The Ghost of Frankenstein

"NEW THRILLS as the Monster stalks again!"

1942 1h 8m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 179

HorrorScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Frankenstein's unscrupulous colleague, Dr. Bohmer, plans to transplant Ygor's brain so he can rule the world using the monster's body, but the plan goes sour when he turns malevolent and goes on a rampage.

“NEW THRILLS as the Monster stalks again!”

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Cast

Cedric Hardwicke
Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein / Dr. Henry Frankenstein (ghostly image)
Ralph Bellamy
Erik Ernst
Lionel Atwill
Dr. Bohmer
Bela Lugosi
Ygor
Evelyn Ankers
Elsa Frankenstein
Lon Chaney Jr.
The Frankenstein Monster
Janet Ann Gallow
Cloestine Hussman
Barton Yarborough
Dr. Kettering

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Erle C. Kenton
Writers: Scott Darling, Eric Taylor
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 68-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

84 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Frankenstein (Universal) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Erle C. Kenton, shot by Elwood Bredell. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Hans J. Salter. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ted J. Kent shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Cedric Hardwicke and Ralph Bellamy and Lionel Atwill carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Erle C. Kenton directs. Elwood Bredell behind the camera. Hans J. Salter scores. Ted J. Kent cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 68-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Shot for just $0.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
384 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
4Part of the "Frankenstein (Universal) Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Erle C. Kenton, shot by Elwood Bredell. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Hans J. Salter. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Ted J. Kent shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Cedric Hardwicke and Ralph Bellamy and Lionel Atwill carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "NEW THRILLS as the Monster stalks again!".
10IMDB entry: tt0034786 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 10 themes, including "halloween", "sequel", "black and white", "brain transplant".

The technical file

Cinematography: Elwood Bredell
Original score: Hans J. Salter
Editing: Ted J. Kent
Costume design: Vera West
Makeup / hair: Ellis Burman
Runtime: 68 min · 1h 8m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $200,000
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)

Part of

Frankenstein (Universal) Collection

A Universal Production film series beginning with Frankenstein in 1931 and followed by four sequels up to 1944.

Also by

Erle C. Kenton

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2015-10-03
★ 5/10
Your father was Frankenstein. Your mother was lightning. Of course the problem with the Frankenstein sequels, of the Universal Studios kind, was that they had to follow the genre firework that was "Frankenstein (1931)" and the monolithic titan that followed that one in 1935, "The Bride of Frankenstein". These are tough acts to follow - still are actually! "Son of Frankenstein (1939)" managed very well, it had Basil Rathbone in it and Bela Lugosi giving great horror oomph as Ygor. Boris Karloff bowed out as the monster after that one, leaving an iconic legacy and an insistence that the monster didn't speak. The result of Karloff's (ahem) request has proved divisive amongst Frankenstein fans, does it need a voice for personality, or is it better off as a lumbering rage machine only?. Point being that in this one, he gets a voice, courtesy of Lon Chaney Junior's stint in the role, and it's not exactly a success. Ghost of Frankenstein represents the start of the decline of the franchise, a noticeable drop in quality across the board. It's like Universal caught the cash cow disease and decided that quantity and not quality was what mattered. They would eventually team up the bolted necked one with "Abbott and Costello", with fun results, but the horror aspects began to wane here in 1942. Lugosi is on hand for some more Ygor mischief, Cedric Hardwicke and Lionel Atwill as scientists with opposite ideals are reassuring presences, while Evelyn Ankers is sexy and costumed with a great eye for detail. At just 67 minutes in length the film thankfully doesn't have time to be boring, though action is in short supply, so hooray for castle destruction and fire unbound!. While Woody Bredell and Milton R. Krasner, via their photographic lenses ensure Gothic atmosphere is consistently ripe. Right, it's time for Universal Monster Tag Teams next... 5/10

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