The Ghost of Frankenstein
Short description
The people of a village live in fear of the Frankenstein castle looming over them, blaming the monster for a curse they believe has fallen on their community. When they force the mayor to let them destroy the castle, the hunchbacked Ygor, who survived the events of the previous film, escapes through underground passages with the monster in tow. The two are caught in a violent thunderstorm, and a lightning strike leaves the creature strangely renewed. Ygor then sets out to find Ludwig, another son of the Frankenstein family, hoping the scientist can restore the monster to full strength, while Ludwig's ambitious colleague Dr. Bohmer pursues plans of his own for the creature's body.
The film is a Universal Pictures production directed by Erle C. Kenton, whose other work includes Island of Lost Souls and, later, House of Dracula. Scott Darling wrote the screenplay, and George Waggner produced. Cedric Hardwicke plays Ludwig Frankenstein, with Ralph Bellamy as Erik Ernst, Lionel Atwill as Dr. Bohmer, Bela Lugosi as Ygor, Evelyn Ankers as Elsa Frankenstein and Lon Chaney Jr. as the monster.
On IMDb the film holds a rating of 6.1 from roughly 7,900 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 5.8 from a much smaller number of 179 votes. A critics' rating of 5.9 from 11 reviews places it in similar territory. Released in March 1942 and running just 68 minutes, it continues the studio's long-running series of Frankenstein films.
What's left behind the scenes
- This film was the fourth in Universal's Classic Monster series, based on Mary Shelley's novel about Frankenstein.
- “The Frankenstein spirit” has moved from A-list films to ordinary B-movies. The film has a significantly smaller budget compared to its predecessors.
- The monster's immobility in the courtroom scenes is clearly noticeable in the film.
- This is the last film in which the monster is the central focus. Starting with the next film, “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man” (1943), in which Lugosi plays the Monster with Chaney Jr. as the Wolf Man, and in all subsequent films, Frankenstein’s monster was part of a whole ensemble of Universal monsters.
- It was said that the full-head rubber mask, which was part of Frankenstein’s costume, was very uncomfortable, and Lon Chaney Jr. constantly complained about it. Once, while literally tearing the mask off, he accidentally ripped it, and filming had to be paused.
- In addition to the discomfort caused by the costumes and their details designed by special effects artist Jack P. Pierce, actor Lon Chaney Jr. found the makeup applied for certain scenes difficult to endure (particularly when the monster emerged from solidified sulfur). Striving for maximum realism, Pierce completely covered the actor with a cement solution, leaving only a tiny hole near the mouth for breathing. The makeup application process lasted from 6 a.m. to noon, after which the entire film crew and actors went to lunch to allow the cement on Lon Chaney Jr. to dry.
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