The presumed dead Ygor (Bela Lugosi) is back again, and he plans to continue where he left off. Ygor prepares to use the monster (Lon Chaney Jr.) to exact revenge on those who have wronged him. A third member of the Frankenstein family, Ludwig Frankenstein (Cedric Hardwicke), is brought into the fold, and he must make decisions regarding the monster that will alter his life and the lives of everyone around him. He believes that operating on the monster and inserting a “normal” brain into his head will solve the many problems that have taken place over the past years. In the midst of the craziness, The Ghost of Frankenstein (Henry Frankenstein that is) finds his way into the picture and both inspires and confuses Ludwig throughout the process. Can the world renowned neurologist save the day, or will his plan backfire and cause the town more pain?
The previous installment, Son of Frankenstein, took the franchise in the right direction. It brought back the horror elements of the series and did away with the nonsensical humor that flattened the story. With a new director in charge of the film and a bushel of new writers, The Ghost of Frankenstein is sure to be different from the past. Director Erle C. Kenton, with writers Scott Darling and Eric Taylor, develops a script that, once again, veers from the intensity that was introduced in James Whale’s Frankenstein. From the first moments of the film, the cast and crew create a sense of relaxation and simplicity. Even in the eye of danger, the characters appear to be generally unphased by the horrible things that have taken place in their town. The lack of appropriate energy throughout the course of the film creates a disconnect between audience and film, and does not allow audiences to appreciate the severity of the situations depicted on screen.
Ultimately, the story is unappealing and it does not generate enough excitement (or fear) to attract audiences and keep them engaged. Like previously mentioned, the intensity of the film is just not there, and this causes audiences to feel removed from it. I would not categorize this film as “horror” as it appears that much of the story revolves around informing rather than frightening. Kenton, Darling and Taylor focus vigorously on the idea of the science project rather than on what the franchise was built on, terror and suspense. Losing this aspect of the story causes it to fall flat and far behind its predecessors in terms of what might be considered good cinema.
Not to nitpick, but the aesthetics of the monster’s makeup is atrocious. Through the first three films, the makeup department did a stellar job of getting Boris Karloff into costume and allowing him to convey to the audience that he was this terrifying monster out to terrorize the town. Chaney Jr.’s makeup, while he did look very similar to Karloff in previous installments, is horribly unappealing. Seams are visible throughout the prosthetics, and this, as much as the script, takes away from the appeal of the film. Nearly everything about this film is disappointing, and it appears that Universal Studios and its employees reached entirely too far when constructing this film, leading to a less-than-appealing final product.
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