The Ghost of Frankenstein *** (1942, Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Ralph Bellamy, Evelyn Ankers) – Classic Movie Review 2776

Director Erle C Kenton’s 1942 horror movie is the fourth in the series of films produced by Universal Studios based on characters in Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein. It stars Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Dr Frankenstein’s second son Ludwig, who sets out to swap the demented, criminal brain of the Monster (played this time by Lon Chaney Jr) with a benign, intelligent one.

Soon, of course, the big, ugly, scary guy is on the rampage once again, in this follow-up to Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein that lacks their budget, style and finesse. However, Bela Lugosi, as the equally demented shepherd Ygor who resurrects the Monster, leads a rousing support cast who keep the fast-moving B-movie from sinking from the heavy weight of the over-familiar story by Eric Taylor and plodding screenplay by W Scott Darling. It also stars Lionel Atwill as Doctor Theodore Bohmer, Ralph Bellamy as Erik Ernst and Evelyn Ankers as Elsa Frankenstein.

Chaney Jr takes over as the Monster from Boris Karloff , who played him in the first three films of the series – Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein. It is the final appearance of the Monster in a solo capacity in the Universal Monsters series.

It is Lugosi’s second appearance as Ygor after having been apparently killed at the end of Son of Frankenstein. But Ygor is now revealed to have been only 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.

The Monster is played this time by Lon Chaney Jr.

Also in the cast are Janet Ann Gallow, Barton Yarborough, Doris Lloyd, Leyland Hodgson, Olaf Hytten, Holmes Herbert, Dwight Frye, Harry Cording, Otto Hoffman, Brandon Hurst, Julius Tannen, George Eldredge, Lionel Belmore, Lawrence Grant, Michael Mark, Richard Alexander, Jimmy Phillips, William Smith, Ernie Stanton, Harry Tenbrook and Glen Walters.

To cover the title, Dr Henry Frankenstein, creator of The Monster in Frankenstein, appears as a ghostly apparition (played by Hardwicke) to advise Ludwig.

Next sequel: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, in which Lugosi plays the Monster with Chaney Jr switching to his Wolf Man character.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2776

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It also stars Lionel Atwill as Doctor Theodore Bohmer.