‎Son of Frankenstein (1939) directed by Rowland V. Lee • Reviews, film + cast • Letterboxd

Son of Frankenstein

1939 Directed by Rowland V. Lee

The black shadows of the past bred this half-man . . . half-demon ! . . . creating a new and terrible juggernaut of destruction !

Wolf Frankenstein, son of Henry Frankenstein, returns with his wife, to his fathers estate to claim his inheritance. When he arrives with his family he recieves a hostile reception from locals. While exploring his fathers laboratory he comes across crooked blacksmith - Ygor, who asks him to revive his father's creation - the MONSTER who is lying in a coma. Wolf tries to revive the monster and believes he fails but then some of the locals are found murdered soon after who just happened to be part of the jury that sent Ygor to the gallows. The villagers immediately connect the killings to Frankenstein and send the inspector to investigate. He discovers the monster is alive and is being used as tool by Ygor. Wolf then in fit of madness shoots Ygor. The then enraged monster losing his only friend kidnaps Wolf's son. In the end Wolf tracks the monster to the lab where he swings down on a chain knocking the monster into a sulpher pit and thus his demise.

Basil Rathbone Boris Karloff Bela Lugosi Lionel Atwill Josephine Hutchinson Donnie Dunagan Emma Dunn Edgar Norton Perry Ivins Lawrence Grant Lionel Belmore Michael Mark Caroline Frances Cooke Gustav von Seyffertitz Lorimer Johnston Tom Ricketts Ward Bond Betty Chay Harry Cording Jack Curtis Russ Powell Clarence Wilson Jack Harris

99 mins More details at IMDb TMDb Report this film

Popular reviews

Review by nathaxnne walker ★★★★★ 10

It seems that it is in the sequels after the sequel that iconic garments come to rest upon our favorite monsters. As Jason receives his hockey mask in Friday The Thirteenth The Third In 3D! so Frankenstein's Monster receives the warm sheepskin pullover worn ever after on screen and in the bedrooms and garages of all of those who assembled FM model kits to display proudly on shelves and mantles. Son Of Frankenstein is a worthy film to contain such an iconic look, free of the deeper shadows and High Romantic Drama of the Whale Frankenstein films, there is a warmer, more domestic tone befitting Family Frankenstein moving into the castle amidst the well-founded suspicions of the villagers and their…
Review by Ian West ★★★★ 10

Delightful. I’m a huge fan of Rathbone and Lugosi’s Igor is deviously sinister af.
Review by Mr. DuLac ★★★★

I died living they all died dead.
-Ygor

Highly underrated Frankenstein film. Admittedly it doesn't measure up to the first two directed by James Whale, but those are masterpieces in my book.

It has great set designs that attempt to continue the Germain expressionism influences from the first two films and the great theme of suffering for the sins of the father.

The real treat though is that you have Boris Karloff in the role of the monster one last time and it also brings in horror legends Basil Rathbone and more importantly Bela Lugosi in one of his most fun roles as the character of Ygor (later spelled Igor) is first introduced.

Karloff and Lugosi in a Frankenstein film should be enough to draw anyone in.

Part of:
Horroctober VI: DuLac of the Dead
Review by The Movie King ★★ 4

I did not enjoy this as much as the other two Frankenstein movies. Maybe it's because they changed directors and its replacement was nowhere as committed as James Whale. Maybe it's because Basil Rathbone, while a terrific actor, pales terribly in comparison to Colin Clive, an actor who really committed himself to a thought-provoking character. Maybe it's because I was annoyed at the jarring continuity errors that cause some events to make no sense (I'd rather not spoil it, but if you've seen it, lets discuss it in the comments below). Maybe it's because Boris Karloff's turn as the monster failed to emotionally impact me because this film ruins the humanizing elements of its predecessor. Or maybe it's because this…
Review by Noetic Hatter ★★★½ 6

Part of **Halloween Season 2012**.

So, the final pieces of Young Frankenstein have now come together. We have the policeman with the wooden arm -- I was hoping he would cheat when they played darts, but no such luck. We have the townsfolk who hate and distrust the newcomer based on his ancestor's activities. And it's clear that Gene Wilder was made up to look like Basil Rathbone, including the eye makeup and pencil mustache. Having now seen the original three Frankenstein movies in close succession, I continue to be amazed by Mel Brooks's cleverness at reproducing and parodying their elements.

But what of the film itself? It looks really good, intentionally aping James Whale's expressionistic sets in the Frankenstein…
Review by Cameron Bertram ★★★★ 2

It surprises me that what we collective think of when we think of Frankenstein are elements from the original, Bride and Son combined together.

