Returning to the ancestral castle long after the death of the monster, the son of Dr. Frankenstein meets a mad shepherd who is hiding the comatose creature. To clear the family name, he revi... Read allReturning to the ancestral castle long after the death of the monster, the son of Dr. Frankenstein meets a mad shepherd who is hiding the comatose creature. To clear the family name, he revives the creature and tries to rehabilitate him.Returning to the ancestral castle long after the death of the monster, the son of Dr. Frankenstein meets a mad shepherd who is hiding the comatose creature. To clear the family name, he revives the creature and tries to rehabilitate him.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
- Frau Neumüller
- (as Caroline Cooke)
- Burgher
- (as Lorimer Johnson)
- Villager
- (unconfirmed)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDue to the lack of a prepared script, much of the picture was written just moments before the actors were to shoot their scenes. This was how director Rowland V. Lee was able to keep Bela Lugosi working throughout filming, and built up the role of Ygor, which didn't appear in the original Wyllis Cooper screenplay. Lugosi was forever grateful to Lee for allowing him to create what turned out to be one of his very best characterizations. After many delays, shooting finally started November 9, 1938, finishing January 5, 1939, just days before its prescribed release date of January 13. Boris Karloff's daughter, Sara Karloff was born on his 51st birthday, November 23, 1938.
- GoofsWhen Wolf (and the audience) see the sulfur pit for the first time, you can see the body of The Monster sinking to the bottom. (Obviously an unused shot recycled from the end of the film.)
- Quotes
Ewald Neumüller: Hey! You, you spit on me!
Ygor: [pointing to his broken neck] I am sorry. I cough. You see, bone get stuck in my throat!
- Crazy creditsWriter Wyllis Cooper's name is spelled "Willis" in the opening credits.
- Alternate versionsThe British release print runs approximately two minutes longer.
- ConnectionsEdited into Lost City of the Jungle (1946)
- SoundtracksSailing, Sailing, Over the Bounding Main
(uncredited)
Written by Godfrey Marks
Sung a cappella by Donnie Dunagan
Over the years, there have been volumes written on the Universal classic horror movies. Realizing that it would be foolish of me to attempt to improve or add much to the writings of these scholars, I'll instead focus on a couple of areas that make Son of Frankenstein so special to me.
1. The Acting. Son of Frankenstein features a Who's Who of the best of the classic horror actors. Joining Rathbone and Lugosi in the cast are Boris Karloff and Lionel Atwill. While each gives a noteworthy performance in their own right, Lugosi's performance is generally held up as the best of his career. And while I agree, Rathbone makes Son of Frankenstein a joy for me to watch. There are very few actors that I can think of who could have played Wolf with the same type of intelligent energy that Rathbone exhibits. He's wonderful. As for Karloff, I'm glad he decided to make Son of Frankenstein his last as the monster. By the time of the second sequel, Karloff's monster became little more that a prop for Lugosi, Rathbone, and Atwill to fight over.
2. The Sets. I'm not exaggerating when I say that the sets in Son of Frankenstein are among the best I've ever seen. The sets are amazing with their bizarre angles and shadows. Two that immediately come to mind are the dining table set and the staircase set at the beginning of the movie. They are in a class of their own.
Every fan of horror, or just good classic movies in general, owes it to themselves to see Son of Frankenstein. It may not be as well known among the casual fan as either Frankenstein or Bride of Frankenstein, but it many ways it's the equal of those two films (if not better).
- bensonmum2
- Oct 4, 2005
Details
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1