The Ghost Of Frankenstein/Son Of Frankenstein

Fans of classic Horror films had the chance to strike gold with Universal Studios when they released a batch of the old classics to DVD in versions that would make anybody drool with glee. "Frankenstein", "Bride Of Frankenstein", "Dracula", "The Mummy", "The Invisible Man", "The Wolf Man" and "Creature From The Black Lagoon" all hit DVD in versions that were packed to the gills with extras and in the case of "Frankenstein", a new picture transfer that made the film almost new! No hiss in the sound, and almost no scratches on the picture. Hell, "Dracula" came with a new soundtrack (kind of crappy though) AND the Spanish version of the film, of which many feel to be the superior version of the film.

Most fans hold these releases as prized DVD's. So once we got these things, saw what was in the works for these films, we got light headed with the idea of what was to come in the future! People realized that there were numerous sequels to these films! Oh the dreams of what we might get! But I know that I also thought to myself "c'mon, is the studio really going to go this in-depth with every single movie!?!". So I have had doubts. The chances seemed slim.

So the day came that these films saw light of day!

The first one I had to get was "The Ghost Of Frankenstein"/"Son Of Frankenstein" disc. I'll review this in the proper way, doing away with the alphabetical titling of the disc that makes it a bit confusing to the un-knowing viewer!

By the time the "Frankenstein" series had gotten around to its third film, director James Whale was no longer attached. For this film Rowland V. Lee was the director. He even took the place of Carl Laemmle Jr. as the producer! So there is a chance that this film is a more personal project than either of the first two films! This was also the last time that Karloff would put on the make-up.

Taking up numerous years after the end of "Bride Of Frankenstein", the now grown son of Henry Frankenstein returns to his fathers home in the town of Frankenstein with his wife and child. Upon arrival the towns people are there to greet the family, but not in a very friendly way.

When people start showing up dead, there can be only one cause: The Monster must be alive again! Enter Inspector Krogh, played by Lionel Atwill in the first of his many roles in the "Frankenstein" films. The Inspector attempts to talk sense to the Baron Frankenstein, but the Baron is obviously on the defense at this time.

Indeed the Monster has been brought back to life thanks to help from a hanged man with a broken neck named Ygor, played by Bela Lugosi in one of his best roles.

The films end is not as spectacular as the previous films as far as fire and explosions, but for the action, it is a brilliant set piece showing the Baron swinging through the air to knock The Monster off a ledge to a flaming death!

"Son Of Frankenstein" is a very smart film that is big on thoughts. It is also the longest of all the old Universal Horror films, clocking in at an astonishing 1 hour and 40 minutes! The films moves at a nice pace and Basil Rathbone as The Baron looses his sanity quite nicely. Lionel Atwill as Inspector Krogh is a very well imagined character with his fake arm that was torn out as a child by The Monster.

Trying to keep with the seriousness of the previous films and attempting to be taken as a serious film also, this addition to the series carries a set design to be admired in its extremes. The entry into the house of Frankenstein is an amazingly barren area, yet fascinating to view. Showing a coldness upon entering this house of horrors. The child's room on the other hand is a room so warm looking with it's fireplace, that it would seem the ideal room of safety, though this is the room the monster uses to enter the mansion. The look, script, and acting of "Son Of Frankenstein" make it a fine addition to the two previous films.

Next on the disc we have "The Ghost Of Frankenstein".

As this film begins we find that Ygor was not killed in the last film, nor was The Monster. Ygor seemingly is impossible to kill, and The Monster was nicely preserved in the sulfer he fell into. Ygor (still Bela Lugosi) decides he needs to visit the brother of Wolf, Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein played by Cedric Hardwicke, to try and help his giant friend out. Upon getting to Wolf the plot to help The Monster get better changes over to transplanting the brain of the recently deceased Dr. Kettering into The Monster. Then through deception, Ygor and Dr. Bohmer (again, Lionel Atwill) decide it would be in the interest of everyone if Ygor's thinking materials ended up in the head of The Monster.

With this film we move even further away from the feelings of the first film, and even the two follow-ups. This is not to say it is a bad movie, quite the opposite. Thanks to it's nice production values, Gothic look, good acting, and fast moving script, this film is quite a bit of fun. It still treats the series seriously at this time and doesn't get too carried away with it's own logic.

Universal Studios brings us these two films on a "Double Feature" disc. Thankfully these are not "flipper" discs. The films themselves are the main attraction here, since there are almost no extras. What extras you do get are nothing more than a trailer for "Ghost", some production notes, and the cast and crew biographies. So the extra attention paid to the "Classic Monster" series is not to be had here on the "Double Feature" series. So with that in mind, how do these films look and sound?

I have no doubt in my mind that there was no real re-mastering or clean up going on at Universal for these films. I think they may have taken time to find the best elements that they could, gave them a bath, and then turned them out. Now, is this bad? I would have to say no. The films look great and they sound great. There may be a scratch or a nick here and there. We might get a pop here and there on the sound. But as a whole, these are fine additions to any collection. I also don't mind the lack of extras so much. I really can't imagine Universal giving the golden treatment to all of the old films. That would be a very costly project in the end. As long as they keep turning out films in this quality, I am happy. I just wish that they would lower the price. At roughly $30 a disc, they really are not that much of a bargain. My main complaint though is that I really wish that "Son Of Frankenstein" had been given the same treatment as both the original and "Bride". Most people feel the film is on par with those two films, plus it was the last Karloff Monster. It would be nice to know more about the "behind-the-scenes" on this one. Plus it would have been nice to have "House Of Frankenstein" paired up with "House Of Dracula" on one disc. But these are just minor complaints.

If you like the classics, these are must owns. The old video copies will do until you either get the money together for these, or you find them cheap, but you will want them just for the durability of the format, plus the films to look great!

Review by Carl Isonhart