The Ghost of Frankenstein
Rating: 2/5
By: Nathaniel Simpson
Erle C. Kenton's 1942 The Ghost of Frankenstein should've been a hint at a franchise needing to come to an end. This overarching franchise of the Universal Classic Monsters has presented three films centered around Mary Shelley's iconic undead monster, but this movie simply shows the story running out of steam. Not only is the story of Frankenstein's Monster presented here absolutely bonkers in unflattering ways, but the picture itself is simply a bore for a good amount of its runtime, not really sure how to muddle along until the climatic finale.
The movie takes place after the events of the previous Son of Frankenstein, with the Monster (now played by Lon Chaney Jr.) and his companion Ygor (Bela Lugosi) being chased out of town and forced to find refuge elsewhere. However, Ygor comes up with the bright idea to locate Dr. Frankenstein's other son, Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein (Cedric Hardwicke), and convince him to continue his late father's experiments on the Monster and whatever else the mad doctor had planned. However, Ygor has different plans, hoping to be able to make him and the Monster into one being.
This movie is simply disappointing in the fact that we went from James Whale's fantastic two Frankenstein films, complete with German Expressionism-inspired sets and lighting and a fantastic story that touches on different themes and messages to a more bland and uninspired tale. The Ghost of Frankenstein simply seems like a cheap cash grab for the studio, trying to capitalize on this iconic character and story. While some of the sets, special effects, and shots are done quite well throughout this picture, it simply doesn't live up to the feats Whale was able to achieve. It seems like all of their main efforts went into making The Wolf Man as it seems like this movie had no inspiration or desire to tell such a compelling and thematically rich story.
The fact that we are practically retelling the same ideas in a different way just shows how the filmmakers are starting to run out of steam with this character and these new stories they are trying to create. Igor and the Monster try to force Frankenstein's son to complete his father's experiments in the movie before this, so why is there a need to practically tell the same story in the following sequel? However, when we get into the aspect of Ygor trying to put his own brain into the Monster, and the climatic battle at the end, this is what the Monster films are known for and what we, as the audience, want to see. Is Ygor guilt of the same sin of trying to play God with the Monster, or is he simply lonely and trying to be closer to something he considers a friend? Most of the movie doesn't concern itself with this question, but once we get into the the third-act plot elements, the movie starts to really take off and show the audience what we want to see, for the limited time we have left with the film.
Like I mentioned in the review for Son, Lugosi perfectly embodies the role of Ygor and really makes it his own. Lugosi is such a talented actor and shows off his acting chops by playing such off-typecasted characters like this one. He may receive all his praise for Dracula (understandably so), but there are many other roles from Lugosi that should be appreciated a tad more. However, when looking at the Monster here, unfortunately Chaney just doesn't do it for me. I don't know if I'm biased because of Boris Karloff's perfected performance of the titular monster, but Chaney's interpretation simply portrays him as a dumb and emotionless being, one that simply isn't reminiscent of any version Karloff performed in the first two movies. The predecessor to this film here started to show the decline in quality of the character of the Monster, and this film unfortunately cements the path his character development was heading down.
Like many other horror franchises that have came after this one, it is simply disappointing and disheartening to see such a beloved franchise centered around a popular character go downhill. The Ghost of Frankenstein simply doesn't work for me, and it makes me wonder about the difference in quality of the last two films if Whale had made them. It's frustrating because while the character and story of Frankenstein will always be considered a beautiful classic horror film, there are films like these that could possibly taint the franchise and the character, which will live on through the history of cinema.
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