everybody else went to lunch and left him there! During the climax, when the house is burning

down around the Monster, Pierce applied touches to the makeup to make it seem as though his skin is slowly melting. No matter how they refined it, I've always felt that the makeup never looked quite as good on other actors as it did on Karloff. It especially looks off on Chaney, as the eyelids, combined with the brow, make him look as though his eyes are either completely or nearly closed, as if he's always half-asleep. Again, it may have helped with this depiction of the character, but it sure didn't help Chaney's standing with the critics.

Bela Lugosi returns as Ygor, although no explanation is given for how he survived his apparent death in the previous film, save for one of the villagers noting that he's hard to kill in general. Once again, Lugosi gives a spectacular performance, although Ygor's characterization is a bit different this time. Mainly, he seems to really regard the Monster as a friend, rather than just as a tool for his dirty work, like in Son of Frankenstein. The first thing he says when he discovers the Monster in the dried sulfur is, "My friend! They didn't kill you!" And when the two of them retreat before the castle is destroyed, only to get caught up in a storm, Ygor attempts to steer the Monster away from the lightning, which he actively seeks. However, a bolt to one of his electrodes makes Ygor realize that the lightning is beneficial to his health, ergo he decides to seek out Ludwig Frankenstein and have him restore the Monster's strength. Arriving in Visaria, only for the Monster to immediately attract unwanted attention by picking up and carrying around Cloestine Hussman, Ygor is horrified when the policemen surround and overpower the Monster, as it was promised he wouldn't be harmed. But this newfound affection for the Monster doesn't mean Ygor has turned over a new leaf. On the contrary, he proves to be as manipulative as ever. With the Monster in the village jail, Ygor goes to see Ludwig, who knows of him when he sees him from his brother shooting him. He tells Ludwig to bring the Monster there, threatening to reveal his family lineage to the villagers and ruin his nice life in Visaria if he doesn't (since Ludwig hasn't changed his name, you'd think people would already know). Once the Monster escapes the courthouse and makes his way to Ludwig's home with Ygor, the blacksmith is told of the doctor's decision to give the Monster a new brain. Ygor is unhappy about this, exclaiming, "You can't take my friend away from me! He's all that I have. Nothing else." Ludwig then threatens to destroy the Monster through dissection otherwise, so Ygor tells him, "Doctor, Ygor's body is no good. His neck is broken, crippled, and distorted. Lame and sick from the bullets your brother fired into me. You can put my brain in his body... You can make us one. We'll be together always. My brain and his body. Together." However, there's no way that Ludwig would ever do such a thing and he staunchly refuses.

Unbeknownst to Ludwig, Ygor, being as sly as he is, goes behind his back and coerces Ludwig's friend and former mentor, Dr. Bohmer, to ensure that his brain goes into the Monster's skull instead of the late Dr. Kettering's. Knowing of Bohmer's unfavorable history and his now being a pariah in the scientific community, Ygor uses that to his advantage, telling him, "How would you like to be the leader of your profession in this state? The head of the medical commission, the regent of the university... I will live forever. My brain in that

body would make me a leader of men. We would rule the state, and even the whole country. You do as I say, and you will have everything you want." This can make one wonder if Ygor really does regard the Monster as his friend or if he still thinks of him as just a weapon. It could be a bit of both, since Ygor seems sincere in both regards and, so, sees his friend as a means to an end. However, things go awry when the Monster abducts Cloestine, desiring her brain instead, and isn't

crazy about Ygor's plan. When Ygor tries to stop him, the Monster crushes him between the laboratory door and the wall, badly injuring him. Once things settle down and Elsa takes Cloestine away, Ludwig and Bohmer prepare for the surgery. As promised, Bohmer ensures that Ygor's brain goes into the Monster. Before administering the anesthesia, he warns him that it might kill him, but Ygor says, "Better death... than a life like this. Now that I have seen the promise of a life forever."

Once the Monster becomes conscious afterward, the operation proves to have been a success. Much to Ludwig's horror, Ygor's voice comes out of the Monster's mouth, declaring, "I have the strength of a hundred men! I cannot die. I cannot be destroyed! I, Ygor, will live forever!" (In essence, this means the death of the Monster as we first met him in the original Frankenstein going forward, although as we'll see, it didn't live up to its potential.) From his mannerisms, it seem as though Chaney really got into playing the monster with Ygor's brain, as he's

much more lively than he was before (I wish there was a way to see it before Bela Lugosi dubbed in his voice). Also, the way the Monster speaks, he comes off as both Henry Frankenstein's original creation and Ygor, telling Ludwig, "After all... your father gave me life... and you gave me a brain." But when the villagers burst into the house and he tells Bohmer to gas them, the evil smirk he has as he watches them choke and collapse is definitely that of Ygor. But after mortally

wounding Ludwig, Ygor's power-trip proves short-lived, as he suddenly goes blind. Ludwig reveals that, because Ygor's blood type and the Monster's blood type aren't the same, the blood won't feed the sensory nerves. (I would accept that, except Ygor could clearly see up until then. So, it took a few minutes for his body to realize that something was off?) Realizing his power has been taken from him, Ygor first kills Bohmer and then brings about his own demise, causing a fire that burns down the house.

