The acting of Basil Rathbone,Legosi, and Atwil made this an outstanding movie. The direction, lighting, and overall interaction between the characters was as good as it gets. Bride of Frankenstein was probably the one favored by most Movie Fans but I favor this sequel.
What are you gonna do? Kill me? Every body Dies. John Garfield (Body and Soul)
And Bela is really creepy, too.
shareBetter than its general reputation but I would make Bride number one. The first one was quite good with Colin Clive. The first one could have been the best if it had included more material. The run time given the subject matter was rather short and my understanding was originally Universal had planned for an almost 1.25 hour run time. Not sure if being in the depths of the Depression influenced the budget or not.
share'I would make Bride number one'
Ditto.
I know I made a post similar to this not long ago but decided to reply. I could not disagree with the TC of this old imdb topic anymore. The first 2 are the best. This barely feels connected to the first 2. Suddenly despite Fritz getting killed by the monster in the first film, he now calls himself Ygor and considers the monster his friend. The monster wasn't hurt in a burning woodmill or from being in an exploding tower. He instead just hurt by getting struck by lightening. Then the monster is revived and becomes Ygor's henchman. I can understand finding this entertaining but it is a poor sequel to the first 2 and somehow I find Ghost of Frankenstein more entertaining.
shareI've watched this film a number of times, and just watched it again today. It doesn't hold up to the first two films at all. It's entirely a one-note film. The monster is alive. He kills some people. He's killed, at least until the next film. It's certainly Karloff's worst outing as the monster, with very little to his portrayal other than menace. Gone is the pathos of the first two films, and the audience is given no reason to sympathize with the monster. Worse, his behavior is inconsistent. One minute he's a lumbering brute, the next capable of undertaking complex missions on Igor's behalf, and quietly breaking into a shop, crouching, pulling down the window shade, and sneaking up on his victim.
The best thing about the film is Lugosi's Igor, which is the most entertaining performance I've seen from him. It isn't as nuanced or as a great as Dracula, but he's animated and amusing here, as well as scary when he needs to be.
'The best thing about the film is Lugosi's Igor'
Definitely. He must have had an absolute blast doing it.
"We are all dead here." And the courtroom scene? Peak Lugosi for sure.
And notice how much Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein (1974) "borrowed" elements from this particular film? Sets, characters, even some scenes were heavily referenced by Brooks.