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starring: Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr., Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosidirected by: Erle C. Kenton
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786302841770
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
ISBN: 6302841771
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Studios
Release Date: September 16, 1997
Running Time: 67 minutes
Sales Rank: 18234
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: March 13, 1942
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Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
The monster lives! Again! Picking up where Son of Frankenstein left off, Bela Lugosi's gnarled Ygor survives yet another rampage by angry, torch-carrying villagers and frees the monster (The Wolf Man himself, Lon Chaney Jr., taking over from Boris Karloff) from his sulfur grave. The latest cinematic Frankenstein scion, brain surgeon Ludwig (Cedric Hardwicke), wants to dissect the creature, but the ghost of his father convinces him to save it by giving it a new, 'good' brain. Ygor has his own devious plan and enlists Ludwig's shady assistant (Lionel Atwill) in a brain-switching scheme.
Ably directed by the pedestrian Erle C. Kenton, The Ghost of Frankenstein gives up the gothic mood and moral quandaries of the original films for the busy, action-packed plots that defined Universal horror films of the 1940s. The human characters are all rather dull (except for Lugosi's animated, eye-rolling performance), and Chaney has none of Karloff's pathos or subtlety under the make-up, but the film opens with a spectacular bang as the villagers dynamite the castle, and skips from one inspired scene to another. The monster rejuvenates himself during an electrical storm with a jolt of lightning, mutely undergoes a courtroom cross-examination (by a ridiculously intent Ralph Bellamy), and finally goes on a blind rampage in the fiery climax. Frankenstein's monster returns (this time with Lugosi as the creature) in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A GHOST OF IT'S ORIGINS BUT, IT'S A LOT OF FUN!
Exit Karloff enter Chaney Jr. in the role of the monster! 'Ghost of Frankenstein' has the great sets and the atmosphere but, it lacks Karloff's depth in the monster department. Chaney Jr. is stiff as the monster and so enters the beginning of the brainless robot monster that inhabits the 'Frankenstein' films hereafter. Although this is not a classic, it is a very entertaining installment in the series. Lugosi,Atwill and Hardwicke..they're all here in this low budget fright fest which was one of the ... Read More
Rating: - Lugosi's Ygor completes his takeover of the Frankenstein monster
Boris Karloff was wrong when he objected to having the monster speak in "Bride of Frankenstein." The progression of the character from the inarticulate brute of first "Frankenstein" movie was a smart move and the second film in the Universal series is the best of the bunch. How wrong Karloff was about his most famous creation is amply proven in "The Ghost of Frankenstein," the fourth film in the series and the first with someone other than Karloff playing the monster (Karloff's daughter agrees with ... Read More
Rating: - Chaney tries hard
Lon Chaney Jnr tries his guts out in this next installment of the Frankenstein series but unfortunately falls a little flat. Don't get me wrong , this is still a quality movie from Universal but Chaney is a little away from his usual character of the Wolfman and it is difficult to see him in any other role. I think Universal struggled a little with the Monster with Chaney and then Lugosi in the main role until Glenn Strange came along. Lugosi's Ygor becomes a little laborious but how could you not love ... Read More
Rating: - Too Enjoyable to be Judged as Really Bad
This text refers to the transfer for the Frankenstein Legacy Collection.
The fourth film the series of Frankenstein films began the swan dive that ended as a belly flop. The return of the monster was kept as plausible as could be expected. It also retained continuity with the series. Ygor's return didn't make any sense though. No decent explanation is ever given for it. It just proves that a good villain can't stay in bad guy heaven when there's megabucks to had from a sequel it seems. The ... Read More
Rating:  - The Other Son of Frankenstein, with Chaney as the monster
Much to my surprise, I actually enjoyed Ghost of Frankenstein much more than Son of Frankenstein. I think the turn toward the big, dumb Frankenstein monster stereotype took place in Son of Frankenstein, so by this point (1942), all hope was lost for ever bringing to life the creature envisioned by Mary Shelley (I say creature because Dr. Frankenstein, not the creature, was the true monster). There's no denying that Lon Chaney, Jr., who took up the role of the creature here in Ghost of Frankenstein, pales ... Read More
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