“If the house is filled with dread. Place the bedsteads head to head.”
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone) is the son of Henry Frankenstein. He is retuning with his wife Elsa (Josephine Hutchinson) and their young son Peter (Donnie Dunagan) to the family castle. Wolf wants to redeem his father's reputation. The town, on the other hand, is not quite so anxious to let bygones be bygones. The only friend he has managed to make is the local police inspector Krogh (Lionel Atwill). Krogh has a prosthetic right arm. This is the result of it being ripped out by the Monster when he was a child.
While exploring the castle Wolf meets Ygor (Bela Lugosi). Ygor is a thief who was hung for grave robbing. His neck was broken, but he lived. Now he is deformed and not just a little crazy. Ygor shows Wolf the monster. Still alive but in a comatose state. The result of being hit by lightning. It has also affected him in that he can no longer speak. Ygor wants Wolf to fix the monster. It doesn’t take long for Wolf to drink the kool-aid. He thinks that he can use the monster to prove his father was right. He believes that this is how he will restore the family name.
Wolf does revive the Monster (Boris Karloff), however, it only responds to Ygor's commands. And Ygor is vicious. He uses the Monster to kill each of the jurors that sentenced him to death by hanging. When Wolf discovers this he comes to the realization that he has no control. Ygor is the master.
“Son of Frankenstein” was released in 1939 and was directed by Rowland V. Lee. As the third film in the Universal Frankenstein series it is considered by some as, if not the best, at least one of the favorites. It certainly is haunting. It has a film-noir feel to it. This is the last time Karloff plays the monster. At least in a feature film. Jack Pierce is on hand again to transform Karloff.
Lionel Atwill is the coolest inspector ever. Yes, he is over the top, but I wouldn’t have him any other way. Ygor looks like a rabid wet dog. And he acts like one. He is the real monster of the film. Although no one can out creep Dwight Frye as Fritz, Bela as Ygor comes in a close second. The film itself has all the required trappings of the proper horror movie of the 30’s. Thunderstorm, mad scientist, dark, dank gothic mansion, villagers with torches, and of course a monster.
It’s not so much a sequel as it is a companion piece. The only thing that is the same is the monster itself. Even the name of the village is different. In the first two movies it was called Goldstadt. Now in “Son of Frankenstein” it is called Frankenstein. Not exactly a good omen.
All together the first three movies in the franchise managed to do what a lot of them can’t and that is to produce three really good movies. And each of them is good in their own way.