For Ygor's makeup, Jack Pierce again gave Bela Lugosi a thick beard and mustache, even bushier than before, thick sideburns, and a flat crop of hair, and also maintained the makeup of his broken neck, although it's not given a close-up like in Son of Frankenstein. He doesn't have the nasty teeth he did before, either, and his costume is different, with a simple coat replacing the blacksmith apron he wore before. While Lugosi's performance is still on par, these slight alterations to Ygor's visage makes him come off as less creepy than before. He still has that weird horn, although the tune he plays also isn't as unsettling.

Unmentioned in the previous film, Ludwig Frankenstein (Sir Cedric Hardwicke), Henry Frankenstein's second son, is completely different from his brother. While Wolf had the urge to clear his father's name even before he arrived at the estate, Ludwig has lived out the better part of his life without anybody knowing who he is, including his daughter, Elsa (again, I don't know how that's at all possible, given his family's infamy). He has a very nice, comfortable life in Visaria, where he has a thriving practice, is respected by the townspeople, and has recently performed a successful type of brain transplant. But when Ygor comes to him, he's forced to face his family history head on. Naturally, Ludwig initially refuses to have anything to do with the Monster, saying, "Ever since the day my father put life into that creature, it has been a curse. The terrible consequences of his creation killed my father, drove my brother into exile. The Monster shall not ruin my life." But when Ygor blackmails him with exposure if he doesn't take the Monster in and make him strong again, Ludwig reluctantly agrees. He goes to the courthouse, where the Monster is chained up, but denies knowing him, despite the Monster recognizing him. This sends the Monster into a rage where he breaks free of his chains and almost kills Ludwig, but Ygor calls him off. That night, the Monster and Ygor return to Ludwig's home and barge in, the Monster mortally wounding Dr. Kettering. Ludwig manages to subdue the Monster and Ygor with knockout gas. After examining the Monster, and having to tranquilize him again when he tries to kill him, Ludwig becomes more determined than ever to destroy him. He figures he can do so through dissection, and asks Dr. Bohmer to assist him. However, Bohmer considers it an act of murder, forcing Ludwig to do it by himself.

This leads to a very curious and random scene, the one which the movie derives its name from. While preparing to destroy the Monster, Ludwig is visited by the spirit of his father (played by Hardwicke as well, an instance where it really sucks that Colin Clive was dead), who urges him not to destroy the Monster. He adds, "I was near to solving a problem that has baffled man since the beginning of time, the secret of life, artificially created." Ludwig mentions how dangerous and violent the Monster is, with his father's spirit telling him, "That is

because unknowingly I gave it a criminal brain. With your knowledge of science, you can cure that... What if it had another brain?" (It's never made clear whether this is really meant to be Henry Frankenstein's spirit or if Ludwig is just hallucinating from stress. Personally, seeing as how Henry grew to despise the Monster, I don't think he would have suggested sparing his life, regardless of the reason. Then again, Henry may have seen this as an opportunity for his life's work to finally be

corrected, which is what it sounds like he's getting at.) Inspired by this, Ludwig, like his brother, tries to clear his family's name, this time by giving the Monster the brain of Dr. Kettering. He's also smart enough to put the kibosh on Ygor's suggestion that it be his brain, though he has to keep him around since he's the only one who can successfully speak with the Monster. And, despite Erik Ernst's engagement to his daughter, when Erik comes to him and asks to search the house, suspecting that

he may be harboring the Monster, Ludwig warns him that this will put a serious strain on their relationship. He makes things worse for himself when he says that Kettering left for home, even though no one saw him get on the train. Still, they find no sign of the Monster, and Ludwig is able to get on with the operation. But once it's done, he's horrified to learn that he unknowingly put Ygor's brain in the Monster's body, exclaiming, "I've created 100 times the monster that my father

made!" He knows the whole thing is Bohmer's doing, but he's killed by the Monster when he charges at him. Though his family's name is even more soiled than it was before by the end, Ludwig lives long enough to learn of the Monster's blindness and that Bohmer's plan for power has died with it.

