Son of Frankenstein

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1h 39m

Horror

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95%

Tomatometer

37 Reviews

71%

Audience Score

2,500+ Ratings

Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone) is determined to prove the legitimacy of his father's scientific work, thus rescuing the family name from disgrace. With the help of Ygor (Bela Lugosi), a grave robber, Wolf successfully reanimates the monster (Boris Karloff) his father originally brought back from the dead. But when several villagers are killed mysteriously, Wolf must find the culprit in order to vindicate his creation, or face the possibility that he may be responsible.

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Critics Consensus

Boris Karloff's final appearance as the Monster is a fitting farewell before the series descended into self-parody.

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SMH Staff

Sydney Morning Herald

Amusingly entertaining with some "chilly" moments.

Oct 14, 2020

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Age Staff

The Age (Australia)

If the story has any value, it contains a rather unnecessary warning to medical men not to carry scientific curiosity too far. None of this detracts, however, from the quality of the acting.

Oct 14, 2020

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Times (UK) Staff

Times (UK)

Altogether a workmanlike essay in synthetic horror, and Mr. Rathbone enters with relish into the spirit of it.

Oct 14, 2020

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Duncan Bowles

Den of Geek

Works as a healthy reminder of how superb horror can be, balancing tragedy and humour and making me yearn for a return to using strong actors and plot to give the genre the respect it really deserves.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 14, 2020

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Basil Wright

The Spectator

The Son of Frankenstein is, in short, a missed opportunity for all save the most unsophisticated.

Oct 14, 2020

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Josephine O'Neill

Daily Telegraph (Australia)

The job of welding fantasy and everyday into one whole falls mainly upon Basil Rathbone, as Frankenstein; and he does it magnificently. No lesser actor could have succeeded.

Oct 14, 2020

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The H

the little cute boy makes all the film

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

10/14/23

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Sean D

Very slow movie. Too much time spent focusing on the son and dealing with his dad's past. We did not see the Frankenstein monster in action until 20 minutes left in the movie.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

09/30/23

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Matthew B

Son of Frankenstein has the virtue of being the last movie in the series that can be described as good. It is the longest movie in the franchise. After Frankenstein and his bride, it was not surprising that the next film should be about a son instead. Indeed family relationships might be said to be the movie's theme. Appropriately enough, Boris Karloff (once more returning as the Monster) became a father for the first time while making this film. The title is misleading to anyone who imagines that the Monster is now having a child. The son of Frankenstein is the son of the original Henry Frankenstein, or possibly an allusion to the monster himself, since he is the creation of the original scientist. "Do you mean to imply then that that is my brother?" says the son, as he looks at the Monster. The Monster too seems to feel this kinship. In one scene, he grips his ‘half-brother' by the shoulders and neck, but cannot seem to harm him. These facts do not paint a nice picture of Wolf, and his behaviour at the end of the movie is not endearing. As the death toll rises, Wolf refuses to take responsibility, or even to take them seriously. He is petulant and self-pitying, and continues to deny his involvement. "By heaven, I think you're a worse fiend than your father", cries the disgusted Krogh. This is not helped by Basil Rathbone's hysterical and exaggerated acting. Rathbone's distaste for making horror movies is betrayed by his performance here. The acting laurels go to Lionel Atwill and Bela Lugosi. Their characters have been endlessly parodied in an affectionate manner by later films, and this sometimes makes it hard to take them as seriously as they deserve, which is a pity. Both actors had a distinctly limited range, but within those parameters they had a good screen presence. Atwill brings dignity and pathos to the role of Krogh. As Ygor, Lugosi delivers one of his best acting performances. He was grateful for the opportunity, and it revived his career. Karloff was less pleased. While his career too was boosted by the success of Son of Frankenstein, the character of Ygor overshadowed his performance as the Monster. As a result, he refused to play the role again, and it was left to Lugosi, Lon Chaney Jr and Glenn Strange to take on the role in future sequels. Karloff had some reason to feel aggrieved. In Bride of Frankenstein, the Monster was more than just a monster. He was a human being of sorts. He learned to listen to music, to smoke and drink, to seek out friends and a mate, and even to talk. Perhaps if the Monster had found someone to treat him with kindness, he could still have become civilised. For reasons, that are never explained, the Monster in Son of Frankenstein has lost all those abilities. The Monster is just that – a monster. He has no interest in trying to be human. He has lost the power of speech, and communicates in growls and roars like an animal. He has a couple of redeeming traits – his loyalty to Ygor and his gentleness towards Peter – but even those affections are nothing stronger than what a beast might feel. On the whole, Son of Frankenstein is a flawed movie, marred by over-acting, a bombastic music score and a script that was thrown together at the last minute while they were still filming. However it benefits from being the last film to be made on a decent budget. The film creates some memorable characters, and preserves a good sense of pace. I wrote a longer appreciation of Son of Frankenstein on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2018/05/04/son-of-frankenstein-1939/

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/18/23

Full Review

Valerii Ege D

We complain about sequels these days, but it looks like it is not new. Even in 30's they were doing sequels that would hurt the predecessor. The movie is discarding every meaning of Mary Shelley's book.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/08/23

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Georgan G

How can you possibly go wrong with Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi in a horror movie? Answer is, you can't!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/29/23

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Steve D

It misses the point of the original story.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/07/23

Full Review

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Rowland V. Lee

Director

Basil Rathbone

Baron Wolf von Frankenstein

Boris Karloff

The Monster

Bela Lugosi

Ygor

Lionel Atwill

Krogh

Josephine Hutchinson

Elsa von Frankenstein

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Synopsis

Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathbone) is determined to prove the legitimacy of his father's scientific work, thus rescuing the family name from disgrace. With the help of Ygor (Bela Lugosi), a grave robber, Wolf successfully reanimates the monster (Boris Karloff) his father originally brought back from the dead. But when several villagers are killed mysteriously, Wolf must find the culprit in order to vindicate his creation, or face the possibility that he may be responsible.

Director: Rowland V. Lee
Screenwriter: Wyllis Cooper
Production Co: Universal Pictures
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 13, 1939, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 11, 2015
Runtime: 1h 39m

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