The Ghost of Frankenstein
Encyclopedia
The Ghost of Frankenstein, is an American monster horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...

 released in 1942. The movie is the fourth in a series of films produced by Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....

 based upon characters in Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...

's novel Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...

and features Lon Chaney, Jr.
Lon Chaney, Jr.
Lon Chaney, Jr. , born Creighton Tull Chaney, was an American character actor. He was best known for his roles in monster movies and as the son of famous silent film actor, Lon Chaney...

 as the Monster
Frankenstein's monster
Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...

, taking over from Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...

, who played the role in the first three films of the series, and Béla Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...

 in his second appearance as the demented Ygor.

Plot

It is a time of social unrest in the village of Frankenstein. The residents feel they are under a curse and blame all their troubles on the Frankenstein Monster. Rumors circulate about Ygor who is still alive and supposedly trying to revive the Monster. The villagers pressure the Mayor into allowing them to destroy Frankenstein’s castle. Ygor (Béla Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...

) attempts to put up some resistance but the villagers rush the gates and begin to destroy the castle. Ygor, fleeing through the catacombs, finds the Monster released from his sulfuric tomb by the explosions. The exposure to the sulfur weakened the Monster but also preserved him. Unseen by the villagers, Ygor and the Monster flee the castle to the surrounding countryside. There they encounter a powerful thunderstorm. The Monster is struck by a bolt of lightning, but instead of being harmed by it, he seems to be rejuvenated. Ygor decides to find Ludwig, the second son of Frankenstein, to help the Monster.

Ludwig Frankenstein
Ludwig Frankenstein
Ludwig Frankenstein is a fictional character who appears in the Universal horror film The Ghost of Frankenstein. He is played by Sir Cedric Hardwicke.-History:Ludwig is the son of Henry Frankenstein and younger brother of Wolf Frankenstein...

 (Sir Cedric Hardwicke) is a doctor who, along with his assistants Dr. Kettering (Barton Yarborough
Barton Yarborough
William Barton Yarborough was an American actor who worked extensively in radio drama.As a youth, Yarborough ran away from home, attracted by the vaudeville stages, and he first worked in radio during the 1920s...

) and Dr. Theodore Bohmer (Lionel Atwill
Lionel Atwill
Lionel Atwill was an English stage and film actor born in Croydon, London, England.He studied architecture before his stage debut at the Garrick Theatre, London in 1904. He become a star in Broadway theatre by 1918, and made his screen debut in 1919. He acted on the stage in Australia but was most...

), has a successful practice in Vasaria. They have just completed a breakthrough treatment for mental illness whereby a damaged brain has been removed from the body, surgically altered, then successfully reintroduced into the patient's skull. Bohmer was formerly Frankenstein’s teacher but made a tragic surgical mistake and now is relegated to being Frankenstein’s envious assistant. Ygor and the Monster arrive in Vasaria and discover that Ludwig lives in a chateau at the end of town. The Monster quickly befriends a young girl, Cloestine Hussman (Janet Ann Gallow). The Monster scoops the little girl up in his arms and carries her onto a nearby roof to retrieve her ball. Two villagers attempt to intervene and are killed. After Cloestine asks the Monster to take her to daddy, the Monster returns the girl to her father Herr Hussman (Olaf Hytten
Olaf Hytten
Olaf Hytten was a Scottish film actor. He appeared in over 280 films between 1921 and 1955.He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and died in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack...

) and is immediately captured by the entire police force.

The town prosecutor, Erik Ernst (Ralph Bellamy
Ralph Bellamy
Ralph Bellamy was an American actor whose career spanned sixty-two years.-Early life:He was born Ralph Rexford Bellamy in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Lilla Louise , a native of Canada, and Charles Rexford Bellamy. He ran away from home when he was fifteen and managed to get into a road show...

), comes to Ludwig Frankenstein and asks him to examine the giant they have captured. Frankenstein says he will comply after he finishes some work. Soon, Ygor pays Frankenstein a visit informing him that the giant at the police station is the Monster. Ygor implores the Doctor to heal the Monster’s sick body and brain. Frankenstein refuses, not wanting the Monster to ruin his life like it did for his father and brother. Ygor threatens to reveal Ludwig’s ancestry to the villagers and forces him to give in. After Ygor leaves, Frankenstein looks over the journals of his father and brother and tries to hide the purpose of Ygor’s visit from his daughter Elsa (Evelyn Ankers
Evelyn Ankers
Evelyn Ankers was a British actress born in Chile. She often played variations on the role of the cultured young leading lady in many American horror films during the 1940s, most notably The Wolf Man at age 23 opposite Lon Chaney, Jr., a frequent screen partner...

).

At the police station, the Monster is restrained with chains as a hearing is conducted to investigate the murder of the two villagers. The Monster does not respond to any questions. Ludwig Frankenstein then arrives and the Monster shows signs of recognizing him. When Ludwig Frankenstein denies knowing him, the Monster goes berserk and breaks free. Ygor leads the Monster away.