As the title suggest this movie is more about the son of Frankenstein and not as much about the monster. Also, this movie at the same time dismisses the idea of calling the Monster 'Frankenstein' (Wolf Frankenstein laments that the villages took to calling the monster Frankenstein) and embraces it (the monster is too declared "son" of Frankenstein and therefore owed the family name.)

Recent reviews

Review by Cameron Bertram ★★★★ 2

It surprises me that what we collective think of when we think of Frankenstein are elements from the original, Bride and Son combined together.

As the title suggest this movie is more about the son of Frankenstein and not as much about the monster. Also, this movie at the same time dismisses the idea of calling the Monster 'Frankenstein' (Wolf Frankenstein laments that the villages took to calling the monster Frankenstein) and embraces it (the monster is too declared "son" of Frankenstein and therefore owed the family name.)
Review by Laurie ★★★½

2017 Cult Movie Challenge!

Week 42: Oct. 15-Oct. 21
Shock Theater Week

The deceased Doc Frankenstein's estranged American son (Baron Wolf von Frankenstein/Basil Rathbone) returns to the old country to take up residence in the abandoned family castle. Despite having his lovely wife and sickeningly precocious child in tow and proving himself to be a decent sort, the locals have long memories. After suffering the rampage of the destructive Monster, the townsfolk have no intention of trusting another Frankenstein. The only person who doesn't shun the family is local Police Inspector Krogh (Lionel Atwill), a childhood victim of the Monster, he had his arm wrenched off and is left with a quite comical adjustable prosthesis.
But when Wolf discovers that…
Review by Michael Stuhlman ★★★

Hooptober #23

Solid, if on the lower end of Frankenstein films. Something about it never fully engaged me despite having a knockout set of actors on board. A lot of the time it just felt like I was going through the typical monster movie motions. Doesn't hold a candle to many of it's predecessors (Original, Bride) or ones that followed later (Young Frankenstein).
Review by Madeleine ★★★★

Bela steals this movie and goes running into the basement to jam a wicked flute solo with it.

Ygor and The Monster have the greatest romance in monster movie history.
Review by Brennan Wyatt ★★★★★

Day 15 of HoopTober: The final movie of Boris Karloff Frankenstein trilogy and boy is this a classic. Everybody in this picture is a pure joy and fantastic actor with Basil, Boris and of course Belia, so much so that this may be my favorite of the three including Bride of Frankenstein as well!
Review by Melli ★★★½

HoopTober4.0 #2

Hooray, I liked this! I was a bit scared after trying to watch Horror of Dracula a while back and just being bored pretty quickly. This one was a lot of fun though. Easy to make fun of also. The way his cousin/wife is always just wondering the castle doing nothing at all. The cheesy affair Frankenstein is having with the maid. And that one ex-partner guy who is constantly showing up to say and talking his ear off with "dont do this, youre mad, this is awful, it's wrong!' and that is all. he. does. I want to own this.
Review by FanBoyCritic ★★★

Son of Frankenstein (1939)
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Josephine Hutchinson, Donnie Dunagan, Emma Dunn, Edgar Norton, Perry Ivins, Lawrence Grant, Lionel Belmore, Michael Mark, Caroline Frances Cooke, Gustav von Seyffertitz, Lorimer Johnston, and Tom Ricketts
Directed By: Rowland V. Lee
Review
THE BLACK SHADOWS OF THE PAST BRED THIS HALF-MAN . . . HALF-DEMON ! . . . CREATING A NEW AND TERRIBLE JUGGERNAUT OF DESTRUCTION !
Hello kiddies your pal the crypt-critic here with an shocking tale of Frakenstien. We have Henry's son Baron Wolf.
Baron Wolf Frankenstein and his family go to live in his fathers estate. While there Baron meets Igor who shows Baron The Monster his father created. Baron tries to…
Review by Tyson ★★★★½

I feel like this was a soft reboot before that was a term. Enough time had past after the first two Frankenstein films that they couldn’t directly follow things up, so they fast forward to the Doctor’s son and have him fill the shoes. While It constantly reminds you of it’s roots for the first half of the film, it doesn’t really follow the continuity close at all. The later half of the film turns it into a different kind of movie altogether. Rather than a real horror fest, this is more of a thriller. The tension of secrets and who knows what is a cool approach to make this story fresh.

What stands out to me in this movie…
Review by Tim Leggoe ★★½

This is the exact same film as Young Frankenstein, just not quite as funny.