As he would in every movie featuring Frankenstein's monster up to House of Dracula, Lionel Atwill is here once again, this time as Dr. Bohmer, who's quite similar to Dr. Rigas from Man Made Monster. Like Rigas, Bohmer works with and lives in the home of Ludwig Frankenstein, who was once his pupil. But when one of his early experiments involving brain removal and surgery went tragically wrong, he lost his standing in the scientific community and was relegated to being Ludwig's assistant. This, along with how his early work paved the way for Ludwig to successfully accomplish such an operation, has embittered Bohmer to this day. When Ludwig subdues the Monster in his laboratory in order to kill him through dissection, he asks for Bohmer's help. However, Bohmer considers it an act of murder and tells Ludwig he can't be party to it. However, he's more than willing to help when Ludwig decides to give the Monster a new brain instead, the both of them deciding it should be the brain of Dr. Kettering. But the clever and manipulative Ygor preys upon Bohmer's bitterness and desire for personal gain to convince him to put his own brain in the Monster instead. He makes the switch behind Ludwig's back, although he does seem to have a moment of regret when Ludwig thanks him for helping in the operation, saying it may restore his reputation. That disappears completely when it's revealed the Monster now has Ygor's brain and runs rampant, as Bohmer goes along with him, turning against Ludwig and attempting to kill the villagers. But when Ygor loses his sight, he turns on Bohmer, believing he tricked him, and throws him into a machine, electrocuting him to death.

Lon Chaney Jr. is not the only holdover from The Wolf Man here. Ralph Bellamy plays Erik Ernst, the town prosecutor who's engaged to Elsa Frankenstein. But, while he was able to do something with the small role of Paul Montford in that film, Bellamy is forced to be the typical bland lead as Erik, who cares for Elsa and has a great deal of respect for Ludwig Frankenstein. But, when he later suspects Ludwig may be harboring the Monster after he breaks out of the courthouse and disappears, Erik decides to search his home,

despite Ludwig warning him that he will no longer be welcome there if he does so. At the end of the movie, when the villagers attempt to storm Ludwig's home, thinking he's harboring the Monster after he abducted Cloestine Hussman, Erik rides ahead of them and asks them to give him a little bit of time to question Ludwig. There, Ludwig shows the Monster to him, only for them both to learn he has now harbors Ygor's brain. Evelyn Ankers plays Elsa Frankenstein, a role that isn't nearly as significant as Gwen Conliffe. There is an interesting dynamic in that, until Ygor arrives, she's unaware of her family's past and grows to suspect her father is keeping something from her. She goes into his study and reads Henry Frankenstein's diary, learning about the creation of the Monster. Upon encountering the Monster himself shortly afterward, Elsa begs her father to not let him and Ygor ruin the nice life they have in Visaria. But later, she becomes unable to deal with the fact that Ludwig is keeping the Monster in the house for some purpose. She learns of her father's plan for him when the Monster demands he put Cloestine's brain in his head. Elsa looks after Cloestine when Ludwig makes it clear that's not happening and, during the climax, the two of them, along with Erik and many of the villagers, are able to escape the burning house, unlike Ludwig. 

Little Cloestine Hussman (Janet Ann Gallow) meets the Monster as soon as he and Ygor arrive in Visaria. While the other kids in the village run away in fear, she's not afraid of him at all. When he walks up to her, she asks if he's a giant and touches his hand. He picks her up and she asks if he can get her ball back for her, after some mean boys kicked it up on a rooftop. Holding her, he makes his way up to the ball, killing a couple of villagers who try to interfere. After he's retrieved the ball, Cloestine's horrified father (Olaf Hytten) tells her to make the

Monster bring her down, under the promise that no one will hurt him. She tells him this and, with Ygor nodding at him, he does so. Of course, once Hussman has his daughter back, the Monster is swarmed by police and taken prisoner. Later at the courthouse, when Erik Ernst's questioning of the Monster doesn't yield anything, the Magistrate suggests that Cloestine speak to the Monster, knowing of their close relationship. Hussman protests, not just because of what happened earlier but also out of fear that the Monster may be so angered and unpredictable after being beaten and chained that he may even harm Cloestine. Regardless, Cloestine goes right up to him and talks to him, though this, of course, doesn't yield anything either. Later in the film, the Monster, after being promised a new brain, goes to Cloestine's home, takes her back to Ludwig Frankenstein's home, and demands that he put her brain in his head. Though Cloestine has shown no fear during this ordeal, she asks to be taken home. Elsa takes her from the Monster and keeps her safe in the house. Two weeks later, with his house having burnt down when the Monster took Cloestine, Hussman is sure she didn't die in the fire, but that the Monster took her. He further suggests the Monster is being harbored somewhere and he and the other villagers storm Ludwig's home. In the chaos that ensues during the climax, Cloestine is returned to her father.