Elsa, alone in her father’s study, finds the Frankenstein journals and reads them, learning the story of the Monster. She then sees the Monster and Ygor in the window and screams. Her father arrives and comforts her telling her she was imagining it. Then, Ygor and the Monster break into Frankenstein’s laboratory and the Monster kills Dr. Kettering. The Monster grabs Elsa, but Ludwig Frankenstein is able to subdue him with knockout gas. When Elsa revives, Ludwig tells her of Kettering’s death and promises her that he will not let this curse from the past separate them.

Ludwig Frankenstein is examining his father’s creation when the Monster revives and tries to kill him. Ludwig is able to tranquilize the Monster. Ludwig then tries to enlist Bohmer’s aid in dissecting the Monster, but Bohmer refuses claiming it would be murder. Ludwig however is determined to destroy the Monster, even if he must do it alone. While studying his family’s journals, Ludwig is visited by the ghost of his father Henry Frankenstein (also portrayed by Sir Cedric Hardwicke). The spirit implores him to perfect his creation rather than to destroy it. He advises Ludwig to correct the original mistake by giving the creature a good brain.

Ludwig Frankenstein calls in Bohmer and Ygor and tells them that he plans to put Dr. Kettering’s brain into the Monster’s skull. Ygor protests and asks Ludwig to use his brain instead as Ygor's broken body reflects the multiple attempts to kill him (including Ludwig's older brother many years earlier). Ludwig refuses and Ygor storms off. Ludwig charges the Monster to give him strength for the operation. Elsa protests to her father telling him to stop his experiments but he refuses, choosing to operate on the patient as soon as possible. Ygor and the Monster are hidden in a secret chamber and as Ludwig arrives, Ygor explains to the Monster that he will receive a new brain. Ygor also taunts Bohmer, telling him that he shouldn’t be subordinate to Frankenstein. Ygor promises to help the disgraced doctor if he agrees to put Ygor’s brain into the Monster. Bohmer ponders the possibilities.

The police soon arrive at Frankenstein’s house, searching for the Monster. They find the secret room, but Ygor and the Monster are now in the town. The Monster abducts Cloestine, his young friend, and returns with her in his arms to Frankenstein’s chateau. The Monster’s reason for abducting her soon becomes clear....he wants the girls’ brain in his head. When Ygor protests, the Monster violently pushes him aside injuring Ygor’s spine. Cloestine does not want to lose her brain and the Monster reluctantly gives her to Elsa. Ludwig Frankenstein then performs the surgery believing he is putting Kettering’s brain in the Monster. Bohmer however has substituted Ygor’s brain for that of Kettering’s.

In the village, Herr Hussman rouses his neighbors by telling them his daughter has been captured by the Monster and that Ludwig Frankenstein is harboring the creature. They race to the chateau with blood on their minds. Erik Ernst is unable to stop them, but convinces the group to give him five minutes to convince Ludwig Frankenstein to give up the Monster. Ludwig admits he has the Monster and agrees to show him to Erik thinking Kettering’s brain is in his skull. Upon Ludwig and Erik arriving in the room, The Monster rises and Frankenstein is shocked to hear Ygor’s voice come from the Monster’s mouth.

The villagers now storm the chateau and the Ygor-Monster decides to have Bohmer fill the house with gas to kill them. Frankenstein tries to stop him, but the Ygor-Monster repels the attack and mortally wounds Ludwig. The villagers find the Hussman girl and run from the building, fleeing the deadly gas. The Ygor-Monster suddenly goes blind and calls for Bohmer. The wounded Ludwig states "Your dream of power is over Bohmer. You didn't realize his blood is the same type as Kettering's but not the same as Ygor's. It will not feed the sensory nerves." The Ygor-Monster accuses Bohmer of tricking him and asks "What good is there a brain without eyes to see?" The Ygor-Monster then throws Bohmer onto the apparatus electrocuting him and then inadvertently sets fire to the chateau bringing about his own demise when he is unable to get out of the chateau. Erik and Elsa walk off toward the sunrise together as Erik comforts Elsa for the loss of her father.

Cast

  • Lon Chaney, Jr.
    Lon Chaney, Jr.
    Lon Chaney, Jr. , born Creighton Tull Chaney, was an American character actor. He was best known for his roles in monster movies and as the son of famous silent film actor, Lon Chaney...

     as the Monster
    Frankenstein's monster
    Frankenstein's monster is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. The creature is often erroneously referred to as "Frankenstein", but in the novel the creature has no name...

  • Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein
    Ludwig Frankenstein
    Ludwig Frankenstein is a fictional character who appears in the Universal horror film The Ghost of Frankenstein. He is played by Sir Cedric Hardwicke.-History:Ludwig is the son of Henry Frankenstein and younger brother of Wolf Frankenstein...

