Product Details

• Actors: Cedric Hardwicke, Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi, Evelyn Ankers
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Universal Studios
• VHS Release Date: September 16, 1997
• Run Time: 68 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302841771
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #204,750 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

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

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too Enjoyable to be Judged as Really Bad, May 31, 2004

By 

Brian J Hay (Sarnia, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ghost of Frankenstein [VHS] (VHS Tape)

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 studio heads decided the film needed new "Frankensteins" so they made up a new set of relatives. The plot took a (ridiculous) turn that started and finished right there. And so it goes ...

The news isn't all bad though. The overall "look" of the film is excellent. Universal had creating the atmosphere for their "creature features" down to a fine art. The sets are good. The lighting (as usual) is excellent. Today's filmmakers could learn a lot by studying the work done in these features. Some of the acting is pretty good as well. Evelyn Ankers is every bit as engaging as she was in anything she appeared in. That lady always filled the screen with charm and presence. She never seemed to turn in a bad performance and could deliver the most inane dialogue with the utmost of conviction. Her "screams of terror" are classics. And she always seemed to enjoy doing these flicks. Lionel Atwil was a regular player in Universal's line of horror and mystery pictures. He's great as the humbled but still proud Bohmer. He never turned in a bad performance. Cedric Hardwicke is perfect as the father figure gone wrong. Most of the characters these people portray were pretty shallow ones, basically fixtures needed so the action could take place. That they could become sympathetic ones is a tribute to the actors who portrayed them. Bela Lugosi reprised his role as Ygor and he managed to add some depth to the character. He gives a pretty good insight into the pain the character suffers, enough to make him sympathetic, but not enough to make him likeable. It takes a good actor to pull that off.

Lon Chaney's portrayal of the monster appears to be a case of a good actor being handed a bad deal. For some reason the monster was cast as a one-dimensional brute. He was stiffer than before as well. It's hard to say whose idea this was. It's not likely to have been Chaney's. Lon was notorious for being drunk on the set but he generally brought intelligence and commitment to most of his roles. He still brought an air of menace to the role and he conveyed the pure raw power of the creature well but the other facets Karloff had given the character were missing. The make up job on the monster looks cheap as well. It's hard to believe it was done by Jack Pierce, the man who did the work in the previous "Frankenstein" features. Pierce was probably faced with budget cuts and/or time restrictions. Whatever the cause, he was far better at his craft than this vehicle shows. These things were probably the result of decisions made by the people who controlled the studio. In ay case they set the trends characterized the portrayal of the monster throughout the rest of the series.

The film is a lot of fun to watch though. Yes, a lot of things were done wrong but it's still enjoyable enough that it's hard to refer to it as really bad. The transfer to DVD for this edition is excellent. If you sit back and enjoy it for what it is it's still worth a look or three, even after all these years.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Highly entertaining, May 5, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ghost of Frankenstein [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This surprisingly good sequel to "Son of Frankenstein" features Bela Lugosi reprising his role as Ygor (his best character role) and Lon Chaney Jr. as the monster, and both are superb. The rest of the cast is excellent, particularly Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Lionel Atwill, who delivers another outstanding performance. The script is excellent, and the story progresses in an interesting way. This is probably the last of the really good Universal horror films, so get it and enjoy it. Great for a rainy afternoon.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect!!!, December 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Ghost of Frankenstein [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is the fourth film in the series and begins with an attack on the Castle of Frankenstein, which is is usually seen at the end. Upon it's release from it's tomb, the Monster(Chaney)is taken by Ygor(Lugosi)to the second son of Frankenstein, Ludwig. There, the Monster's criminal brain is removed and just wait and see whose brain is put in! Exciting from the start, The Ghost of Frankenstein is a real classic to enjoy!