We don't get to know Dr. Kettering (Barton Yarborough) long before he's brutally killed by the Monster but, in the little bit we do get, he comes off as a much kinder and more level-headed person than the bitter Dr. Bohmer. In fact, when Bohmer is brooding over the experiment that cost him his standing, Kettering asks him, "Why live always in the past, Dr. Bohmer? You've allowed that one mistake of yours to embitter your whole life." After that, the next time we see Kettering, he's randomly and brutally attacked by the Monster when he breaks into Ludwig's home. Ludwig tells Elsa that he wasn't able to save Kettering and, when he later comes up with the idea of giving the Monster a new brain, both her and Bohmer decide on Kettering's brilliant mind. Of course, Ygor has other plans.

Though he may or may not have had a role in Son of Frankenstein, Dwight Frye is most definitely here as one of the many angry villagers who opt to destroy Castle Frankenstein. Though it sucks that such a great actor was relegated to bit parts by this point, Frye manages to make an impression, as he's the one who suggests that the castle be destroyed, exclaiming, "We'll blow it up!", when the Burgomaster tells them to do what they want. Speaking of the Burgomaster, he's a holdover from the previous film, with Lawrence Grant reprising

his role. Like before, he tries to be the voice of reason, not believing in the idea of a curse on the village, but ultimately decides to let the villagers do what they will. Weirdly enough, even though their respective councilmen characters were murdered by the Monster in the last movie, both Michael Mark and Lionel Belmore are present in the opening scene at the town hall as councilmen. Even though this is a major continuity error, Universal, at the time, said that their presence provided connective tissue to the previous movie. Apparently, Ygor isn't the only one here who's hard to kill.

The Ghost of Frankenstein is a perfect example of the look and feel Universal Horror's second cycle would have going forward. First thing that's noticeable is it's nowhere near as big in scope and production design as the films that came before it, especially the big-budgeted Son of Frankenstein, with much of the action being confined to the interiors of Ludwig Frankenstein's home. Second, because of the small budget, there's much recycling here, particularly in the sets (the opening and

ending credits are atop a shot of the misty forest from The Wolf Man, which doesn't feature in the film itself) and the music. Actors are also recycled, as you have four people who just appeared in The Wolf Man, and Evelyn Ankers, Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Lionel Atwill, and especially Lon Chaney Jr., along with others like George Zucco, would all prove to be constant figures in many movies going forward. And the plot element of attempting to re-energize and cure the Monster would become a recurring one, especially when it came to his brain.

But, despite its small, cheap status, the people behind the film opted to do the best they could with what they had available. Sure enough, like a lot of the movies produced by Universal during this period, The Ghost of Frankenstein comes off better than a lot of the low-budget horror films that were being made at other studios. It still looks really good, being well shot by two cinematographers, Woody Bredell and Milton R. Krasner, who manage to bring back some of that German

Expressionism feel in the lighting, like the opening scenes at Castle Frankenstein, the scene where the Monster is outside Ludwig's home as a storm rages and Elsa sees his shadow when the lightning flashes, the scenes set in the dungeon below the laboratory, and when the Monster enters Cloestine's room in order to abduct her. Speaking of the Monster, his enormous size is well-emphasized by the way he's filmed, with many shots of him done from low to the floor, looking up

at him. Director Erle C. Kenton also proves himself very adapt at staging and shooting action scenes, as there are plenty of exciting sequences throughout the film, and he keeps the pace moving throughout the short running time. And there are some memorable instances of effects work here, thanks to John P. Fulton, like miniatures of the exploding castle during the opening and the burning house during the climax, rear-screen projection and matting of those shots with the real actors, animated lightning for the scene where the Monster is energized by it, and the effect of Frankenstein's ghost, a see-through optical of Sir Cedric Hardwicke that moves around the room and even comes towards the camera in one shot.

