Son of Frankenstein

Director - Rowland V. Lee (Tower of London, A Night of Terror)

Starring - Boris Karloff (The Terror, The Mummy), Basil Rathbone (Hillbillys in a Haunted House, The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini), and Bela Lugosi (Dracula, Plan 9 From Outer Space)

Release Date - 1939

Genre - Horror/Sci-Fi

Tagline - "The phantom monster show"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     Universal's Frankenstein spawned several sequels and was tied into several other franchises but very few touched the popularity that the original and Bride of Frankenstein did.  However, even though they were not as popular, the sequels were still lucrative enough for Universal to continue producing them.  After the major success of The Bride of Frankenstein, Universal set out on another sequel starring Boris Karloff as the iconic monster.  This time around we would see Bela Lugosi appearing in the film as well.  That film would be 1939's Son of Frankenstein.

     The film follows the son of Dr. Frankenstein who returns to his family's home after spending many years abroad.  The locals are not happy that another Frankenstein is occupying the home but that doesn't stop him from picking up where his father left off.  In his father's laboratory he meets Ygor (Lugosi) who introduces him to the creature his father created.  The creature is in a coma but very much alive so the good doctor sets out to awaken the beast.

       Son of Dracula doesn't really have that punch that makes the first two films so enjoyable but it's not bad either.  It pretty much has a similar story as the first two films but with some minor changes that tries to make it feel different and somewhat succeeds.  The acting in this one is great.  Karloff has fine tuned his performance as the monster by this point and absolutely nails it.  The said part of this performance is that he is hardly awake during most of the film.  Basil Rathbone was great taking on the reigns as a Frankenstein.  His intensity and emotional range doesn't match Colin Clive's but he's still entertaining in his role.  My favorite performance comes from Lugosi who portrays Ygor in one of his most memorable performances outside of Dracula.  The film may be forgettable but Lugosi's performance here is not.  The story for this one is pretty much the same story as the first two films but with some changes.  Instead of Frankenstein creating life, we find him awakening the beast while the townspeople suspect something is wrong.  It's not that far of a stretch and doesn't really further the story from the first film any further.  It's said that most of the film was written write before production which completely makes sense when you consider the lack of originality.  Finally, the make-up effects are just as great as the first two films and the sets and locations are still gorgeous but nothing new is being delivered to the viewer by this point.  Overall, Son of Frankenstein is a quick cash grab that has some memorable moments from a rather unforgettable film.  It's still a great watch and a solid entry in one of the most iconic horror franchises in history.  It's worth a shot but it's the beginning of what most would call beating a dead horse.