The villagers in the town of Frankenstein (yes, the town shares its name with the infamous scientist) believe their village is cursed due to the horrors that took place there in the past. They decide the only way to break the curse is to blow up Baron Frankenstein’s castle once and for all. When they arrive, however, they discover that good old hunchbacked Ygor (played by Bela Lugosi) is still there, ready to defend the place. The villagers manage to destroy the castle, but in the process, they accidentally awaken Frankenstein’s monster (played by Lon Chaney Jr.) from his grave. Ygor then sets out to give his beloved monster new life by tracking down Baron Frankenstein’s other son, hoping to restore the creature’s power.
This is the fourth film in Universal’s Frankenstein saga. It picks up more or less where Son of Frankenstein left off, although some of the storytelling choices used to continue the plot are admittedly a bit too convenient.
What’s most notably missing in this fourth entry is, of course, the actor everyone associates with Frankenstein’s monster — Boris Karloff. Fortunately, Universal found the best possible replacement in the legendary Lon Chaney Jr. They managed to make him look remarkably like Karloff from the previous films, and Chaney’s performance holds up well. Thankfully, as a direct continuation of Son of Frankenstein, we also still have Bela Lugosi as Ygor — a brilliant character played by an equally brilliant actor. Just like in Son of Frankenstein, Ygor carries much of the film and makes it far more engaging.
Unfortunately, the film isn’t quite on the same level as the first three, though that’s not particularly surprising. It’s still highly entertaining, with several memorable highlights. When it comes to direction, you can’t really expect the same quality as James Whale, but the work here is solid — as long as you avoid comparing it to the master himself. The biggest issue is really the script, which could have used a lot more polish. Some of the simplistic plot resolutions feel lazy, and in particular, the “ghost scene” feels out of place and probably should have been left out entirely.
Although the film doesn’t come close to Frankenstein or Bride of Frankenstein, and sits a bit below Son of Frankenstein, it’s still an enjoyable and worthy sequel — as long as you don’t take it too seriously. If you do, the disappointment might be greater. But it captures much of the same mood and humour as its predecessors, and for that reason, I’d say it’s definitely worth checking out for any fan of Frankenstein.
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