The Frankenstein village town hall looks fairly similar to the way it did in Son of Frankenstein, but Castle Frankenstein itself looks like a typical stone, Gothic castle, rather than the exaggerated, Expressionistic building it was before. Also, instead of being beneath the building that once housed the laboratory, the dried sulfur pit housing the Monster is now beneath the castle itself, within the catacombs. After he and Ygor flee the castle, they wander into a classic, misty cemetery, and the

scene where the Monster seeks out the lightning takes place in a barren patch of land akin to the one surrounding the village in Son. The exteriors of the village of Visaria, a setting that would be reused in the next three films featuring Frankenstein's monster, were done on the village square originally created for 1930's All Quiet on the Western Front. While nothing special, these sets do give the film something of a sense of scope, making it seem like a bigger movie than it really is, especially when the Monster makes his way onto some rooftops while

carrying Cloestine, and they also filled it with nice touches such as horse-drawn carts, playing children, and even a bunch of ducks and geese that are spooked by the Monster when he first arrives. The same goes for the village courthouse, where the Monster is put on trial, with disastrous results.

The most prominent setting in the film, Ludwig Frankenstein's house, where he also performs his practice, is also recycled: both the exteriors and many of the interiors were previously those of Talbot Castle. Since the film went into production immediately after The Wolf Man had finished shooting, Universal obviously didn't want to waste the sets and they do help get across the idea that Ludwig has made a nice life for himself and Elsa in Visaria. The outside is very elegant, with a lovely

courtyard beyond its gates, and immediately inside, there's a lovely foyer with a wide staircase, a sitting room with a big fireplace, Ludwig's study, which looks similar to Henry's old study seen in Son of Frankenstein, where Elsa also reads her grandfather's diary, and Elsa's nice, upstairs bedroom. However, on the back side of the house is a section filled with bland, featureless corridors, and behind a door here is Ludwig's laboratory and operating room, which is typical type of what you'd

expect by this point, complete with an operating table big enough to house the Monster. Most interesting, however, is a control panel next to the door that feels like something out of a Bond movie, as it operates a system that can fill the exterior hallway, and even the entire house, with gas, which can either incapacitate intruders or even kill them, if need be. There's a small recovery room behind a door in the back of the lab, while underneath a machine in the middle of the floor is an opening that leads down into an old dungeon housing

several rooms. According to Ludwig, one is an auxiliary operating room which is kept at a low temperature, while behind a secret door in the wall is a large, barren chamber, with a table in the center housing a lantern, where he hides away both the Monster and Ygor; Ludwig tells Erik Ernst and the authorities that he uses it as a holding area for his more violent patients.

Just three minutes into the movie, we get an exciting sequence where the villagers storm Castle Frankenstein, wielding torches and explosives. Atop the roof, Ygor watches as they reach the castle's base and pushes large stones down at them, only for the villagers to dodge them. Naturally, he's unable to hold them all off and stop them from setting dynamite at the castle's main door. They blow it open, along with a small section on its side, as Ygor climbs along the rubble and makes his way

down into the catacombs. The villagers then storm inside the building, setting more charges that blow out more of the castle's sides, but also blow open a wall, revealing the dried sulfur pit. Though he's still mostly trapped within it, the Monster's hand is exposed and Ygor sees its shadow on a nearby wall. He climbs up to the dried mound of sulfur and pulls the hardened shards and pieces of it off the Monster. He helps him to his feet and guides him out of the catacombs and castle. They reach

the small graveyard and turn around to see the villagers completely destroy the castle. Ygor tells the Monster, "They're too late! We fooled them! Come! We go to the country. Better country than this!" Later, they get caught up in a powerful thunderstorm, one where the lightning is strong enough to completely destroy a dead tree and blast a rock. But while Ygor tries to pull the Monster away, he actively seeks the lightning out, even pushing him to the ground in defiance at one point. A bolt comes down and zaps the Monster right in

one of his electrodes, imbuing him with more strength. Amazed, Ygor proclaims, "The lightning! It is good for you! Your father was Frankenstein, but your mother was the lightning! She has come down to you again. We will go to Ludwig, the second son of Frankenstein. He has all the secrets of his father, who created you. We will force him to harness the lightning for you! It will give you strength, strength of a hundred men! Come. Come! We are going to find Dr. Frankenstein!" The two of them then move on.

When the two of them arrive in Visaria, Ygor speaks with a young woman, asking where Ludwig Frankenstein lives, while the Monster wanders off, exploring. He spots little Cloestine Hussman as she's playing by herself with her ball, when one of a trio of boys kicks it up onto a rooftop. The boys then mock her about her inability to retrieve it, when they spot the Monster standing nearby. He lurches towards them, but while the boys and the other kids run away, Cloestine stays where she is.

