The Ghost of Frankenstein

Although all the sequels rehash the formula to some extent, never so rigidly as this: 2 different mobs attack 2 different Frankenstein homes preceding the destruction of each. Story-wise it's a string of contrivances (there's a ghost; a jealous scientist who agrees to an overtly power hungry maniac's plan; a little girl who handles long term kidnapping calmly) designed to recreate the same tropes. The new stuff - frequently seeing the Monster (& his crappier makeup) in daylight - is a bad idea.

The first to play it by the book and is really just plain silly. Nobody brought their A game, especially The Lonster. This first step in the series' downward spiral was a doozie.

It just ain't the same without Boris

The first of Universal's FRANKENSTEIN series that wasn't an "A" production, and probably the least interesting of the programmers that followed -- it's still a fair amount of silly monster fun if you catch it in the right mood. Poor Cedric Hardwicke spends the whole movie looking as if he's thinking "What am _I_ doing here? What am I _doing_ here?" Bela reprises as Ygor and provides the movie with its on;y real life.

An improvement from the last one simply because it's clear they didn't even attempt to have anything be taken seriously - and it's only 67 minutes. If you've gotten to this point in Universal Horror, let's not pretend you have anything better to do with your time.

These Universal horror films aren't great for the most part, but they're still good fun. This one has a couple of interesting turns and a good finale. I enjoyed it for what it was, if nothing else.

Not nearly as good as Son of Frankenstein and nor as Bad as Bride of Frankenstein. This production is mediocre all the way around. Bela Lugosi is still great, Lionel Atwill was disappointing here, and Lon Chaney Jr. makes you realize just how great Boris Karloff really was. The idea for the movie was pretty good but they could've done much better. I also found it weird that Frankenstein's daughter had the same name as his brother's wife from the previous film.

Complaints about the decline in production values are understandable, and the absence of Karloff is sorely/strangely felt, but compared to Legosi's films with Monogram during the same period, it looks positively radiant, and his performance as Ygor is well worth the price of admission for old horror fans. Lon Chaney Jnr, on the other hand, fails to escape both the shadow of Karloff and his father. A raw deal.

More of the same original "Frankenstein" fodder, nothing new, but it puts a new heap on the whole pseudo-science that made the story in the first place. Thankfully, it doesn't overstay its welcome, departing after a mere 67 minutes. For what it's worth, it hadn't become completely unwatchable this far into the series.

Passes the time.

The fourth film in Universal's Frankenstein series marks the point where the series noticeably declines in incoherence and outright silliness. Is that necessarily bad? No ... because this one is still a lot of fun. Lugosi is the clear star of this film giving every last ounce he has as Ygor. Hardwicke makes for a good silly sap and Atwill is at his conniving best.

Just a little Frankenstein for Halloween. Perhaps not the best of the series of Universal madness, but still lovable madness for the occasion.

Deserves more credit than it's given, The Ghost of Frankenstein is goofy monster fun, and Lon Chaney JR does a fine job filling in Karloff's size 17s.