Son of Frankenstein (film)
"Son of Frankenstein" is a 1939 American horror film produced by Universal Studios, serving as the second sequel to the original "Frankenstein" (1931) and following "Bride of Frankenstein" (1935). Starring Basil Rathbone as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein and Boris Karloff reprising his role as the monster, the film takes place in the familiar village of Frankenstein, twenty-five years after the monster's demise. Wolf returns to claim his inheritance and hopes to redeem his family's tarnished name, only to discover that the monster is still alive but in a comatose state.
The narrative unfolds as Wolf teams up with Ygor, played by Bela Lugosi, who seeks revenge against the jurors responsible for his hanging. The film explores themes of morality and tragedy as Ygor manipulates the monster for his own ends, leading to a series of violent events. The film was notable for its innovative set design, incorporating unconventional angles and atmospheric elements that enhanced the horror experience, despite being shot in black and white.
"Son of Frankenstein" was well-received at the box office, contributing to Universal's legacy of monster films. Its musical score, composed by Frank Skinner, is often regarded as one of the eeriest in the genre, further solidifying the film's impact in cinematic history.
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Son of Frankenstein (film)
- Release Date: 1939
- Director(s): Rowland V. Lee
- Writer(s): Wyllis Cooper
- Principal Actors and Roles: Boris Karloff (The Monster); Bela Lugosi (Ygor); Basil Rathbone (Baron Wolf von Frankenstein); Lionel Atwill (Inspector Krogh); Josephine Hutchinson (Elsa); Edgar Norton (Benson)
Son of Frankenstein is an American horror film released by Universal Studios in 1939. It was the second sequel to Frankenstein. The horror movie is a black-and-white film that continues the story of Frankenstein, which was released in 1931. The first sequel to Frankenstein was the Bride of Frankenstein, released in 1935. The original Frankenstein is based on an 1818 novel by the same title by Mary Shelley.
As in the earlier Frankenstein movies, Boris Karloff plays the monster and Bela Lugosi plays his hunchback assistant and only friend, Ygor (Igor), who was hanged but survived with a broken neck in the original Frankenstein. In this film, Ygor wants revenge against the jurors who sentenced him to hanging for helping Frankenstein steal corpses. Karloff delivers his final monster appearance in Son of Frankenstein.
Son of Frankenstein was a success at the box office, as were the two earlier movies. Because all three Frankenstein movies were so successful, Universal continued to make monster movies.
Plot
The film takes place in the village of Frankenstein, the same setting as Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. It has been twenty-five years since the monster’s death. The son of Frankenstein, Baron Wolf von Frankenstein, returns to his deceased father’s estate with his wife Elsa and son Peter. Wolf had been living abroad and has arrived to collect his inheritance of the family fortune. Yet he also hopes to change the local perceptions of the Frankenstein family based on the horror caused by the monster that Wolf’s father created. The villagers are not happy they have returned. Inspector Krogh, who has been hired to keep Wolf and his family safe, tells Wolf about how the monster took off his own arm when he was a young boy. Wolf learns the monster is still alive but comatose. Wolf’s hope is to make the monster better so he can show everyone the monster is good and does not want to cause any harm.
Wolf meets Ygor in his father’s laboratory. When Ygor takes Wolf to see the monster, they work together to revive him but they have different intentions. Wolf wants the villagers to see that the monster is good. Ygor wants to use the monster to kill the jurors who sentenced him to die. The monster carries out the wishes of Ygor and kills several of the jurors. Ygor also has the monster kill the butler of the Frankenstein family. Inspector Krogh believes Wolf is responsible for the murder of the butler and arrests him. Angry about his arrest and suspicious that Ygor was involved in the butler’s murder, Wolf goes to Ygor to talk to him about it and there is a struggle. As a result, Wolf shoots Ygor to defend himself.
The monster is so upset by the death of Ygor that he takes Wolf’s son Peter and plans to throw him in a sulfur pit. In a rare display of humanity, the monster cannot bring himself to kill the boy. Inspector Krogh and Wolf find the monster and rescue Peter after Krogh shoots at the monster. Wolf then knocks the monster into a pit of molten sulfur and the monster dies.
Significance
Son of Frankenstein ended the series of Frankenstein films with some praise. In addition to its cast and inclusion of humor, the film’s set design and art direction were a departure from the earlier films. Under the direction of Russell Gausman, sets were built at awkward angles and used fog, gigantic rooms and windows, and deathly-looking trees. These elements may have looked different had the film been shot in Technicolor, which it was not, although cinematographer George Robinson initially tried to do so. Later, the idea of shooting the film in color was put aside after the crew realized that the makeup worn by the monster did not come through well in color. The pale, gray face of a monster did not have the same effect in color as it did in black-and-white. Director Lee also eliminated the lines from the script that were to be spoken by the monster. In an earlier version of the script, the monster did have lines. Lee and he team actually adapted the script and lines that many of the characters spoke right before they shot the scene.
The timing of the film did have some effect on its production. Even though World War II had not yet broken out, Adolf Hitler was already making his move in Europe to expand Nazi Germany and eradicate the Jewish population. Shooting of the film began on November 9, 1938, which was the same date as Adolf Hitler’s Kristallnacht ("Night of the Broken Glass") in Nazi Germany. Filming continued and the movie ended production in early January just before its premiere on Friday, January 13, 1939.
Frank Skinner arranged the musical score for the film. Of the horror films that he scored, many believed that the one he created for Son of Frankenstein is the best. Many critics claimed it was eerier than the other scores he had created. With partner Hans J. Salter, Skinner created a similar score to that of Bride of Frankenstein but it had a raw edge and grit of its own. As in Horror of Dracula, which was arranged by James Bernard, Skinner developed a three-note motif to represent the monster in Son of Frankenstein, which was effective with audiences.
Bibliography
Glut, Donald F. The Frankenstein Archive: Essays on the Monster, the Myth, the Movies, and More. Jefferson: McFarland, 2002. Print.
Mank, Gregory. Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff: The Expanded Story of a Haunting Collaboration. Jefferson: McFarland, 2009. Print.
Lennig, Arthur. The Immortal Count: The Life and Films of Bela Lugosi. Lexington: UP of Kentucky, 2010. Print.
Marriott, James. Horror Films. New York: Palgrave, 2004. eBook.
Marriott, James and Kim Newman. Horror! The Definitive Companion to the Most Terrifying Movies Ever Made. London: Carlton, 2013. Print.
Weaver, Tom and Michael and John Brunas. Universal Horrors: The Studio’s Classic Films, 1931–1946. 2nd ed.Jefferson: McFarland, 2007. Print.
Worland, Rick. The Horror Film: An Introduction. Malden: Blackwell, 2006. Print.