The Monster stops in front of her, as she sweetly says hello to him, asks him if he's a giant, and touches his hand. He picks her up and she asks if he can get her ball off the rooftop. He looks up to where the ball is and begins making his way to the rooftop. The villagers come running and one of them runs up the stairs behind him and tries to stop him, only to be sent tumbling back down. By the time the Monster has reached the top of an archway linking two buildings, just about the entire

village has gathered below, horrified at the sight of him holding Cloestine, especially her father. One man grabs a rifle to shoot the Monster but Hussman stops him, fearing he might hit Cloestine. Another man climbs up to the roof and charges at the Monster, but he sends the guy falling to his death with a powerful punch to the back. As Ygor watches in the crowd, the Monster walks over to the roof where the ball is and picks it up. Hussman tells Cloestine to ask the Monster to bring her down, promising that no one will hurt him. With

Ygor giving an encouraging nod, the Monster does as he's told and walks back down to the street. Hussman runs to him and quickly takes his daughter and the ball from him. But as soon as he does, the Monster, who lurches towards them, is swarmed and restrained by policemen and many of the villagers.

At the village courthouse, after Erik Ernst fails to get anything out of the Monster, and little Cloestine fails as well, Ludwig Frankenstein arrives. Upon seeing him, the Monster reacts, smiling slightly and nodding, but when Ludwig denies knowing him, he flies into a rage. He breaks free of his chains, sending the other villagers running out of the building, easily tosses aside some guards who try to restrain him, and is about to bring his chain down on Ludwig's head, when he hears Ygor

playing his horn nearby. He walks behind the Magistrate's now empty desk and flings open the window. Seeing Ygor calling for him, he steps out, walks over to him, and is guided to a horse-drawn cart. Ygor helps him get up in the back and gets in the driver's seat. The villagers rush them but he quickly pulls the reins and the horses carry them away. That night, as it storms outside, Elsa wanders into her father's study and sits down at his desk. She opens Henry Frankenstein's diary and reads an

where he lays out his plan to extract life-giving power from lightning and to steal another body that night (Henry actually calls his creation a "monster," which feels very out of character from the man we knew and more like a stereotypical mad scientist). We then get a flashback to the Monster's creation, utilizing scenes from the original Frankenstein, including Henry and Fritz digging up a body and carting it away, and the creation scene, which incorporates some shots from Bride of Frankenstein as well (there's a box-

like square around this flashback, too, as if we are actually watching a movie within a movie). Then, there's a new insert of the bandages around the Monster's face being unwrapped, obviously to further establish Lon Chaney Jr. as the character. We go back to the diary, as Elsa reads Henry's description of how he needs a brain for the now complete body, which is odd, since we just saw the creation scene.

After processing what she's just read, Elsa reads on, only to see the Monster's shadow on the wall in front of her when the lightning flashes. She turns around and sees him looking at her through the window. She screams in terror, as Ygor pops up behind the Monster and tries to pull him away. Elsa draws the curtains and locks the door next to the window. The door to the study slowly opens but it turns out to be her father. She tells her what she saw but he tries to assure her that she just imagined

it. Elsewhere, Ygor and the Monster find another door leading inside. Ygor points to the door and says, "Frankenstein!", prompting the Monster to approach it and smash it open by ramming it with his shoulder. He stomps inside, into the corridors near the laboratory, and, coming upon Dr. Kettering, corners him and attacks. Ludwig and Elsa hear Kettering scream and the former goes to see what happened. The Monster drags Kettering's body through the corridor, as Ygor tries to make

him leave with him. The Monster drops Kettering and Ygor drags him into a nearby room, as Ludwig enters the corridor and finds the body. Elsa follows him, when the Monster re-enters the hallway behind her. As soon as she turns and sees him, he grabs her and stomps towards Ludwig. He enters the laboratory, closes and locks the door, and, using the control panel, fills the outside hall with knockout gas. Ygor, again, tries to make the Monster come with him, but he gets shoved away. The gas begins to take effect, causing Ygor to

collapse, while the Monster attempts to smash his way through a nearby door. Already too weak to do so, he staggers in the center of the hall and collapses next to Ygor. Ludwig then switches off the gas and ventilates it all. He yells for Dr. Bohmer, who helps him get Elsa to safety. Bohmer then sees Kettering's body and, after examining him, looks and sees the bodies of Ygor and the Monster nearby.

Later, Ludwig is in the laboratory, examining the Monster as he lies strapped to a table. But, when he's at the other end of the table, looking at his feet, the Monster regains consciousness and, seeing him, rises up, snapping the strap, and reaches for him. Ludwig quickly runs around to the Monster's left, fills a syringe with a sedative, and, as Dr. Bohmer runs in, administers it. Afterward, Ludwig, at first, intends to destroy the Monster through dissection, but after being visited by his father's spirit, decides

to give him a new brain instead. He and Bohmer begin making preparations, using their equipment to re-energize the Monster, and, the next day, Ygor is able to make the Monster understand. However, he then starts plotting with Bohmer for his own brain to go into the Monster's skull instead of Kettering's.

