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| Ygor plays the flute to the Monster |
There is a line where Hardwicke’s Frankenstein mentions that
while his father’s Monster (Chaney, this go-around, undermining everything
Karloff built for it through his fixed scowl and brutish behavior) remains
alive no one is safe. I think that is a running theme no matter how off the
continuity of these monster sequels are: as long as Frankenstein’s Monster
remains alive, whether advertently or inadvertently involved, people die and
villages live in fear. Ygor builds a relationship with the Monster, although
sometimes strained and difficult (the Monster doesn’t always listen, sometimes
operating against Ygor’s wishes), wanting to exploit his great strength to his
own advantage (ultimately seeing the chance to have his brain in that towering
body, utilizing Dr. Bohmer’s jealousy and envy of what Frankenstein has in the
scheme of succeeding. Ankers and Bellamy, with Chaney and Lugosi, all return
from
The Wolf Man for
Ghost of Frankenstein (director Waggoner
is the producer for
Ghost), with Atwill thankfully cast not as a law enforcement
officer but as the Bohmer surgeon still not fully recovered from a “slight
miscalculation” that nearly ruined his career. Despite leaving the village that
left the “curse of Frankenstein” forever haunting it, Ygor and the Monster
travel to Hardwicke’s Ludwig (scientist of the “diseased mind”) and in no time
at all are responsible for the same sort of troubles they left behind
previously. The glaring difference in Karloff and Chaney as the Monster is
staggering, really. Karloff gives the Monster such personality (especially in
Bride)
while Chaney is all stiff (arms stuck out, walking stilted) and frown. Still I
consider
Ghost, for the most part, to be slightly better than the House
sequels, if not because Atwill and Lugosi are just so good. Atwill’s
displeasure with Hardwicke, even as Frankenstein complements Bohmer’s talents,
and the thoughts of once again being superior to the one that used to be his
pupil, stirred up by Lugosi’s cunning Ygor for sure gave the actor something
decent to work with. Lugosi, keeping Ygor clever and manipulative (even as he
loses control of the Monster when it wants the brain of a little girl), remains
the show-stealing villain, everything he does works. Too bad when Lugosi is in
the Monster’s body this wasn’t fully embraced in
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.
Out of * * * * *
Ghost of Frankenstein : * * *
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