Starring Lon Chaney Jr., Cedric Hardwicke, Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi
Directed by Erle C. Kenton
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)
The Frankenstein monster and the evil Ygor, after surviving their apparent deaths, make their way to Vasaria, where another son of Dr. Frankenstein lives who might restore the creature to full strength.
The first of Universal's Frankenstein series to not star Boris Karloff as the monster, it lacks the quality of sets, staging, and visual presentation of the earlier films, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun. Chaney, although he can't possibly make anyone forget about Karloff in the role of the Monster, is certainly imposing and fills the screen menacingly especially when his shadow is captured on screen, but his ability to emote is hampered by heavy makeup on his eyelids that don't ever reveal his pupils. He nevertheless has some scenes with young Janet Ann Gallow in which he's able to deliver at least some of the pathos of the monster that Karloff introduced. There's plenty of moody atmosphere, thanks to composer Hans J. Salter delivering an ominous score with some wonderful themes and melodies, and Lugosi's return, reprising his role as Ygor, is most welcome, delivering another rich characterization.
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