Some years after the death of Frankenstein, his son Wolf returns to the castle with his wife to claim the family property. He also finds his father's writings, explaining how his research was conducted and how to generate life.
Exactly when this takes place is sort of curious. The last film is 1935, and this film is 1939, a mere four years. Yet, Wolf is full grown with a child of his own, despite not even having been both yet in the last film. That puts the two at about a twenty-five year difference, maybe thirty years.
Basil Rathbone, who had been known to dislike horror films, is the perfect choice for Baron Wolf von Frankenstein. Distinguished and a fine actor. Allegedly, Claude Rains and Peter Lorre had tried out for the part. Lorre is a bizarre consideration, maybe Rains could have done it, but Rathbone is perfect. He has the look to replace Colin Clive. (Clive had unfortunately died at in 1937 from tuberculosis.)
Boris Karloff is The Monster. How he survived the last film, where he seems to commit suicide, is unclear. But a monster played by anyone but Karloff is not the same.
Bela Lugosi is an exceptional Ygor, the demented man with the broken neck. Some consider this Lugosi's best role, despite his being more well known for playing Dracula. Lugosi has been known to dip into camp, but this is not camp and it is a great makeup job, as well.
Lionel Atwill is Krogh, the local cop. Howard Maxford says that this film is sometimes unintentionally funny due to Mel Brooks, and I presume that the character of Krogh is what he has in mind when he says that.
Mike Mayo correctly says "the acting carries the film", with Lugosi "seldom better", Karloff "excellent", and Rathbone and Atwill "never upstaged." This film is widely considered to be the last good Universal Frankenstein film, before following "the sad path to the Abbott and Costello travesty", to quote Ivan Butler. (I, for one, do not mind those films.)
Exactly when this takes place is sort of curious. The last film is 1935, and this film is 1939, a mere four years. Yet, Wolf is full grown with a child of his own, despite not even having been both yet in the last film. That puts the two at about a twenty-five year difference, maybe thirty years.
Basil Rathbone, who had been known to dislike horror films, is the perfect choice for Baron Wolf von Frankenstein. Distinguished and a fine actor. Allegedly, Claude Rains and Peter Lorre had tried out for the part. Lorre is a bizarre consideration, maybe Rains could have done it, but Rathbone is perfect. He has the look to replace Colin Clive. (Clive had unfortunately died at in 1937 from tuberculosis.)
Boris Karloff is The Monster. How he survived the last film, where he seems to commit suicide, is unclear. But a monster played by anyone but Karloff is not the same.
Bela Lugosi is an exceptional Ygor, the demented man with the broken neck. Some consider this Lugosi's best role, despite his being more well known for playing Dracula. Lugosi has been known to dip into camp, but this is not camp and it is a great makeup job, as well.
Lionel Atwill is Krogh, the local cop. Howard Maxford says that this film is sometimes unintentionally funny due to Mel Brooks, and I presume that the character of Krogh is what he has in mind when he says that.
Mike Mayo correctly says "the acting carries the film", with Lugosi "seldom better", Karloff "excellent", and Rathbone and Atwill "never upstaged." This film is widely considered to be the last good Universal Frankenstein film, before following "the sad path to the Abbott and Costello travesty", to quote Ivan Butler. (I, for one, do not mind those films.)