    , Ghost of Henry Frankenstein
  • Ralph Bellamy
    Ralph Bellamy
    Ralph Bellamy was an American actor whose career spanned sixty-two years.-Early life:He was born Ralph Rexford Bellamy in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Lilla Louise , a native of Canada, and Charles Rexford Bellamy. He ran away from home when he was fifteen and managed to get into a road show...

     as Erik Ernst
  • Lionel Atwill
    Lionel Atwill
    Lionel Atwill was an English stage and film actor born in Croydon, London, England.He studied architecture before his stage debut at the Garrick Theatre, London in 1904. He become a star in Broadway theatre by 1918, and made his screen debut in 1919. He acted on the stage in Australia but was most...

     as Dr. Theodore Bohmer
  • Béla Lugosi
    Béla Lugosi
    Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...

     as Ygor
  • Evelyn Ankers
    Evelyn Ankers
    Evelyn Ankers was a British actress born in Chile. She often played variations on the role of the cultured young leading lady in many American horror films during the 1940s, most notably The Wolf Man at age 23 opposite Lon Chaney, Jr., a frequent screen partner...

     as Elsa Frankenstein
  • Janet Ann Gallow as Cloestine Hussman
  • Barton Yarborough
    Barton Yarborough
    William Barton Yarborough was an American actor who worked extensively in radio drama.As a youth, Yarborough ran away from home, attracted by the vaudeville stages, and he first worked in radio during the 1920s...

     as Dr. Kettering
  • Doris Lloyd
    Doris Lloyd
    Hessy Doris Lloyd was an English actress.She appeared in over 150 films between 1920 and 1967, including the 1933 low-budget Monogram Pictures version of Oliver Twist, in which she played Nancy...

     as Martha
  • Leyland Hodgson as Chief Constable
  • Olaf Hytten
    Olaf Hytten
    Olaf Hytten was a Scottish film actor. He appeared in over 280 films between 1921 and 1955.He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and died in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack...

     as Hussman
  • Holmes Herbert
    Holmes Herbert
    Holmes Herbert was an English character actor who appeared in Hollywood films from 1915 to 1952.Born as 'Horace Jenner', Holmes Herbert emigrated to the United States in 1912. He was the first son of Ned Herbert , who worked as and actor/comedian in the English Theatre...

     as Magistrate

Production

Ghost of Frankenstein marked the final appearance of the Monster in a solo capacity. Beginning with the next film, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, released in 1943, is an American monster horror film produced by Universal Studios starring Lon Chaney, Jr. as the Wolf Man and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster. This was the first of a series of "ensemble" monster films combining characters from several film...

(in which Lugosi plays the Monster with Chaney switching to his Wolf Man character), and continuing for the rest of the Universal Monsters series, Frankenstein's Monster would be part of an ensemble cast of creatures.

The blinding of the Monster resulted in a lasting stereotype of the creature walking with arms outstretched, even though this is the only film in which it is explicitly indicated that he is blind, such references being cut by the studio from Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, sabotaging Lugosi's performance in the process, since the audience is left to wonder why the Monster is behaving so peculiarly. The Monster's sight was also restored in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man but references to that were also cut. The Monster's ability to speak would be dropped after this film (Lugosi's dialogue being filmed but ultimately deleted from Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man) until Glenn Strange, playing the monster, spoke briefly in Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein
Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is a 1948 American comedy horror film directed by Charles Barton and starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. It is the first of several films where the comedy duo meets classic characters from Universal's horror film stable...

.

Despite having been apparently killed at the end of Son of Frankenstein, Ygor was revealed only to have been "maimed by the bullets shot into him by Wolf Frankenstein". There was no mention of a second son of the original Dr. Frankenstein in Son of Frankenstein. Ludwig states that he has lived in this area his entire life, but it is not explained why only Wolf was raised in America.

Ghost of Frankenstein also marked the changeover of the Frankenstein (and Universal Monsters) series from "A-movie" to "B-movie" status, with noticeably reduced budgets and the reuse of actors from previous films. As noted below, footage from this film would even be recycled in a later Frankenstein feature.

The title of the film refers to the fact that Dr. Henry Frankenstein, creator of The Monster in the first Universal Frankenstein
Frankenstein (1931 film)
Frankenstein is a 1931 Pre-Code Horror Monster film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and adapted from the play by Peggy Webling which in turn is based on the novel of the same name by Mary Shelley. The film stars Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles and Boris Karloff, and features...

film, appears (played by Hardwicke) as a ghostly apparition to advise Ludwig.

The footage of the Monster scrambling to escape the fire was later reused at the end of House of Dracula
House of Dracula
House of Dracula was an American horror film released by Universal Pictures Company in 1945. It was a direct sequel to House of Frankenstein and continued the theme of combining Universal's three most popular monsters: Frankenstein's monster, Count Dracula and The Wolf Man...

even though Glenn Strange
Glenn Strange
Glenn Strange was an American actor who appeared mostly in Western films. He is best known for playing the Frankenstein Monster in three Universal films during the 1940s and for his role as Sam Noonan, the bartender on CBS's Gunsmoke television series...

plays the Monster in that film.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK