{"id":18436,"date":"2011-06-29T11:19:33","date_gmt":"2011-06-29T18:19:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=18436"},"modified":"2022-07-28T11:17:14","modified_gmt":"2022-07-28T18:17:14","slug":"ghost-of-frankenstein-the-1942","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=18436","title":{"rendered":"Ghost of Frankenstein, The (1942)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;There&#8217;s a curse in this village: the curse of Frankenstein!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Poster-191x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"191\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-18437\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Poster-191x300.jpg 191w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Poster-81x128.jpg 81w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Poster.jpg 482w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nThe best friend (Bela Lugosi) of Frankenstein&#8217;s Monster (Lon Chaney) resurrects him and brings him to Frankenstein&#8217;s son, Ludwig (Cedric Hardwicke), who agrees to replace the Monster&#8217;s brain.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Bela Lugosi Films<\/li>\n<li>Frankenstein<\/li>\n<li>Horror Films<\/li>\n<li>Lionel Atwill Films<\/li>\n<li>Lon Chaney, Jr. Films<\/li>\n<li>Ralph Bellamy Films<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nThis fourth entry in Universal&#8217;s Frankenstein series is, unfortunately, a disappointment. While each of the first three films &#8212; <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=18354\"><em>Frankenstein<\/em> (1931)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=17366\"><em>Bride of Frankenstein<\/em> (1935)<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=18402\"><em>Son of Frankenstein<\/em> (1942)<\/a> &#8212; were unique in their ability to milk new life out of Mary Shelley&#8217;s fabled tale about the monstrous effects of man-made life, this film seems merely like a formulaic attempt to extend the popular franchise. The essential plot device &#8212; focusing on the brilliant idea to finally replace the Monster&#8217;s brain with a non-criminal one &#8212; seems like a <em>no-brainer<\/em> (sorry), and one wonders why this was never attempted before. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Hardwicke.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Hardwicke-1024x624.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57067\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Hardwicke-1024x624.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Hardwicke-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Hardwicke-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Hardwicke-768x468.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Hardwicke-1536x936.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Hardwicke-443x270.png 443w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Hardwicke.png 1669w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Regardless, it&#8217;s difficult to care very much about the ultimate outcome, given that Chaney is unable to imbue the Monster with any of the depth or pathos Karloff brought to this most pitiable creature. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Monster2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Monster2-1024x630.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"394\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57065\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Monster2-1024x630.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Monster2-300x184.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Monster2-128x79.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Monster2-768x472.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Monster2-1536x945.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Monster2-439x270.png 439w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Monster2.png 1657w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nMeanwhile, the surrounding subplots &#8212; a lame, undeveloped romance between Ludwig&#8217;s daughter (Evelyn Ankers) and Ralph Bellamy:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Romance.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Romance-1024x640.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57063\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Romance-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Romance-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Romance-128x80.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Romance-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Romance-1536x961.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Romance-432x270.png 432w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Romance.png 1639w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; and the vaguely power-hungry desires by Ludwig&#8217;s colleague (Lionel Atwill) to interfere in the brain transplantation &#8212; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Atwill.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Atwill-1024x624.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57060\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Atwill-1024x624.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Atwill-300x183.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Atwill-128x78.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Atwill-768x468.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Atwill-1536x936.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Atwill-443x270.png 443w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Atwill.png 1669w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; fail to engage us on any level. Lugosi gives his all once again in the critical role of Ygor:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Lugosi4.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Lugosi4-1024x618.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"386\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57069\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Lugosi4-1024x618.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Lugosi4-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Lugosi4-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Lugosi4-768x464.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Lugosi4-1536x927.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Lugosi4-447x270.png 447w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Lugosi4.png 1675w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; but doesn&#8217;t bring anything new to the character. Feel free to skip this one. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Effectively spooky cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Cinematography2-1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Cinematography2-1-1024x617.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"386\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-57064\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Cinematography2-1-1024x617.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Cinematography2-1-300x181.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Cinematography2-1-128x77.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Cinematography2-1-768x463.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Cinematography2-1-1536x925.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Cinematography2-1-448x270.png 448w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Ghost-of-Frankenstein-Cinematography2-1.png 1685w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo; this one is only must-see if you&#8217;re a true fan of Universal&#8217;s Frankenstein franchise. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0034786\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1942\/04\/04\/archives\/the-screen-that-monsters-back.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/classic-horror.com\/reviews\/ghost_of_frankenstein_1942\">Classic Horror Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=3054\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s302frank39.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;There&#8217;s a curse in this village: the curse of Frankenstein!&#8221; Synopsis: The best friend (Bela Lugosi) of Frankenstein&#8217;s Monster (Lon Chaney) resurrects him and brings him to Frankenstein&#8217;s son, Ludwig (Cedric Hardwicke), who agrees to replace the Monster&#8217;s brain. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Bela Lugosi Films Frankenstein Horror Films Lionel Atwill Films Lon Chaney, Jr. Films Ralph Bellamy Films Review: This fourth entry in Universal&#8217;s Frankenstein series is, unfortunately, a disappointment. While each of the first three films &#8212;&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=18436\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18436"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":85887,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18436\/revisions\/85887"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18436"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}