One night, Erik and several police officers show up at Ludwig's home, insinuating that he may be harboring the Monster, as they've combed the countryside for him. Despite Ludwig's warning that doing so will make him unwelcome there in the future, Erik decides to search the house, especially when Ludwig says Dr. Kettering left that morning, which one of the officers confirms isn't true. Ludwig shows them to the laboratory, where Erik has the policemen search for secret panels and

passageways. While doing so, one of them comes upon the opening in the floor beneath the one machine. They push it back to fully reveal the opening and Ludwig, though clearly nervous about what they may find, agrees to show them down there. They search the auxiliary operating room, then one of the officers discovers the hidden entrance to the room housing the Monster and Ygor. Again, Ludwig leads them inside, to discover that it's empty. Erik does notice that it's been

recently occupied but Ludwig tells him it's where he keeps the more violent patients. Ludwig shows them out, while elsewhere in town, the Monster enters the Hussman house and makes his way up to Cloestine's room. He enters and walks over to her bedside. She wakes up as he stands over her, and when she sees him, like before, she isn't scared at all; instead, she smiles at him. The Monster manages to smile back at her, when he hears Ygor's horn outside. He scoops Cloestine up in his arms, along with her bedspread, and heads for the doorway. He notices her ball on the small table and takes it, but knocks over an oil lantern, which quickly ignites on the carpet below and begins to spread.

Returning to Ludwig's home, the Monster carries Cloestine to the door leading to the laboratory. Ygor tries to make him understand that what he wants would kill her, but when he says he will have his brain put into his body, the Monster is not pleased. He slams Ygor against the wall and tries to enter the lab, only for Ygor to get ahead of him and try to prevent him from entering. Naturally, the Monster is far too strong and crushes Ygor between the door and the lab's inside wall. Dr. Bohmer rushes in and takes Ygor away, as the

Monster makes his way through the lab and into the foyer. He comes upon Ludwig and Elsa, and motions that he wants Cloestine's brain. She asks to be taken home and Elsa goes to take her from the Monster. He threatens her with a blow from his powerful arm but Ludwig stops him. He hands Cloestine over to Ludwig and he, after walking out of the foyer, hands her over to Elsa. She ducks into Ludwig's study, while he deals with the Monster, as he stands in the doorway. Ludwig takes Cloestine's

ball, which he seemingly forgot he was holding, and lures him back to the laboratory. There, Ludwig and Bohmer prepare for the operation, and Bohmer, unbeknownst to Ludwig, removes Ygor's brain in a separate room. We get a little montage, made up of the image of a turning clock, superimposed over shots of the doctors performing their separate tasks. Bohmer wheels Ygor's brain into the lab and Ludwig, assuming it to be Kettering, asks, "What will he think when he

resumes life in that body? Will he thank us for giving him a new lease on life, or will he object to finding his ego living in that human junk-heap?" The scene fades to black as he begins the task and, in the next scene, the two of them look at the unconscious Monster, lying in bed in a recovery room, his head bandaged up.

Two weeks later, Hussman tells the worked up villagers that he believes Cloestine didn't die when their home burned down but, rather, was abducted by the Monster. Furthermore, he feels that someone is giving the Monster protection, and he and another village decide that person has to be Dr. Frankenstein. A mob of the villagers heads for Ludwig's home, intending to make him tell the truth, but they're intercepted by Erik on horseback after he's warned of this. He stops them just beyond the gates to the estate but they make it clear they're

in no mood to listen, feeling the law has failed to keep everyone safe. Erik's relationship with Elsa is also brought up as a reason for his reluctance to do his duty. He decides to compromise with the villagers, saying he'll go speak with Ludwig and try to find if he is harboring the Monster; if he refuses to turn him over, Erik will allow the villagers to do what they want. The villagers agree to this and Erik rides up to the house, dismounts, and runs to the door. The maid lets him in and, though he's told Ludwig isn't seeing anybody, Erik

insists. He warns Elsa what's going on and goes to tell Ludwig in his study. He confronts him again about Dr. Kettering's disappearance, saying that he didn't return home, as Ludwig said he did. Ludwig agrees to tell Erik the truth and he leads him to the recovery room. Dr. Bohmer opens the door from inside and, when he does, Erik is shocked to see the Monster sitting on the edge of a bed. Bohmer tells Ludwig that the Monster has recuperated nicely and has control of all of his faculties.

