Review of Son of Frankenstein (1939) by David P — 12 Oct 2010

This was the last of the original "Frankenstein" flicks to feature King Karloff as the Monster and it caps things off on a classy note. Indeed, this flick proves that the third film in a trilogy doesn't have to suck.

The original "Frankenstein" was a classic, it's follow-up "Bride of Frankenstein" was arguably even better and "Son of Frankenstein" adds to the mythos by introducing memorable new characters and continuing the story in a logical fashion.

Basil Rathbone stars as Baron Wolf Von Frankenstein who takes his wife and young son back to the old country to settle the details of his father's estate after the tragic events depicted in the previous two films.

Once there he finds that the locals want nothing to do with him and have forever linked his father's name to his infamous and tragic creation. Curiosity eventually gets the better of him and he ventures into his father's old lab where he meets a creepy hunchback named Igor (Bela Lugosi) who lets him in on a huge secret.

The Monster, thought destroyed in a laboratory explosion, is still alive, although not so well. Eventually Wolf is persuaded to revive the creature in an effort to vindicate his father's reputation.

This would be a solid plan if not for the fact that Igor begins to use the now-mobile Monster to seek out revenge against the men who tried to hang him. As you might expect, all hell eventually breaks loose and the "good" Frankenstein name takes another shot in the cubes.

"Son of Frankenstein" is another memorable Universal monster romp. There are some stupendously creepy gothic sets on display here and they look fantastic while slick with rain or shrouded in fog.

All the cliche's you might expect are here: secret passageways, lightning-based science experiments, bubbling sulfur pits and packs of pissed-off torch and pitchfork wielding villagers. Karloff's Monster goes back to being mute here, after talking up a storm in "Bride".

This forces him back into a more physical performance and he looks awesome and iconic doing it. It's amazing just to watch him pause in places and adjust his gait and posture to effect a certain profile or silhouette.

Basil Rathbone's turn is a bit too stagy but it's amusing to watch him grow increasingly twitchy as his lies accumulate. Lionel Atwill is a genuine treasure as Krough, the relentlessly nosy one-armed inspector.

His performance is a perfect mix of understated, uptight, and darkly humorous beats. Bela Lugosi relishes one of his best roles as Igor. In turn he's alternately twisted, leering, threatening, funny, creepy and consistently nuttier than a vat full of peanut butter.

Perhaps the only annoying thing is the casting of young Donnie Dunagan as Wolf's five year old son. I know back in the Forties, child actors weren't held to the same standard we have today and I recognize that it's not the kid's fault.

But, man, his annoying "L'il Rascals"-style southern drawl is totally out of place with the other rarefied accents in the film. Put it this way: the kid eventually went on to do the voice of "Bambi", so you can imagine how distracting is in a horror film.

Despite such quibbles, "Son of Frankenstein" is a solid entry in the Universal cycle of classic chillers. In fact, I have to admit that it's only sin is that is pales somewhat in comparison to it's grand predecessors.

Tilt: up.