Ludwig tells Erik, "The Monster, as you know, was a homicidal maniac. He killed Dr. Kettering. But Dr. Kettering lives again. His brain is now inside the skull of the Monster. I have replaced an evil brain with a good one. I have made amends for the great tragedy that my father and my brother unintentionally brought to this community. I have restored... the good name of Frankenstein." He then opts to let Erik see for himself.

Outside, Hussman and the villagers decide that Erik has had enough time and move on the house. Back inside, Ludwig, Erik, and Bohmer enter the recovering room and Ludwig asks the Monster if he knows who he is. The Monster nods, and when asked to say who he is, he croaks, "You are... Dr. Frankenstein." But when asked if he's Kettering, the Monster evilly answers, "I am not Dr. Kettering. I am... Ygor." Horrified, Ludwig watches as Ygor gets off the bed and declares himself invincible. Knowing this is Bohmer's

doing, Ludwig rushes him but Ygor grabs him and throws him aside. Outside, the villagers try to break down the front door with a battering ram. Hearing this, Erik tells Ludwig that he can't protect him now, while Ygor tells Bohmer to fill the house with gas. Erik runs into the lab and locks the door, but Ygor manages to knock it down easily. Erik runs out of the lab, as the villagers manage to break into the house, and tries to warn them about the gas. However, they're in too much of a frenzy to listen and run every which way in the house,

including in the hall leading to the lab. Those who do are overcome by the gas, as Ygor watches through the window in the door. Ludwig rushes at Bohmer as he works the control panel but Ygor, again, grabs Ludwig and tosses him aside. Out in the foyer, Elsa returns Cloestine to her father, while the villagers prepare to burn the house. Erik tells Elsa to get out, while he goes back to try to help Ludwig. He runs to the lab door, as Ygor finishes Ludwig off inside. Unable to unlock it, and seeing

that Elsa followed him and is overcome by the gas, Erik picks her up and gets her out as quickly as he can. That's when Ygor suddenly goes blind and yells for Bohmer's help. Ludwig, in his dying breath, tells Bohmer, "Your dream of power is over, Bohmer. You didn't realize his blood is the same type as Kettering's, but not the same as Ygor's. It will not feed the sensory nerves."

Angered, Ygor grabs Bohmer by the neck and exclaims, "Bohmer, you played me a trick! What good is a brain without eyes to see?! What good is a brain without eyes?!" He throws him into a machine, electrocuting him to death, and the blind Monster proceeds to stumble through the lab, slamming into electrical equipment and knocking over shelves of volatile chemicals that combust instantly. The villagers get out of the house, as the fire quickly spreads throughout it, while down in the lab, everything explodes around the Monster.

His flesh begins to melt off from the intense heat, and he staggers towards the window, only for the roof to cave in and several pillars to fall and pin him to the floor. On a nearby ridge, Erik and Elsa look back at the burning house, before escaping to safety.

Like The Wolf Man, The Ghost of Frankenstein establishes a number of musical cues that would be reused in later movies, particularly in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man the following year. Composed again by Hans J. Salter, the main title theme is a full-on symphony, going back and forth between menacing and downright cheerful. There's a really thrilling piece of music that plays when the villagers storm Castle Frankenstein that would be heard in a number of climactic scenes, such as for The Mummy's Tomb, made the same year. One very memorable new piece of music is a lumbering theme for the Monster, which is rather cartoonish when compared to the motifs he's had in previous movies, but it actually fits with Lon Chaney Jr.'s portrayal, as does a slowly rising motif you also hear a handful of times. And there's a sweet piece of music played for Cloestine, as well as another bright, cheery one for moments between Erik and Elsa. But not all of the music is original, as you hear a number of the creepy, more atmospheric pieces from The Wolf Man, memorably during the scene where Erik and the police search Ludwig's home. And it's also quite surreal to hear some of the more memorable pieces from that score during the flashback to the original Frankenstein.

All in all, The Ghost of Frankenstein may mark the beginning of the series' downward slide, particularly when it comes to the Monster's character, but it's a lot of fun, regardless. While Lon Chaney Jr.'s portrayal of the Monster is very mixed, the other actors are good, especially Bela Lugosi as Ygor; the film was clearly done on a low budget, with many recycled sets and pieces of art direction, but it's still well-made, with good cinematography and some impressive visual effects, and has Universal's stamp of quality on it; the music score, despite its own instances of recycling, is enjoyable; and the movie just goes at a nice pace, with plenty of great setpieces. It may not be among the best but, if you want a little Gothic horror flick that's great fun to watch, this will definitely fit the bill.